These were the biggest stories on Long Island this year.

Long Island

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As the year comes to an end, here are the top stories that made an impact on Long Island. NewsdayTV&#39;s Jasmine Anderson reports.&nbsp;

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LI's top stories of 2023 

Newsday

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Gilgo Beach killings investigation complete coverage

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Newsday Staff

The Farmingdale High School director of bands and a retired social studies teacher were killed, and dozens of members of the school’s marching band were injured, including five critically, when a bus on its way to a band camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania, crashed Thursday down a 50-foot ravine and overturned, authorities said. 
 Gov. Kathy Hochul, during a news conference Thursday night at State Police headquarters in Middletown, described the crash as a “day of terror” for the 40 students and four adults on board the charter bus operated by a Nesconset company. 
 The two dead passengers were identified as Gina Pellettiere, 43, of Massapequa, the director of bands at the high school, and Beatrice Ferrari, 77, of Farmingdale, who was acting as a chaperone on the annual trip, said Lt. Col. Richard Mazzone, assistant deputy superintendent of the State Police Department. 
 “Today was a day of terror for 44 passengers,” Hochul said Thursday, adding that the students were rescued within 45 minutes. “Imagine the fear. The screams of these high school students, many of them freshmen, surrounded by this chaos. They endured and were strong.” 
 The injured were taken to five area hospitals, Mazzone said, while the most seriously injured went to Westchester Medical Center, a Level 1 trauma center. Others went to Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis; St. Luke’s Hospital in Cornwall; St. Anthony Community Hospital in Warwick and Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown. 
 In total, more than 40 passengers on the bus were hospitalized, officials said. 
<h2> Tire potentially to blame in crash </h2> 
 A preliminary investigation indicated&nbsp;that a “faulty front tire” may have been a “contributing factor” to the crash, Mazzone said. 
 A five-member team from the National Transportation Safety Board was due to be on the scene Friday morning, and will be tasked with investigating the cause of the crash, officials said. 
 It occurred at 1:12 p.m. on I-84 in the town of Wawayanda in Orange County, about 45 miles northwest of New York City and near the border of both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 
 Six charter buses were en route to the camp, but just the one bus was involved in the crash. Students in the other five buses were safe and returned to Farmingdale on Thursday night. 
 The roadway near the crash site remained closed Thursday night as authorities continue to investigate the accident. 
 The State Department of Transportation confirmed the bus operator was Regency Transportation of Nesconset. 
 DOT spokesman Joseph Morrissey said the company “has valid operating authority from the State Department of Transportation and a valid semiannual inspection. The driver is properly licensed. As this matter remains under law enforcement investigation, we are not in a position to comment further at this time.” 
 A message left with Regency Transportation was not immediately returned. 
 According to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records, one crash involving a Regency bus was reported to the agency in the last two years. That crash involved an injury, but the records do not say who was responsible for the crash or provide any detail. 
 The company has 14 drivers with eight vehicles, according to records.&nbsp; 
<h2> New developments Friday </h2> 
 The Farmingdale-Freeport&nbsp;high school football game scheduled for Friday night was postponed and no makeup date was announced. According&nbsp;to Freeport football coach&nbsp;Russ Cellan, his school was notified of the postponement early Friday morning. &quot;We totally expected that the game would be postponed,&quot; Cellan said. &quot;And we have no timetable for a makeup game.” 
 Also, all after-school competitions Friday&nbsp;and during the weekend are canceled, according to a statement from schools Superintendent&nbsp;Paul Defendini. 
 Defendini said the school district&nbsp;will be establishing a crisis center and Howitt Middle School this weekend &quot;for any staff, student, or community member who might need support.&quot;&nbsp;The hours of operation for the crisis center will be Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m.,&nbsp;and Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. 
 At Farmingdale High School, it was a solemn scene&nbsp;Friday morning as parents dropped off their children. Security was tight, with yellow&nbsp;police tape strung across the front, and guards stationed throughout the area in&nbsp;part to keep media crews off school property. 
 Parents, students, and neighbors said they were in shock over the accident. 
 “It’s&nbsp;very sad, “ Johana Gutierrez said in Spanish as she dropped off her 10th-grade daughter. 
 Her husband, Jason Gutierrez, 38, said, “these are things you don’t expect.” 
 But the couple said they thought it was good that the students were coming back to school, to give one another support. 
 “May God give strength to the families, “Jason Gutierrez said. 
 Malachi McKinnon, 13, a&nbsp;ninth-grader at the school, said he was talking with some of his friends before they got on the bus. He said he was telling them how much fun the trip sounded like. 
 “It’s like sad because everyone was having fun,” he added. 
 Also Friday, State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa and&nbsp;Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young Jr. released a joint statement. &quot;Our hearts and thoughts go out to the Farmingdale school community and all of those suffering due to the tragic accident,&quot; it read in part.&nbsp; 
 &quot;Thank you to the first responders and law enforcement for their speedy actions, which saved numerous lives. ... The Department and Board of Regents will continue to monitor the situation.&quot;&nbsp; 
<h2> Support for mourners </h2> 
 In a letter&nbsp;sent late Thursday to&nbsp;the school community, the Farmingdale schools superintendent Paul Defendini&nbsp;said counselors and support staff will be available Friday &quot;for all students, faculty and staff.&quot; 
 Defendini&nbsp;described&nbsp;Pellettiere as &quot;our inspiring faculty and Band Director&quot; and Ferrari as &quot;the&nbsp;heart and soul of our marching band program.&quot; 
 &quot;I shared with our students earlier and our staff a few minutes ago that the best thing we can do is to give hugs and make sure each and every person in this community has the support they need,&quot; he said. 
 Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who flew by helicopter to the news conference, said the students were on their way to a weekend filled with music and fun for band members. 
 Thursday&nbsp;morning, he said, “started out as an incredibly beautiful day in New York State. Our students left Farmingdale High School on the way for a band trip … Their friends and companions together and a weekend planned of fun and enjoying their musicianship. Unfortunately, the day ended in tragedy for so many.” 
 Blakeman said a number of students were released to their parents while others remain hospitalized. 
 “I’ve been meeting with the parents of these students and making sure they have transportation and everything they need,” said Blakeman, who was visiting with patients at Garnet Health Medical Center and Bon Secours Community Hospital before flying to Westchester Medical Center. 
 Democratic State Sen. James Skoufis, who represents the area where the crash occurred, said the community was in shock and mourning with the victims. 
 “It’s a tragedy of epic proportions,” he said. “It absolutely shocks people to the core.” 
 The Associated Press reported that student Anthony Eugenio, who was on the bus in the accident, called his family to say he was a little banged up, but OK. He recalled the bus rolling over several times before it came to a rest. 
 “He said he is really sore. He’s got a big bump on his leg. He’s got blood on his pants from somebody else. The person next to him was covered in blood,” his father, Jonathan Eugenio, said in a phone interview with the AP from near the crash site. 
 Anthony, who plays the trombone, had to borrow a friend’s phone because he could not find his, after the bus tumbled off the road. 
 “It was pretty nerve-wracking,” the worried father told the AP. “When you get news like that and your son is two and half hours away — it’s pretty scary.” 
 A reunification center for families and those involved in the crash, police said, was set up at Orange County Community College-Diana Physical Education Building on East Conklin Avenue in Middletown, school officials said. 
<h2> Farmingdale high school students return home </h2> 
 At Farmingdale High School on Thursday night, parents and community members gathered at the corners of Woodward Parkway and 10th Avenue to wait for the returning buses to roll into the high school parking lot. The buses arrived shortly before 8 p.m. 
 Community members lit a dozen white candles along Woodward Parkway to “light the way” for the returning students, said Alejandra Loredo, a teaching assistant at Northside Elementary School whose two sons attend another school in the district. Others gathered at intersections along Woodward Parkway, huddling together and leaning on each other. 
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 Children and their parents waiting outside the high school also held up white candles and waved their phones, with flashlights on, as frantic parents picked up their children. 
 Margaruite Bynum, who graduated from the high school in 1995, said she felt compelled to come out to show support even though she no longer knows anyone in the school. She said she used to take band&nbsp;trips when she played clarinet in the band. 
 “ It’s very, very sad. It’s heartbreaking,” she said. 
 Bynum said Farmingdale is a close-knit community and she’s not surprised to see the big turnout. 
 Loredo’s son, Damian Loredo, 10, held up a sign decorated with hearts and a line that said “we love you very much.” 
 Farmingdale High School Principal Jed Herman said he was at an area hospital with the injured students but otherwise declined to comment. 
 Branden Jackson, 15, a sophomore on the high school football team, said a teammate was on the bus and was injured. 
 “I heard some of them are traumatized,” Jackson said outside of school as some teammates stood nearby. “Honestly, I felt kind of emotional.” 
 Jackson’s mother, Denise Diaz, said she drove her daughter, who is in middle school, to a YMCA summer camp in Bay Shore because she feared the type of bus crash which devastated the community Thursday. 
 “I was so afraid to send her … [by] chartered bus so I drove her,” Diaz said. “Look what happened today. Going on a simple trip.” 
 Sandra Talavera, whose 17-year-old son Santino was on bus No. 2, which was not involved in the crash, said the accident has shaken up parents. She said the students had been originally scheduled to return Sunday. 
 “This is alarming,” she said, standing outside the school Thursday afternoon with her husband. “It’s tragic, you know? I don’t know how people are gonna feel and get through.” 
 New York State School Boards Association Executive Director Robert Schneider said in a statement that “we all stand in support of the Farmingdale community as they cope with this horrific and tragic event. We are thankful for the speedy action of first responders, and we hope and pray for the recovery of those who were injured, and we mourn the lives of those who were lost.” 
 A mother on the trip said she and her son were on another of the buses. 
 “I’m with the group heading back home,” said the mother, who requested anonymity, at about 6 p.m. “The kids are comforting one another.” 
 She said her son was not injured but “the kids are visibly shaken, and they’re holding it together … We’re happy to go home to our families. We want to make sure the community knows we’re heading home safely.” 
 Naomi Luke, a freshman, heard about the crash from her friends on the swim team who were on the bus and treated at the hospital, she said Thursday night as she and others gathered outside the school to show support. 
 “They were all so excited to go,” Luke said. “We just want to support them.” 
 Her mother, Carolina Luke, teared up when speaking of the injuries some kids sustained from the crash, recalling that she had seen several girls at an event just Wednesday night. 
 She’d seen some of them grow up and come to her house often and she knew how excited the kids were to go on this trip. 
 “I’m very sad. I’m shaken,” she said. “Last night we were all together at a swim meet. We were celebrating and having fun. And then today…” 
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Two adults dead, dozens injured in charter bus crash with Farmingdale High School kids on way to Pennsylvania band camp

Two adults dead, five critically injured, after bus with Farmingdale High School kids on way to marching band camp crashes

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Students and staff at Farmingdale High School prepared for an emotional day Friday, following the death of the&nbsp;Farmingdale High School director of bands and a retired social studies teacher in a bus crash in Orange&nbsp;County on Thursday. NewsdayTV&#39;s Macy Egeland reports.

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Farmingdale students, staff grieve the loss of 2 killed in bus crash

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Farmingdale H.S. student: 'I feel like it's going to be silent all day'

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Two 14-year-old Roslyn Middle School students, on their way home after a tennis victory, were killed Wednesday night while two other teens were seriously injured in a &quot;catastrophic&quot; crash in Jericho&nbsp;after their car was hit by a drunken wrong-way driver in a pickup truck, Nassau&nbsp;police and school officials said. 
 The Roslyn School District identified the&nbsp;teens killed as Drew Hassenbein and Ethan Falkowitz, both elite tennis players in the eighth grade. The two survivors, the 17-year-old driver and a 16-year-old passenger, were not identified but are in stable condition at a hospital while recovering from internal injuries, authorities said. 
 The funeral for&nbsp;Falkowitz was set for Friday at 11:30 a.m. at Temple Sinai of Roslyn. 
 &quot;We&nbsp;are experiencing unimaginable grief,&quot; said Roslyn Board of Education president Meryl Waxman Ben-Levy. &quot;Our community&nbsp;was destroyed. These were beautiful people; beautiful babies.&quot; 
 The driver of the pickup truck,&nbsp;Amandeep Singh, 34, of Roslyn, was arrested&nbsp;after attempting to flee the &quot;horrific&quot; crash site, which left a debris field exceeding the size of a football field, according to&nbsp;Det. Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick, commanding officer&nbsp;of the Nassau County Police Department's Homicide Squad, 
 Detectives said Singh was driving a 2019 Dodge Ram pickup south in the northbound lanes of North Broadway, adjacent to the Jericho Commons shopping mall, when he swerved around cars and finally&nbsp;crashed into a 2019 Alfa Romeo four-door sedan occupied by the four teens at 10:21 p.m.&nbsp;Wednesday. The Alfa Romeo then struck a Volvo occupied by a 49-year-old woman and her 16-year-old son, both of whom sustained only minor injuries, police said. 
<h2> 'Unimaginable grief' </h2> 
 Singh, who refused to talk to reporters Thursday as he was escorted from police headquarters in Mineola with a large bruise under his eye, was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide,&nbsp;first-degree vehicular manslaughter, two counts each of second-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault, leaving the scene of an auto accident with a fatality and&nbsp;driving while intoxicated. 
 He was&nbsp;remanded to the Nassau jail in East Meadow without bail following his arraignment at First District Court&nbsp;— a decision that was met with loud applause from the dozens of Roslyn community members who crammed into the Hempstead courtroom. 
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 District Court Judge Joseph Nocella said Singh’s prior criminal history, which includes a youthful offender conviction for driving while intoxicated, combined with the strength of the case against him, makes him a flight risk. Nocella suspended Singh's license&nbsp;and put him in protective custody. 
 Prosecutors said Singh also had a youthful offender conviction for gang assault and was twice subject to removal from the country. 
 James Kousouros, Singh's Manhattan-based defense attorney, said his client’s criminal history dates back to 2006 but that Singh is currently a U.S. citizen, a business owner and graduate of New York University.&nbsp; 
 “He has very strong ties to his community,” Kousouros argued, noting the presence of Singh's wife and two young children in the courtroom. “ … Obviously this is an unmitigated tragedy.&quot; 
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<h2> 'Catastrophic' scene </h2> 
 At a news conference in Mineola, Fitzpatrick, who was among the officers to respond to the crash,&nbsp;described the scene&nbsp;as among the worst he's ever encountered. 
 &quot;It was probably one of the most catastrophic scenes I have seen in a long time,&quot; Fitzpatrick said, adding that the debris field was so extensive that it was &quot;almost like the car exploded.&quot; 
 Singh, he said, was &quot;swerving in and out of lanes and the kids had nowhere to go. They eventually tried to maneuver to the left, exposing the right side of the car and the truck collided catastrophically with the vehicle. The pickup truck went airborne, spinning, and landed 300 feet away.&quot;&nbsp; 
 The driver, Fitzpatrick said, did everything he could to avoid the pickup. 
 &quot;The poor kid chose to go left and the car hit them,&quot; he said, adding that&nbsp;Hassenbein and Falkowitz were both seated on the right side of the Alfa Romeo. 
 As witnesses tried to render aid to the teens, Singh fled the scene on foot;&nbsp;police located him in the Broadway Mall parking lot in Hicksville and arrested him, Fitzpatrick said. 
 Singh had a blood alcohol content of 0.18, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, according to charging documents. 
 Fitzpatrick said Singh was &quot;all over the place&quot; in his answers to police. 
 &quot;He thought he was in New Jersey,&quot; Fitzpatrick said, adding that police have surveillance video of the crash.&nbsp;&quot;He asked the officers, 'what are you doing here? It's New Jersey.'&quot; 
 The teens, who were returning home&nbsp;after eating dinner at the mall following the tennis match,&nbsp;were wearing their seat belts and the driver had a valid license, police said. 
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<h2> Elite athletes&nbsp; </h2> 
 A divided and chaotic scene engulfed Singh's arraignment Thursday, as more than 150 members of the tightknit Roslyn community, including school officials and classmates of the victims, packed the courtroom alongside more than 20 friends and family members of the defendant. 
 Village of East Hills trustee Brian Meyerson said it was important to show support for the families involved in the tragedy. 
 &quot;We're not a community. We're a family,&quot; Meyerson said, adding that the teens had the &quot;brightest of futures before them.&quot; 
 The teens had beaten&nbsp;rival Syosset on Wednesday, Ben-Levy said. Roslyn was the Nassau County Large School boys tennis team champion in 2022 and the victims are among&nbsp;the top players on this season’s team. 
 &quot;It was a big win,&quot; Ben-Levy said. &quot;They were celebrating the way they should, as a team.&quot; 
 Roslyn's Senior Day home match, scheduled for Friday against Plainview-Old Bethpage, has been canceled, officials said. 
 Members of the Syosset team, along with tennis players from across the region, attended the court proceeding to show support for the victims. 
 Nash Dolinko, a friend of Falkowitz from a tennis camp in Pennsylvania, traveled from New Jersey to attend the arraignment. 
 “He was a great friend,&nbsp;an amazing personality,” Dolinko said. “He always put a smile on everyone’s face.” 
 Charlie Kaplan, another friend from New Jersey, said of Falkowitz:&nbsp;“I’m so upset that he’s gone.” 
 Falkowitz spent the past six years at Tyler Hill Camp in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. His&nbsp;11-year-old brother, Landon, and 8-year-old sister, Reese, also attended the camp. 
 “Ethan was the perfect camper. He lit up the room every time he walked in and had the kindest soul,” said camp director Andy Siegel. “He was just one of those kids that enjoyed every aspect of camp and made the most of&nbsp;every summer.” 
 Hassenbein, meanwhile, was a nationally ranked singles tennis player&nbsp;and considered among the best in the country for his age group. 
 “He was a tenacious kid,&quot; said&nbsp;Jay Harris, general manager and director of tennis at SPORTIME in Roslyn. &quot;You don’t get to be number one&nbsp;in the country in anything unless you’re extremely driven and really tough. And that’s Drew.” 
 Shiwally Walia, a parent from Robbie Wagner Tournament Training&nbsp;Center, the Glen Cove tennis academy where Hassenbein trained, showed reporters a photograph of the teen&nbsp;on center court at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens presenting Daniil Medvedev — the third ranked professional tennis player in the world — with the U.S. Open Trophy in 2021. She called the tennis club Hassenbein's “second home.” 
 Fellow tennis mom Melissa Wright said the crash victims &quot;had great families who were really supportive of their kids and developed their talents.&quot; 
<h2> Increased patrols,&nbsp;support in school </h2> 
 Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, meanwhile, said the county will enhance its DWI patrols, saying, &quot;Two tragic lives lost because somebody chose to drink and drive and ended up going the wrong way. We can't have it.&quot; 
 In a letter to parents Thursday, Roslyn Schools Superintendent Allison Brown called the crash a &quot;devastating loss … Our hearts are broken, and we are struggling to come to terms with this tragedy.&quot; 
 In a follow-up letter, Brown said the district will excuse&nbsp;students who want to stay home Friday and that&nbsp;crisis teams of mental health professionals, psychologists, and social workers will be on hand for those who&nbsp;need support. 
 “When a community experiences a tragedy like this, it can be difficult to navigate grief and sadness,&quot; she wrote. &quot;For students who choose to stay home, we understand and support your decision, however, our schools will be open to provide support and care for our students. We have no expectations that the day will feel at all normal.&quot;

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Jericho crash: Two Roslyn students, 14, killed in wrong-way crash; driver charged with DWI

Officials: Boys, 14, killed in wrong-way DWI crash were Roslyn students

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Drew Hassenbein and Ethan Falkowitz, both 14,&nbsp;were killed by an alleged drunk driver.&nbsp;Police say Amandeep Singh, driving a Dodge pickup, went the wrong way on North Broadway in Jericho&nbsp;around 10:30 p.m.&nbsp;Wednesday. NewsdayTV&#39;s Cecilia Dowd reports.



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Amandeep Singh charged in Jericho crash that killed Syosset teens

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'So devastating:' Community mourns teens killed in Jericho crash

Complete coverage: George Santos scandal

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 A thick haze of smoke from Canadian wildfires settled over Long Island on Wednesday,&nbsp;delaying flights, canceling outdoor events and&nbsp;casting an ugly&nbsp;— and unhealthy — burnt-orange&nbsp;pall over the region. 
 Air quality on parts of Long Island and New York City were deemed at &quot;very unhealthy&quot; and &quot;hazardous&quot; levels,&nbsp;according to the national monitoring site<a href="https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Melville&amp;state=NY&amp;country=USA"> AirNow.gov</a>. Poor air quality was forecast for Thursday and Friday as fires continue to burn in Canada. 
 State health officials urged New Yorkers to avoid outdoor activities and told them to wear masks if they need to venture outside. The smoky air and the particulates carried in it can be especially dangerous for those with lung conditions, including asthma. 
 The haze darkened skies throughout the region, obscuring the Robert Moses Causeway bridge and New York City skyline. It coated the landscape with an eerie&nbsp;hue and left an acrid taste in people's mouths. With visibility down, traffic slowed across busy highways and hundreds of flights were delayed at local airports. 
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 School districts across Long Island and in the five boroughs, meanwhile, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/bad-air-school-cancel-outdoor-activities-h0awlu2c">canceled outdoor activities</a>, including recess and field days, to keep kids out of the caustic air.&nbsp;The Town of Oyster Bay suspended all sanitation and recycling pickup for Thursday due to air quality.&nbsp; 
 The Yankees announced their Wednesday night game against the White Sox would be rescheduled as a doubleheader for Thursday. 
 Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday called it a &quot;crisis.&quot; 
 &quot;It is also a dangerous situation … I would say over the last 48 hours, it has gotten significantly worse,&quot; she said Wednesday. 
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<h2> Health officials: Wear a mask outside </h2> 
 Air quality index numbers came close to hitting the maximum number of 500 in parts of New York City —&nbsp;numbers officials said had not been seen since the 1960s. Mayor Eric Adams encouraged all city residents to stay home Wednesday night and Thursday if possible. 
 Acting New York State Health Commissioner James McDonald said anyone who goes outside should wear a mask, such as a KN95 or N95. 
 &quot;When you're exposed to the pollution for long term, it can make you more likely to have a lung infection, pneumonia or bronchitis,&quot; McDonald said. 
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 People with health conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart disease are at higher risk of having respiratory problems when air quality is so poor. Women&nbsp;who are pregnant, young children and the elderly are also vulnerable, he said. 
 Hochul announced Wednesday night that the state would distribute 1&nbsp;million N95 masks in the coming days. That includes 400,000 masks that will be available at state parks, MTA stations, the Port Authority Bus Terminal and the Javits Center. 
 Another 600,000 masks will be made available to local counties, cities and villages, Hochul said during a news conference in Albany. 
 “We believe that the N95 mask is an important way that people can stop the air particles from getting into their lungs,” Hochul said. 
 The governor also announced that she has offered a contingent of state fire rangers to be deployed to Canada to help put out the nearly 300 wildfires raging throughout the country. Hochul said she is waiting to hear back from Canadian Consul General Tom Clark. 
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 The DEC&nbsp;extended into Thursday an alert for Long Island and most of the state, cautioning about the air quality and fine-particulate pollutants. 
<h2> Planes delayed, grounded </h2> 
 The poor air quality, which lowered visibility across the region, paused flights bound for&nbsp;LaGuardia and slowed flights at Newark airport, according to the FAA. Dozens of flights were delayed and canceled at the region's airports. 
 The hazy&nbsp;and poor air quality kept Suffolk County police helicopters Wednesday from taking to the sky to aid patients or search for suspects. 
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 Michael Canders, director of the Aviation Center at Farmingdale State College of the State University of New York, said the professional pilot program at the college stopped flight training Wednesday afternoon due to poor visibility. 
 “The reduction in visibility is a potential hazard so we elected to stop flying today,” he said. “We’re all kind of amazed that it’s come from so far away.” 
 In addition, the Port Authority reduced speeds at three bridges — the Bayonne, Goethals&nbsp;and Outerbridge Crossing — to 30 mph due to poor visibility. 
<h2> No immediate relief </h2> 
 State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said the weather forecast does not show any immediate relief from the smoke and haze. 
 &quot;We are looking at the weather patterns&nbsp;—&nbsp;unfortunately the wind doesn't appear to be shifting&nbsp;in a favorable direction over the next day or two,&quot; Seggos said during a Wednesday news briefing. &quot;It looks to again&nbsp;come from the north, which is exactly where the fires are, and will continue to bring&nbsp;that smoke right off the fires&nbsp;directly south into New York.&quot; 
 Health officials said there could be an uptick in emergency room visits and hospital admissions due to people having reactions to the smoky air. 
 Northwell Health said in a statement it has anecdotal reports of a mild increase in asthma and wheezing cases but no&nbsp;significant increase in overall volume at emergency departments or in cases with respiratory illnesses. 
 Its GoHealth urgent care centers in the region&nbsp;saw a slight&nbsp;increase in sore throats and eye-related complaints. 
 “Kids with asthma, chronic lung disease or immunodeficiencies are definitely at higher risk than others,” said Dr. Robyn Kreiner, a pediatrician specializing in allergy, asthma, and immunology who works in Commack. 
 “However there are many people that I've seen recently that are expressing symptoms even without underlying conditions … these fine particles can cause symptoms in anybody.” 
 She urged people to decrease smoking cigarettes, using wood burning stoves and aerosol products because they can increase the particulate matter. 
 Poor and unhealthy air quality could linger over Long Island at least heading into the weekend and could even return next week, according to the National Weather Service.&nbsp; 
 “It looks like the air quality will remain pretty bad overnight,” meteorologist Bryan Ramsey said Wednesday. “It is likely that it will stick with us the next two days, but maybe not to the same degree. It will still be unhealthy.”&nbsp; 
 Long Island may see some improvement later in the week, but the low-pressure system and winds are still blowing smoke downstate from the Canadian wildfires. 
 He said after the weekend, the smoke could return if the winds shift back downstate funneling the smoke toward Long Island. &nbsp; 
 “What happens after that depends on if the fires are still ranging, which could go on for weeks,” Ramsey said. “After the weekend, it could come back to haunt us if the fires are still burning.”&nbsp; 
 The air tracking company IQAir&nbsp;issued the dubious distinction of worst air quality&nbsp;for the New York area. 
 It's worse than last week, when smoke plumes from the wildfires blazing hundreds of miles away in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and other areas began making their way down to northern U.S. states. 
 Officials said they expect the health advisory to stay in place for the next few days. 
 &nbsp; 
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 The smoke darkening the skies comes as thousands&nbsp;have had to leave their homes in Canada, where fires&nbsp;have destroyed more than 25,000 acres &nbsp;so far — making this that&nbsp;region’s worst-ever&nbsp;wildfire season. 
 Wildfires have been raging in Canada over the last few weeks. Canadian officials said currently more than 100 fires in Quebec are out of control as they asked the international community to send reinforcements to help battle the blazes.

News

Weather

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Smoke casts 'very unhealthy' pall over Long Island as flights delayed, events canceled and masks recommended

'Very unhealthy' pall of smoke thickens on LI

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Air quality on parts of Long Island were deemed at &quot;very unhealthy&quot; and &quot;hazardous&quot; levels on Wednesday,&nbsp;according to the national monitoring site<a href="https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Melville&amp;state=NY&amp;country=USA">&nbsp;AirNow.gov</a>.&nbsp;The conditions were caused by smoke from&nbsp;Canadian wildfires.

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Air quality alert in effect until tomorrow due to Canadian wildfires

long island

Air quality alert in effect until tomorrow

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Michael O'Keeffe and Nicole Fuller

Disgraced former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke was arrested Tuesday on&nbsp;multiple sexual misconduct charges during an undercover sting by county park rangers investigating complaints about sex solicitation at a Farmingville park, police said. 
 Burke, a convicted felon whose federal prosecution&nbsp;for beating a handcuffed suspect and covering it up more than a decade ago left an ethical stain&nbsp;on the police department, attempted to use his former law enforcement status — and an appeal for sympathy due to the substance of the allegations&nbsp;— to avoid being arrested, officials said.&nbsp; 
 “The ranger who made the arrest of Mr. Burke did not know he was [James Burke] … not at first, not until he identified himself and said who he was and said, ‘Do you know who I am?’” said Stephen Laton, chief of the Suffolk County Park Rangers, speaking at a news conference.&nbsp; 
 Sgt. Brian Quattrini, also of the rangers, said: “He was expressing to us how this would be a public humiliation for him and such.” 
 Suffolk Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison said the Suffolk County Park Rangers' Targeted Response Unit was conducting a sting operation using undercover rangers at the park Tuesday morning because authorities had received &quot;numerous complaints&quot; that people were soliciting sex at the Suffolk County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park in Farmingville. 
 &quot;At 10:15 a.m. today, during this operation, they engaged one individual who was soliciting for sexual engagement,&quot; Harrison said. &quot;Due to the actions that I am not going to share, this individual was placed under arrest. The rangers ascertained that our perpetrator involved was identified as James Burke, former chief of the Suffolk County Police Department.&quot; 
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 Park rangers arrested&nbsp;Burke, 58, of Smithtown,&nbsp;and took him to the Suffolk Police Department's Sixth Precinct&nbsp;in Selden for processing. He was charged with offering a sex act, indecent exposure, public lewdness and fifth-degree criminal solicitation, Harrison said. Additional charges that were not specified could&nbsp;be pending, the commissioner said. 
 Burke&nbsp;was released with a desk appearance ticket. He's due in court on Sept. 11, according to Tania Lopez, a spokeswoman for Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney.&nbsp; 
 It was unclear if&nbsp;Burke has an attorney.&nbsp;He left the precinct without making comments. 
 Burke had a small amount of marijuana and a muscle relaxant at the time of his arrest, a law enforcement&nbsp;source told Newsday. The former chief has not been charged with drug counts. He drove a rental car to the park, the source said. 
 Burke remains a notorious figure on Long Island.&nbsp; 
 Burke’s latest arrest comes as some recent public discussion has centered on his role in the initial police failings to crack the Gilgo Beach serial killer case following the arrest last month of suspected killer Rex A. Heuermann — 13 years after the victims’ remains were found. Burke cut out the FBI from the investigation, starving it of expertise and resources, which various law enforcement officials conceded hurt the investigation. 
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 Burke, who was Suffolk’s highest-ranking uniformed officer for four years, was arrested in December 2015 after he was indicted on charges of obstruction of justice and violating the civil rights of Christopher Loeb, then 26, of Smithtown, and then orchestrating a departmental cover-up of the crime. Burke was denied bail and remained&nbsp;in federal custody after the late U.S. District Court Judge Leonard Wexler deemed him&nbsp;a danger to the community.&nbsp; 
 In February 2016, he pleaded guilty, and nine months later Wexler sentenced Burke to 46 months in prison and 3&nbsp;years of supervised release. 
 Burke was investigated in prison in 2017 after oxycodone was found in his housing area of the low-security federal prison in Allenwood, Pennsylvania, where Burke served the majority of his sentence, sources told Newsday then. His attorney said at the time he would be “vindicated.” The result of that investigation was not disclosed by federal officials. 
 Burke was released from federal prison in November 2018 after serving most of his 46-month sentence.&nbsp; 
 Suffolk police had arrested Loeb, a heroin addict at the time, on Dec. 14, 2012, after he was suspected of stealing a duffel bag containing a gun belt, ammunition, sex toys and pornography from Burke’s unmarked police SUV in front of the chief's&nbsp;St. James home.&nbsp; 
 Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota and top aide Christopher McPartland were later convicted of charges including conspiracy, witness tampering&nbsp;and obstruction in connection with the federal investigation of Burke. They are serving five-year prison sentences. 
 Burke, Spota and McPartland dubbed themselves &quot;The Administration&quot; and were the most powerful men in the county, maintaining their grip on Suffolk law enforcement by threatening their perceived enemies with demotion and career-ending false criminal charges, prosecutors said during the trial. 
 It was at Spota and McPartland's&nbsp;joint trial that some of the detectives who participated in the assault of Loeb, along with Burke, at the Fourth Precinct in Hauppauge and the ensuing cover-up, took the witness stand and testified in vivid detail. 
 The detectives, called Burke's &quot;palace guard,&quot;&nbsp;ferried Burke to the airport, did surveillance on his girlfriend’s son and even spied on Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, who had appointed Burke as chief.&nbsp; 
 Det. Lt. James Hickey, the commanding officer of criminal intelligence who was the government's star witness, testified that he feared for his life in fall 2015 when he met Burke alone in a restaurant parking lot after getting a federal subpoena in the Loeb case. 
 &quot;I was very concerned he wanted to kill me,&quot; Hickey said of Burke. 
 Former Det. Anthony Leto described Burke grabbing Loeb by his ears and shaking him, and punching and&nbsp;kneeing him during the attack. Leto said Burke&nbsp;threatened&nbsp;to give Loeb&nbsp;a “hot shot” — a deadly drug dose. 
 The county paid Loeb a&nbsp;$1.5 million settlement&nbsp;over the beating.&nbsp; 
 Newsday reported in 2013, and it was later affirmed during trial testimony, that the police department’s Internal Affairs unit found it credible that Burke had sex with a prostitute in his police cruiser and twice lost his gun to her. 
 Despite those findings, Spota made Burke the supervisor of his office's detective investigators. And Bellone&nbsp;accepted Spota’s recommendation to hire Burke, even though others in the department warned Bellone in a letter not to do so. Bellone later fired Burke.&nbsp; 
 Newsday has reported that Burke collects an annual pension of $145,485, according to state records. 
 With Candice Ferrette and Vera Chinese

Crime

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Former Suffolk Chief of Police James Burke charged with sexual solicitation, officials say

Ex-Suffolk chief of police arrested on sexual misconduct charges, officials say

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Former Suffolk Police Chief James Burke was arrested at Suffolk County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park in Farmingville and charged with offering a sex act, public lewdness, indecent exposure and more. Burke&nbsp;was released from prison in 2018 after serving time for beating a handcuffed prisoner and orchestrating a cover-up. NewsdayTV&#39;s Ken Buffa reports.

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Former Suffolk Police Chief James Burke arrested on sex charges

Brookhaven

Suffolk

James Burke charged with public lewdness, indecent exposure

The single-engine plane that&nbsp;crashed Sunday in North Lindenhurst, killing one passenger&nbsp;and critically injuring two others, including the pilot, was a pleasure flight booked through Groupon by a mother and daughter from New Jersey, according to the attorney of the plane's operator&nbsp;and the National Transportation Safety Board. 
 The NTSB, which is investigating the crash near a residential neighborhood, said the pilot of the Piper PA 28 plane declared an emergency while returning to Republic Airport in East Farmingdale just before 3 p.m. 
 Surveillance video from nearby buildings shows the plane descending and colliding with trees and the ground before its final approach course to the airport, said the&nbsp;NTSB, which&nbsp;will be recovering the wreckage before&nbsp;bringing it to an off-site facility for further investigation. 
 Oleh N. Dekajlo of East Meadow, the&nbsp;attorney for&nbsp;Danny Waizman Flight School at Republic Airport, which owns and operates the plane, told Newsday on Monday&nbsp;that the&nbsp;plane had undergone 50-hour and 100-hour inspections&nbsp;on Feb. 27 and Jan. 4, respectively. 
 “It was an experienced, certified flight instructor that was doing what they call a demonstration flight,&quot; Dekajlo said. &quot;So it was, apparently, a mother and her daughter that were onboard. And, apparently, there was an emergency that was declared.” 
 The identities of the deceased and&nbsp;injured passengers have not been released.&nbsp;A preliminary Federal Aviation Administration report on Monday had erroneously indicated that the person killed in the crash was a member of the flight crew. 
 The cockpit recording provides a window into the harrowing moments before the plane went down. 
 In the recording, published by LiveATC.net, which&nbsp;publishes air traffic control broadcasts from control towers and radar facilities, the pilot tells the air traffic controller that there is &quot;smoke in the cockpit&quot; and that he requires immediate landing.&nbsp; 
 The tower then tells the pilot to continue straight and that he's clear to land&nbsp;on runway 32, which is about two miles away. 
 After about nine seconds of silence the frantic pilot&nbsp;makes repeated &quot;mayday&quot; requests while indicating there is a fire on board. 
 The pilot is not heard again as the tower reports an &quot;emergency in progress&quot; while another voice says there is a plume of smoke about a mile from the end of the runway. 
 Dekajlo said Danny Waizman&nbsp;&quot;is considered one of the safest flight schools at Republic. This is not a fly-by-night, with one airplane, running out of his home. It actually has a physical office, and they have a fleet of aircraft that are very well maintained&quot; 
 But this is not the first crash for the flight school in recent years. 
 In April 2019, a&nbsp;single-engine Cessna that was rented to the flight school&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/plane-crash-valley-stream-f62645">crashed in a Valley Stream neighborhood </a>with three men on board after running out of fuel in dense fog. 
 The pilot and passengers, all from South Korea,&nbsp;walked away virtually unscathed and no one on the ground was hurt, even though the plane came to rest just feet from a home after clipping a church and getting tangled in power lines. 
 Dekajlo said the pilot&nbsp;in Sunday's crash is in critical condition and is a 23-year-old from the Bronx.&nbsp;The passengers were a mother, 63, and daughter, 33, from New Jersey, who were taking a pleasure flight booked via Groupon. He declined to identify the three individuals. 
 Groupon didn’t immediately respond to questions about its deal with the Danny Waizman Flight School. 
 The plane took off from Republic&nbsp;with three people on board at 2:18 p.m. The pilot reported smoke in the cockpit in a mayday call to air traffic controllers at Republic&nbsp;shortly before it crashed at about&nbsp;3 p.m., according to&nbsp;John Rowan, the Suffolk County Police Department’s chief of detectives. 
 “That aircraft was attempting to return to Republic Airport, where unfortunately it did not make it,” Rowan said during a news conference&nbsp;near the&nbsp;scene around Wellwood Avenue&nbsp;shortly after the crash. The mayday call was the plane's final communication with the tower, Rowan said. 
 “My understanding preliminarily is that they were on a sightseeing tour,” he added. “They had been airborne for sometime and this was their final approach or their attempted final approach to the runway.” 
 Nobody on the ground was hurt, said Rowan.&nbsp; 
 Suffolk police did not provide an immediate&nbsp;update about the crash Monday morning or a timeline for&nbsp;when the pilot may be publicly identified. 
 Two were treated at the&nbsp;scene&nbsp;for third-degree burns, said Jamie Atkinson, the deputy coordinator of Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services. They were later transported to Stony Brook University Hospital via police medevac. 
 “The third victim succumbed to their injuries here at the scene,” Rowan said.&nbsp; 
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 Rowan said the plane crashed&nbsp;close to buildings in a residential neighborhood. &quot;We are very fortunate that nobody else on the ground was injured; obviously, it’s a very tragic event. … We’re just happy that nobody else was hurt,&quot; he said. 
 Emin Aydin of North Lindenhurst saw thick black smoke rising in the air as he returned home from food shopping. The two survivors already had&nbsp;been removed from the plane, he said, and one victim &quot;was all burned.&quot; 
 He and others tried to wrap them with blankets and get them to safety. 
 The airplane landed about 300 feet south of the Long Island Rail Road tracks in North Lindenhurst, according to MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan. The crash caused no damage to the tracks. 
 Tom Altieri was getting out of his vehicle around 3 p.m. to enter his East June Street home in North Lindenhurst when he said he noticed a single-engine plane unusually “low and slow.” Altieri, who has lived in his home for 20 years, said he’s used to the constant sight of planes overhead, but he had never seen one this low to the ground. 
 Within seconds of seeing the plane pass over him, he said he heard “a somewhat large explosion” followed by a plume of smoke. By 3:45 p.m., the smoke had dissipated, he said. 
 “I knew immediately it was that plane,” he said. 
 With Sunday’s beautiful weather, Mahida Ali had the windows of her home open to enjoy the 52-degree day when she noticed clouds of smoke in the air around 2:55 p.m. 
 She first thought a house was on fire or maybe a neighbor was celebrating the good weather with a barbecue. 
 But “the smoke was just too much for it to be a barbecue,” she said, adding that her husband Hafiz Ulhaq went to investigate, where he discovered a throng of bystanders and a swarm of emergency services responding to the crashed plane. 
 The couple said they’re used to planes passing their Bolton Street home every 5 to 10 minutes. Sometimes, they fly so low, Ulhaq said he’s worried they could “land on our roof.&quot;

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Plane crash near Republic Airport leaves passenger dead, 2 injured, NTSB says

NTSB: Passenger dead in plane crash near Republic Airport, 2 injured

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Officials are investigating a small plane crash and fire&nbsp;Sunday in North Lindenhurst. A passenger was killed and the pilot and other passenger were seriously burned, according to officials on Monday.&nbsp;NewsdayTV&#39;s Pat Dolan reports.

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'A very large explosion': Investigation into North Lindenhurst plane crash

North Lindenhurst

East Farmingdale

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Complete elections coverage

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Laura Albanese

Schools with team&nbsp;names such as Warriors, Chiefs, Braves and Thunderbirds that have used indigenous imagery will have to change their names, according to David Frank, an assistant commissioner with the state Department of Education who on Friday provided the clearest information yet on&nbsp;how the state's new policy banning Native American mascots will play out. 
 The state Board of Regents passed a ban on the use of Native American mascots, team names and imagery at public schools on Tuesday. Many Long Island administrators were left confused about which team names would be affected. 
 &quot;The department’s position on this is clear,&quot; Frank said. &quot;If any team, mascots, logos or names have any connection to indigenous nations or peoples, either at the present time or in the past, they need to change their team name.&quot; 
 The Comsewogue, Wyandanch and Wantagh districts will need to replace&nbsp;the name Warriors based on the directive. 
 &quot;We understand our 'Warriors'&nbsp;name will not be permitted,&quot; Comsewogue Superintendent Jennifer Quinn said in a statement. &quot;We are in consultation with the several other districts who also use 'Warriors'&nbsp;to determine what we might do together regarding the state's position in this matter. We have informed the NYS Education Department, in very clear terms, our disappointment and disagreement. ...&nbsp;&nbsp;After consultation with our legal counsel, the other 'Warrior'&nbsp;districts, and our community, we will consider what our options are and what our next steps should be.&quot; 
 Schools whose “Warrior” nickname never had indigenous ties, like the upstate Chenango Valley Warriors, who use an ancient Greek figure as a mascot, will not have to make a change, Frank said. No “Warriors” school on Long Island falls under this category.&nbsp; 
 Frank said the new state rule will not allow team names that have “any vestiges” of Native American names or images, even if districts remove the indigenous imagery that goes with them. This also applies to schools that phased out their indigenous imagery before the rule was passed earlier this week, such as the Amityville Warriors, and schools with less immediate, overt ties to Native American imagery, like the Connetquot and Half Hollow Hills East Thunderbirds. 
 “Yes,&quot; Frank said, &quot;those team names do need to change.” 
 The decision on Thunderbirds, a name that is derived from a Native American mythical creature, does have precedent, with Colorado including them in a similar statewide ban that went into effect in 2021. 
 “Our district is committed to respecting all people and cultures, while also maintaining the strong affiliation of our proud High School East alumni,” said Patrick Harrigan, superintendent of schools in Half Hollow Hills. “Even prior to the Department of Education’s most recent guidance that includes the requirement to change the Thunderbird mascot at High School East, we had begun discussions with students and staff to explore what the process of selecting a new mascot could look like and planning for how we can include community input.&quot; 
 The Connetquot district did not respond to requests for comment. 
 An April 6 Regents item said the state would no longer allow &quot;Indians&quot; as a team name.&nbsp;There are three Long Island schools that use that name -- Brentwood, Manhasset and Sewanhaka. 
 The directive will also affect the Syosset Braves; Massapequa Chiefs; &nbsp;the East Islip Redmen, and the Sachem Flaming Arrows, which includes both their East and North high schools. It is not likely to include the Plainedge, Center Moriches and Freeport Red Devils, which&nbsp;have not been known to have used indigenous imagery to represent the teams on uniforms, fields or school property. 
 Schools have until the end of this school year to make a commitment, via resolution, to change their team names and mascots. They will then have until the end of the 2024-25 school year to change things like turf fields, uniforms, scoreboards and other signage on school grounds.&nbsp;Those who do not comply will risk losing state aid, and school officers losing their jobs. 
 Massapequa said the Board of Regents “is overextending its reach and removing our local control,” and that the name honors the town’s native history.&nbsp; 
 Asked about districts that defy the mandate, Frank said, &quot;We don't want to focus on the punitive side of things. We're hopeful that the vast majority of schools and districts, as we've already seen across the state ... are already engaged in these processes [of change].&nbsp; 
 &quot;No one wants to get to those penalties,&quot; he added, &quot;and I'm confident that educators across New York State will see the effects these vestiges of the past are having on indigenous peoples in the modern day and make those changes.&quot;&nbsp; 
 He affirmed Massapequa's right to seek legal counsel -- something the district said it planned to do in its statement -- but added, &quot;they&nbsp;should talk to the indigenous peoples of Long Island and see what impact it has on them.&quot; 
 There is no appeals process, Frank said, but he encouraged districts to contact the department if they had further questions. There is one exception to the rule: A written exemption from a state or federally recognized tribe with established ties to the community. &nbsp; 
 Neither the Shinnecock, which are federally recognized, nor the Unkechaug, which are state recognized, said they expected to grant an exemption, and Frank did not believe one has been granted by any indigenous nation at this point. The exemption must also come from a legitimate representative of the indigenous&nbsp;nation. 
 “We’ve seen a lot of districts go ‘shop’ for approval from indigenous nations and that is not the intent of these regulations,” he said. “The intent is that if there is a pre-existing relationship, then at the nation’s discretion, (the mascot) could continue.”&nbsp; 
 Frank added that schools that show a “good-faith effort” but are under “extenuating circumstances” can request an extension from&nbsp;Commissioner Betty Rosa. They may also request building aid with the state facilities office for projects that cost over $10,000. If approved, the rate of reimbursement will vary from district to district. &nbsp; 
 “This is about the human and civil rights of indigenous peoples,” Frank said. “We went and spoke to indigenous students. …Hearing the pain and the shame that these students have when they’re playing against the ‘Indians’ or the ‘Warriors’ with an antiquated and, quite frankly, inaccurate depiction of Native Americans that live in New York, even in the past or the present — they felt like they weren’t part of our larger society, that they weren’t able to reach their full potential.”&nbsp; 
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Sports

High School

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School team names with 'any connection' to Native American people must change, state says

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The State Department of Education added&nbsp;names such as Thunderbirds, Warriors, Chiefs and Braves to the banned list of school names. NewsdayTV&#39;s Drew Scott reports.&nbsp;

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At least a dozen LI districts will be affected by state ban on Native American mascots, team names

Syosset

Amityville

Port Jefferson Station

Manhasset

Wantagh

Massapequa

Holbrook

Ronkonkoma

Bohemia

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Lorena Mongelli

The Long Island region had the highest number of work-zone speed-camera violations in the state during the program’s first six months of operation, according to state data. 
Out of 133,640 tickets statewide, Nassau and Suffolk counties had 41,709 violations issued from May 17 through Nov. 22, more than 30% of the total, officials announced. 
Only the Rochester-Finger Lakes area came close to meeting Long Island’s count, with 32,578 tickets issued. New York City had 12,330 violations, while the Albany region had 4,616. 
“The numbers are pretty staggering. It seems that so many people are speeding at construction zones,” said Robert Sinclair Jr., spokesman &nbsp;for AAA Northeast. The automobile club advocated for the program in 2021 to reduce construction-zone crashes. 
The state deployed cameras at 263 locations throughout Long Island from mid-April, when a 30-day warning period kicked in, through the end of October, according to state Department of Transportation spokesman Joseph Morrissey. 
Under the state's speed-camera program, mobile cameras on SUVs target different spots, ticketing vehicles traveling more than 10 mph over the speed limit. Road signs near construction zones&nbsp; warn drivers to brake or face a ticket. The New York State Thruway maintains 10 cameras, while the state Department of Transportation maintains 20. 
The New York State Thruway, north of New York City, saw 37,779 tickets issued. 
The program saw <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/transportation/state-speed-camera-tickets-ox5f98ra">some hiccups</a> during the first few weeks of fines, which resulted in &nbsp;fewer tickets.&nbsp; 
More than 7,500 tickets, or 9% of all tickets issued on roads managed by the Department of Transportation, were repeat offenders, according to a state news release. 
On the New York State Thruway network, repeat offenders accounted for more than 1,500 violations, or 4% of all tickets issued there.&nbsp; 
Fines start at $50, escalate to $75 for the second violation, $100 for the third ticket and $100 &nbsp;each for additional tickets within 18 months of the first violation. 
Tickets are issued to the car's owner, and no points are&nbsp;issued on driver's licenses. Unpaid fines may result in a hold on registration until fines are paid. Fines can be contested within 30 days after citations are received. 
Marc Herbst, executive director &nbsp;of the Long Island Contractors' Association, said there should be more repercussions for drivers who repeatedly speed in work zones. 
“There needs to be consequences for those repeat offenders. They’re intentionally ignoring the safety of the workers,” Herbst said. 
On Long Island, where other automated enforcement programs have come under scrutiny and a speed-camera program near schools in 2014 in Nassau was repealed, some residents believe the latest effort is just another way to drum up money for the state. 
Paul Haggerty of Bellmore started a petition on social media to do away with the program because he believes police officers should &nbsp;enforce the speed limits at construction zones. He also criticized 40% of funds being directed to the system’s vendor, Arizona-based Verra Mobility, which has an office in Roslyn Heights. Sixty percent of fines help pay for work-zone safety projects, the state has said. 
“It’s just a way to generate revenue. It’s fine if it was really protecting people or helping our roads get fixed or paying teachers or offsetting our housing costs, but it’s not. It’s policing without a police officer, for gain,” Haggerty said. 
Rob Cracchiolo of Levittown also doesn’t believe the program’s true aim is safety. 
“I think it’s more about money. If they’re worried about workers, they would have more people in work zones telling people to slow down with flags,” Cracchiolo said. 
Officials also announced that state and local police officers issued 2,919 tickets statewide this year for various violations during 84 deployments under Operation Hardhat. This is when police officers disguised as highway maintenance workers at active state and Thruway work zones issue tickets on violations such as speeding, cellphone use and failure to use seat belts. 
On Long Island, there were 378 violations issued. 
In 2021, more than 50 injuries occurred after 378 work-zone intrusions on state- and Thruway-operated roadways, according to the DOT. 
“Work zone speed limits and other restrictions protect highway workers making our roads safer for everyone, and the actions we have taken this year are proving to be effective,”&nbsp;Gov. Kathy Hochul said&nbsp;in a statement. 
Frank Hoare, Thruway Authority acting executive director,&nbsp; said in a release that the program has led to a noticeable decrease in average speeds at work zones on the Thruway, combined with a drop in average violations issued per month.

Transportation

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Speed camera tickets: Almost 42,000 issued on Long Island in first 6 months 

LI has highest number of work zone speed tickets issued in first six months of NYS camera program

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<h2>The Lantern Diner, West Hempstead</h2> 
One of Long Island's few remaining 24-hour diners <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/lantern-diner-west-hempstead-closes-xd3li172">closed after nearly 60 years in business</a>. The diner was profitable until COVID, owner Socrates Fokas said, but had fallen into financial hardship. After decades in the restaurant industry, &quot;I’m done, I’m very relaxed and I don’t want my headaches any more,&quot; he&nbsp;said. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="
	The Lantern Diner in West Hempstead.

" data-attr-credit="Newsday" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/7077c728-235b-4bc5-9ba5-a70a793ae50a" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/7077c728-235b-4bc5-9ba5-a70a793ae50a', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/7077c728-235b-4bc5-9ba5-a70a793ae50a"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/7077c728-235b-4bc5-9ba5-a70a793ae50a/IMG_1120.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" /> The Lantern Diner in West Hempstead. Newsday</a> 
<h2>Shiro of Japan, Carle Place</h2> 
Long Island’s oldest Japanese restaurant <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/shiro-of-japan-closing-carle-place-cxksxpjh">closed its doors</a> in February after the owners of the building chose not to renew the eatery's lease. When Shiro opened in 1973, the term “hibachi” was not yet in common use: Newsday’s first mention of the restaurant described the scene: “the huge knife went clip-clop, the shrimp sizzled, the steak bits browned … and the chef flipped them onto dishes.” This was six years before Benihana of Tokyo opened in Manhasset. Over the years, Shiro expanded into catering and food service, supplying sushi to cafeterias all over the metropolitan area. 
<h2>The Jolly Fisherman, Roslyn</h2> 
After 66 years in Roslyn, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/jolly-fisherman-roslyn-seafood-bwf53kyf">this iconic seafood spot</a> closed in June. The closure marked&nbsp;the end of an era, not only for the Scheiner family, which presided over the institution since 1957, but for Long Island diners. Of the classic, old-school seafood houses that once dotted the local landscape, it was the lone survivor. New York City Italian restaurant <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/pietros-roslyn-jolly-fisherman-m178wbdr">Pietro's</a> has&nbsp;taken over the spot. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="
	The Captain&amp;#39;s Feast at The Jolly Fisherman in Roslyn.

" data-attr-credit="" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/c054de40-fe96-4a0a-a872-aa64fdf790c9" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/c054de40-fe96-4a0a-a872-aa64fdf790c9', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/c054de40-fe96-4a0a-a872-aa64fdf790c9"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/c054de40-fe96-4a0a-a872-aa64fdf790c9/1.19424686.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" /> The Captain&amp;#39;s Feast at The Jolly Fisherman in Roslyn. </a> 
<h2>Honu Kitchen &amp; Cocktails, Huntington</h2> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/honu-huntington-fe7d9d9f">Honu Kitchen &amp; Cocktails</a>, one of Huntington Village’s longest-standing hot spots, closed in August&nbsp;after 21 years. Anthony Geraci, one of the new owners taking over the space, confirmed the restaurant will be getting a total rebranding. 
<h2>PeraBell Food Bar, Patchogue</h2> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/perabell-food-bar-patchogue-csctj8we">PeraBell Food Bar</a>, one of the restaurants that spearheaded downtown Patchogue’s revival, closed in August. “Business hasn’t recovered 100% since COVID,” said co-owner John Peragine, “and costs have eaten up any profits we would make. We decided to sell after not coming to terms with our landlord on our 10-year option.&quot; 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="A chophouse burger stands tall at PeraBell Food Bar.
" data-attr-credit="" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/YjUyMzg2MzQtMTBlZi00" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/YjUyMzg2MzQtMTBlZi00', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/YjUyMzg2MzQtMTBlZi00"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/YjUyMzg2MzQtMTBlZi00/45a759f0-2112-4fe2-a8d7-3f0793fe9aa3?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />A chophouse burger stands tall at PeraBell Food Bar. </a> 
<h2>Village Heros, Syosset</h2> 
Established in 1972, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/village-heros-syosset-ayhttdev">this shop</a> had been a fixture of the Syosset community for 51 years. With its bright yellow sign and oversized meatball, chicken parm and Italian subs, it was a top pick for catered office lunches and Super Bowl parties in the area. 
<h2>Saravanaa Bhavan, Hicksville</h2> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/saravanaa-bhavan-hicksville-indian-l66yyq8m">Saravanaa Bhavan</a>, one of Hicksville's most distinctive Indian restaurants, closed in July. The menu, which featured more than 100 dishes, provided a broad tour of the fertile vegetarian cuisine of South India. It excelled with dosas and uttapams, vegetable curries, street foods, clay-oven and fried breads and thalis, whole multicourse meals served on shiny round trays. It was a fixture on <a href="https://projects.newsday.com/feature-grid/lifestyle/restaurants/100-best-restaurants-long-island/">Newsday’s Top 100 restaurants list</a>. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="
	South Indian thali at Saravanaa Bhavan in Hicksville.

" data-attr-credit="" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/MGMzY2VjOGItZTJlOS00" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/MGMzY2VjOGItZTJlOS00', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/MGMzY2VjOGItZTJlOS00"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/MGMzY2VjOGItZTJlOS00/cc3b508e-d150-498b-abaa-ea58731a9dd5?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" /> South Indian thali at Saravanaa Bhavan in Hicksville. </a> 
<h2>Steven's Pasta, Long Beach</h2> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/stevens-pasta-long-beach-xyu747b0">Steven's Pasta</a>, one of Long Beach’s longest-running restaurants, closed in August. Chef-partner Steven Guasco announced he was shutting the eatery. “I’ve reached retirement age, 65,” he said. “But in restaurant years, I’m more like 110. I have loved this experience, but I know there are other experiences to explore while I still have my health and I remain hungry.” 
<h2>Pastrami King, Merrick</h2> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/pastrami-king-merrick-kosher-deli-kybqxss2">Pastrami King</a>, one of Long Island’s last surviving kosher-style delis, served its last pastrami sandwich in 2023. Owner Joe Yamali said that his 20-year lease in Merrick was up, and that he was unable to come to terms to extend it. With the distinctive crown logo printed on its awning, the capacious restaurant stood out on Merrick Road. It was opened in 2002 by Joe’s father, Abe Yamali, who had, back in the 1970s and '80s, owned the original Pastrami King in Kew Gardens. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="
	An overstuffed hot pastrami sandwich at Pastrami King in Merrick.

" data-attr-credit="" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/ed38f090-bebe-41bf-b00f-0ce853daef74" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/ed38f090-bebe-41bf-b00f-0ce853daef74', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/ed38f090-bebe-41bf-b00f-0ce853daef74"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/ed38f090-bebe-41bf-b00f-0ce853daef74/FDKING2307122.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" /> An overstuffed hot pastrami sandwich at Pastrami King in Merrick. </a> 
<h2>News Stand Deli, Melville</h2> 
With so many industrial parks around Melville, the centrally located News Stand Deli at the corner of Baylis and Walt Whitman roads&nbsp;was a popular coffee, breakfast, lunch spot for working locals. Known for its vast menu with ample seating and parking, it became a casualty of the post-pandemic shift to remote and hybrid work, closing its doors in late September. 
<h2>Le Soir, Bayport</h2> 
From duck &agrave; l'orange to cassoulet, Le Soir was among the few truly French restaurants on Long Island, holding court for more than 45 years in a country-style abode along Montauk Highway in Bayport. Owner Janina Kaziewicz said the restaurant, which was rebuilt after a devastating fire in 2012, was first opened in 1977. 
<h2>18 Bay, Shelter Island</h2> 
Since they opened their Shelter Island restaurant in 2011, Adam Kopels and Elizabeth Ronzetti have always closed for the winter. But this spring, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/18-bay-shelter-island-mewiy1fv">18 Bay did not reopen</a>. “We thought about it long and hard,” Kopels said. “After the new year, we decided to take a sabbatical. We needed a break.” 18 Bay was a mainstay on <a href="https://projects.newsday.com/feature-grid/lifestyle/restaurants/100-best-restaurants-long-island/">Newsday’s annual Top 100 restaurants list</a> and Kopels and Ronzetti are two of only four local chefs who have been named James Beard Award semifinalists. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="
	Hand-cut tagliatelle with lobster and&amp;nbsp;peas at 18 Bay&amp;nbsp;on Shelter Island.

" data-attr-credit="" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/ZTlmMGNiY2MtODhlZi00" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/ZTlmMGNiY2MtODhlZi00', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/ZTlmMGNiY2MtODhlZi00"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/ZTlmMGNiY2MtODhlZi00/0b08010b-1692-4469-92fb-8a2f70bf41ac?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" /> Hand-cut tagliatelle with lobster and&amp;nbsp;peas at 18 Bay&amp;nbsp;on Shelter Island. </a>

FDCLOSE2023

The biggest Long Island restaurant closures of 2023

The biggest LI restaurant closures of 2023

Newsday's top stories on LI for 2023

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