Week in Review: Car Theft, Illegal Pesticides and LI's Wealthiest Person in the News

Missed any of the big headlines this week? Here's a recap of the week's biggest headlines on Three Village Patch.

Around the Three Village community, Jim Simons is known as the former head of the Stony Brook University math department, the founder of Renaissance Technologies, and the philanthropist who has donated millions to the university. Simons is also tied for No. 28 on Forbes Magazine's list of the 400 richest Americans, with a net worth of $11 billion. In September of 2011, when his net worth was $10.6 billion, Simons, 74, was listed as the No. 30 wealthiest person in America. Earlier this year, Forbes declared Simons the No. 82 wealthiest person in the world.

Firefighters Stop Garage Fire on Robin Court

Firefighters from Setauket, Stony Brook, and Centereach stopped a garage fire before it spread to the rest of the home on Tuesday afternoon. The home was unoccupied at the time of the fire at 3 Robin Court in Setauket, which took about 10 minutes to extinguish, according to Setauket Fire Chief Dennis Mirante. He said the first crew to arrive deployed, to help knock the fire out. Additional crews disabled the electricity and gas line in the home. The fire did not burn through the roof of the garage and would have been a much different kind of fire if it had, Mirante said, because the wind would have fanned the flames.

Police Investigate Car Theft in Setauket

Suffolk police are investigating the theft of a car from a home in Setauket. According to a police report, a gray 2007 Toyota 4-Runner was stolen from the driveway of a home on Sage Brush Court sometime between 11 p.m. on Sept. 16 and 8 a.m. on Sept. 17. A police spokesperson said the vehicle may have been unlocked with a key nearby. No arrests have been made in connection with the incident, which is being investigated as a case of fourth-degree grand larceny.

S. Setauket Target Found Selling Banned Pesticides

The Target Corporation agreed to a civil penalty of $43,850 after a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation investigation revealed the company was selling pesticides banned on Long Island at stores across Long Island, including its South Setauket location. According to a release from the DEC, Target was ordered to remove the banned pesticides from all stores throughout the region in addition to the penalty.

Cops Seek Pair Who Went on Shopping Spree with Stolen Credit Card

Sixth squad detectives are searching for a white male and a black male who went on a shopping spree in the Stony Brook area with a stolen credit card. According to police, the pair used the credit card at Waldbaum's, Sports Authority, Marshalls, and King Kullen on June 24. Police say that it was a different individual, a white male, who stole a wallet containing the credit card from a woman's purse while she was shopping at Waldbaum's at approximately 2 p.m. that same day. Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest. Call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS; all will be kept confidential.

Stanley: Investing in Faculty Will Drive Growth at Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University is poised for growth thanks to state and philanthropic support that has begun to allow the university to invest more money in hiring new faculty members. That's according to university president Dr. Samuel L. Stanley Jr., who formally welcomed more than 70 new faculty members at the annual university convocation on Wednesday.

SBU Working to "Be a Good Neighbor" to the Community

Stony Brook University's president said in an interview Wednesday that the administration realizes the school is a large entity with a major impact on the local community – and said the university is willing to work with the residents on their concerns. "I think there's always some concerns. We work very hard to be a good neighbor," said Dr. Samuel L. Stanley Jr., who arrived three years ago to become the fifth president in the university's history. "I think we’re interested always in listening to what’s going on and understanding what the concerns are."