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SUFFOLK COUNTY/Lawmakers seek fracking-waste ban

Should the controversial gas-drilling technique known as "hydrofracking" ever commence in New York, two Suffolk lawmakers want to ensure its potentially toxic wastewater never enters the county.

Legis. Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) and Legis. Wayne R. Horsley (D-Babylon) plan to introduce a bill next month that would ban acceptance of hydraulic fracturing waste at Suffolk sewage treatment plants. The proposal is a response to a recent draft report by the state Department of Environmental Conservation that identified the county's Bergen Point Sewage Treatment Plant in West Babylon as a site capable of accepting the chemical-laden wastewater produced by fracking.

The report also identified four sewage treatment plants in Nassau County.

"There are multiple environmental concerns," Hahn said. "It shouldn't be coming to us."

"Hydrofracking" injects chemical fluids into underground rock formations in order to release and capture natural gas. Afterward, the fluids must be disposed of at authorized sewage treatment plants.

New York currently has a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, but court battles are being fought upstate over property owners' rights to allow gas companies to do the drilling.

Hahn said she did not want to wait to see what played out on the state level, citing the proximity of Suffolk's sewage treatment plants to sensitive waterways.

"These chemicals can harm the treatment process," she said, "and if the state's going to do this they should make sure the waste gets treated in a proper manner."

The proposed ban will be introduced at the March 13 county legislature meeting, before being considered at the March 20 public works committee meeting.

-- PAUL LAROCCO

SMITHTOWN/Board votes tonight on shutting school

The Smithtown school board is expected to vote Tuesday night on whether to close Nesconset Elementary School.

The meeting is set to begin at 8 p.m. at the district's offices on 26 New York Ave. in Smithtown.

District officials say they must close a school due to rising costs and declining enrollment. Shuttering Nesconset is expected to save roughly $1 million annually.

A committee of residents and school officials last month recommended closing Nesconset -- one of the district's nine elementary schools -- among several other cost-saving measures. Nesconset is the district's smallest school.

If Nesconset is closed, most of its students would move in September to Mills Pond Elementary School in St. James; special education students are expected to attend Mount Pleasant Elementary in Smithtown.

Other cost-control measures recommended by the committee include moving staff out of district offices and into vacant space in school buildings; renting out the closed elementary school and district offices; and selling vacant parcels owned by the district.

The board is not planning to act on those recommendations Tuesday night, board president Gladys Waldron said.

-- CARL MACGOWAN

RIVERHEAD/Tax breaks set to be OK'd for volunteers

Riverhead's town board will hold a special meeting Tuesday at 10 a.m. to approve a tax break for retired out-of-town emergency service volunteers who put in 20 years of time with another department in Suffolk and then moved to Riverhead.

The town actually had given those volunteers a 10 percent break on their town taxes -- not school district or county taxes -- just as some other towns give a similar discount to Riverhead volunteers who move into those areas.

Riverhead's discount did not apply to volunteers who came from Nassau.

But the town had to stop offering the benefit last year when it was pointed out there was no resolution actually authorizing the tax reduction, according to Mason Haas, a member of the town's board of assessors.

The discount will only apply to a half-dozen people and will cost the town less than $3,000 a year, he said.

It had to be approved at a special meeting Tuesday in order to apply to the next tax bill. The town's taxable status date is March 1.

-- MITCHELL FREEDMAN

COMMACK/Materials, labor given for school signs

A Smithtown construction company that is building a Sept. 11 memorial for the Commack school district has also donated granite and stone foundations for signs for the district's schools and administration building.

The foundations, which include two columns to hold each sign, are valued at $5,500 to $7,000 each and include a placard noting the donation made by the Gappsi Group. Michael Specchio, one of the owners of Gappsi, said he plans to send workers to put the final touches on the signs sometime this week.

The company is also donating the labor and materials for the district's Sept. 11 memorial, worth $10,000 to $12,000, Specchio said.

A groundbreaking for that project took place in December, and the dedication ceremony will take place on Sept. 11. Specchio said Gappsi has donated work to nearly 40 schools across Long Island.

"These generous donations are very appreciated, particularly during these difficult fiscal times when there are no funds for 'extras' in the school budgets," Commack Superintendent Donald James said.

-- JENNIFER BARRIOS

RIVERHEAD/Meeting postponed for hoops game

In a show of school spirit, the Riverhead school board has postponed Tuesday night's regular board meeting for 24 hours, to remove conflicts for potential attendees who also want to go to Farmingdale State College and cheer for the girls' basketball team as it plays for the Suffolk County Class AA championship.

The Blue Waves (20-1) will be playing the Hauppauge Eagles (21-0) for the county title at 5 p.m. The school board had been scheduled to meet in an executive session at 5:30 p.m. and hold its public meeting at 7 p.m. Those meetings will now take place Wednesday.

School board president Ann Cotten-DeGrasse said she did not want district residents to have to choose between watching the team and watching the school board in its preliminary budget discussions.

The winner of Tuesday's game will play against the Nassau County champion March 9 at Farmingdale State College, with the winner advancing to Troy in upstate for the state public school tournament at Hudson Valley Community College.

-- MITCHELL FREEDMAN

ISLANDWIDE/Group gives $15G for military families

The United Way of Long Island recently awarded a $15,000 grant to the Family Service League to assist military families. The money will go to the Armed Forces Relief and Welfare Project, run by the league's CAIR program: Community Advocacy, Information and Referral.

Family Service League is a Long Island nonprofit human services organization providing a safety net for people in need. CAIR is a case management program connecting people to food, housing, literacy training, mental health services and public benefits. CAIR also provides limited emergency financial assistance from the Relief and Welfare Fund.

"Active-duty personnel and military reservists who put their lives on the line to defend our nation often return home faced with physical, emotional and financial struggles," Robyn Berger-Gaston of the Family Service League said. "United Way of Long Island's generous grant will enable Family Service League to offer much needed support and assistance to returning military personnel and their families."

Last year, the league also received a $15,000 grant from United Way that helped eight service people with overdue bills. Some of the assistance included help with car insurance, tuition, rent; in one case, a Marine received assistance with his father's funeral.

Family Service League centers are in Bay Shore, Riverhead, East Yaphank and Huntington.

-- DEBORAH S. MORRIS

SUFFOLK COUNTY/County exec honors anti-DWI enforcers

Suffolk County's top enforcers against drunken drivers were honored in Hauppauge Monday -- led by two county highway patrol officers, Jeffrey Pitkewicz and Kevin Wustenhoff, who tied with 108 arrests each.

Both county officers are part of the county highway patrol's SAFE-T team, which concentrates on DWI enforcement.

In all, County Executive Steve Bellone awarded plaques to 21 officers. In addition to the two highway patrol officers, four from town departments, five from village police agencies, a county police officer from each of the county's seven precincts, a deputy sheriff, a county park police officer and a state trooper were honored. Together, those officers made 632 DWI arrests over the past year.

Over the past three years, all Suffolk law enforcement agencies have made more than 15,000 DWI arrests.

Last year, 60 people were killed in Suffolk by drunken drivers.

-- RICK BRAND

AMAGANSETT/Mr. Amagansett winner crowned

The large scarlet letter "A" printed on the back of the white victory robe Nick Kraus wore Saturday night did not stand for "adultery."

The "A" was for his new title as Mr. Amagansett 2012, and it matched his red velvet crown, bouquet of red roses and makeshift staff.

Ten contestants vied for the title during the third annual pageant held at the Stephen Talkhouse, a venue in Amagansett known for performances by legendary artists such as Paul McCartney, Patti Smith and Billy Joel.

Kraus won over the judges with a comical short film about his depression after losing his second consecutive pageant last year and his journey toward victory in his third attempt.

The pageant was created in honor of Donald T. Sharkey, who died at age 46 in 2009 and was a beloved member of the community who worked as a building inspector.

"It's a cutthroat event. It's our third year doing it and everyone is vying for the title. The winners from the first two years are trying to win back the title," said 51-year-old Patty Sales, president of the Donald T. Sharkey Community Memorial Fund.

More than 100 people attended Saturday's event that raised more than $2,000 for the fund, which sponsors local fire departments, scholarships for students, families in need of assistance and the East End Soldier Ride for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Along with their performances, contestants shared humorous memories about Sharkey and guests drank a shot of his favorite tequila, Jose Cuervo, in his honor.

-- ANN LUK

RIVERHEAD/It's fun with family, sharks at sleepover

Evan Gottesman fidgeted as a pole with fish dangling from it was lowered into the shark tank.

The 7-year-old from Farmingville could barely contain his excitement as the sand sharks were fed at the Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center on Friday.

He was one of the dozens of kids and parents who spent the night at the aquarium for the "Sharktastic Sleepover."

The aquarium hosts about four to five sleepovers each year, employee Colette Ferraro said. A "Penguins and Pajamas" sleepover is set for April, celebrating the second birthday of two penguins.

But on Friday, it was all about the sharks. So, for a feel of underwater exploration, aquarium employee Anne Haas led groups to the Submarine Simulator Ride. The enclosed, makeshift submarine seats 15 people and takes them on a virtual tour of the ocean, ending with the appearance of a great white shark.

Haas advised riders to yell "Stop!" if they felt uncomfortable at any point during the ride.

Matthew Valot, 6, of Ridge, was one of two children who yelled for Haas to stop the ride.

"I said stop for a little bit because I saw a shark's mouth," Matthew said.

Participants also learned about dogfish sharks and how their food is prepared. They were given a tray of fish by aquarium employee Bridgette Adams, who led them to feed the dogfish.

The program ended with participants making shark-tooth necklaces, setting up their beds and watching "Shark Tales."

Danielle Golden attended with her 10-year-old daughter, Jillian.

The Greenport mother's favorite part was "spending time together without any time pressure and meeting new people."

-- SHAKERA HOBBS