Community Corner
Week in Review: Illegal Gun Ring Busted, School Budget Adopted
A look back at the past week's headlines on Three Village Patch.
Suffolk DA: Illegal Gun Ring Ran Through Long Island Hotels. A couple from Long Island and a man from Georgia have been arrested following what Suffolk law enforcement officials said was a gun-smuggling operation that ran through a gas station and hotels, including the Holiday Inn Express at Stony Brook, according to a report published Monday in Newsday. Police arrested Shawdale Frederick, 32, his girlfriend Janet Lewis, 33, both from Middle Island, and Joshua Galbert, 31, of Marietta, Ga. at the Holiday Inn on Thursday. The trio was arraigned Monday on a 62-count indictment, including counts of first-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a violent felony. They were jailed on bail of $1 million, $850,000, and $800,000, respectively.
School Board Adopts $184.53M Budget Proposal. The Three Village Board of Education on Wednesday voted unanimously to adopt a budget of $184,526,960 to present to the community for a vote on May 21. The proposed budget stays within the state-mandated cap on tax levy increases – which for Three Village was 4.05 percent this year – and will need a simple majority to pass. The year-over-year budget represents a 3.97 percent spending increase. Homeowners would see an average tax increase of $396. “It’s a fiscally sound budget,” Dr. Jeff Kerman, school board president, said after the meeting. “We’ve done a lot of research on this and have really worked very, very hard to lessen the impact on our students as much as possible and our staff as much as possible.”
Town Holds Off-Campus Housing Seminar for Stony Brook Students. Regardless of whether a person is a longtime resident or a short-term resident, the Town of Brookhaven is obligated to protect your safety. That’s according to deputy town attorney David Moran, who was one of the presenters at a seminar on off-campus housing at Stony Brook University on Tuesday night. His primary message to students: It’s illegal to rent a room in the Town of Brookhaven. Illegally renting a room poses threats not just to the safety of the tenants, but also to the quality-of-life of the neighboring homeowners.
New Dunkin’ Donuts Coming to East Setauket. For those who can’t get enough of Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant there will be yet another option in East Setauket on Nesconset Highway. A new store is planned for an undeveloped parcel of land just east of the Outback Steakhouse on Route 347, according to Brookhaven Town documents and the Civic Association of the Setaukets and Stony Brook.
Roller Derby League Calls World Gym Its New Home. Beyond the adrenaline rush of competition, beneath the tough-girl nicknames and the feeling of accomplishment after a hard-fought bout, roller derby is about sisterhood. So say the 31 women who make up the Strong Island Derby Revolution, a women's flat-track roller derby league that now calls World Gym Setauket home. "Being in the league is being part of a sisterhood. Teammates look out for each other and help each other in need, on and off the track," said Jennifer Fite, a skater from Port Jefferson who goes by the nickname Helluva Fite. "Everyone respects one another, appreciates what each has to bring to the table. And everyone has the same love of the sport, the love of the derby."
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