Week in Review: Alleged Jewelry Thief Nabbed, Christian Avenue Discussion Continues

Cops: South Setauket Man Robbed 4 Jewelry Stores

Suffolk County police have arrested a South Setauket man and a Deer Park woman whom they say were responsible for a series of jewelry store thefts in Suffolk over the past month. Daniel Cimolonski, 32, was charged with four counts of third-degree grand larceny, a felony; fourth-degree grand Larceny, a felony; and criminal possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors. His girlfriend, Kristie Laird, 45, was charged as an accomplice in one of the robberies.

Highway Super: Christian Avenue "Is One Of My Top Priorities"

If the second set of sarcastic signs that popped up on Christian Avenue over the weekend is any indication, locals are growing frustrated with the conditions on the roadway. But in an interview on Tuesday, town highway superintendent Dan Losquadro – still in his first month on the job – said residents won't have to wait much longer before the road will be repaved. "Given the condition of the road I can certainly sympathize with the residents," he said in an interview Tuesday. "We are going to undertake that project this year. That road is one of my top priorities."

Yogurt Café Under New Ownership

They had been looking to get into the frozen yogurt business for a year, and finally, an opportunity came their way in Wildberry Yogurt in East Setauket. That's according to new co-owner Gerard Miller, who along with Christine Ippolito and Jay Vasilatos officially took over in January. Since then, Miller said, they have been trying out trends and expanding their offerings beyond simply self-serve frozen yogurt – including more toppings, smoothies, non-dairy and gluten-free treats, Greek yogurt and frozen yogurt floats like orange and root beer. The biggest challenge, Miller said, is letting people know they're open for business.

Sunday Night Car Accident Takes Down Utility Pole

A fallen utility pole on Route 347 in Stony Brook, the result of a Sunday night car accicdent, caused havoc on Monday afternoon. According to Suffolk police, the downed pole was accompanied by fallen wires, which brought traffic to a near halt until LIPA responded and fixed the problem.

School District Looks to Compromise on Gifted Program Changes

Though the school board has yet to approve it, Three Village school superintendent Cheryl Pedisich on Thursday discussed a compromise on the intellectually gifted and Pi programs that she said takes into account parent suggestions the district received at the recent meeting regarding the future of those programs. "We are coming up with an alternative proposal," Pedisich said. "That would give the students in the current fourth- and fifth-grade IG program at Mount an opportunity to continue in that program so that we would not disrupt those children. Pi [students] would be given opportunity to continue in that program."

Three Village Housing Discussion Expands to Reddit

Patch readers aren't the only ones who have been having a lively discussion over the issue of illegal student boarding houses popping up in residential neighborhoods around the Three Village area. A Reddit thread titled "Long Island's legendary NIMBY attitude extends to grad students" is generating comments, too. The thread cites this article on town efforts to ramp up penalties and expand enforcement as well as this article in which a local landlord speaks out.

Stony Brook Attorney to Lead Brookhaven Democrats

Following back-to-back special elections that saw Brookhaven Republicans win races for supervisor and highway superintendent, a local attorney hopes he can help Brookhaven’s Democratic party turn its recent losses around. Anthony Parlatore, a Stony Brook resident since 1971, was named the Brookhaven Town Democratic Committee's chairman on Monday in a unanimous vote. Parlatore said not only will it be his goal to "groom good candidates to properly serve the people" – but it will also be to get the word out about the importance of voting.

Most published authors will tell you not to read the reviews. Terri Herman-Poncé has broken that rule. "They tell you not to read the reviews because sometimes you take them too personally, but I can’t help it," she said. "It’s kind of nice to see the feedback. ... It really is nice to see people who are entertained by something you’ve created." But Herman-Poncé has nothing to worry about anyway: the reviews of her latest novel, Covet – which she describes as a "paranormal romantic suspense" story – have been positive.