Week in Review: Security Guards Return to Schools; Windy Weather Causes Problems

Downed Tree Closes Route 25A Thursday Morning

Suffolk police closed Route 25A in East Setauket in both directions at Bayview Avenue after strong winds caused a tree to fall across the roadway on Thursday morning. Reader-submitted photos show a transformer box lying on the ground. The closure lasted well into the afternoon.

Main Street Fire House Closed as Wind Causes Cupola to Lean

The cupola atop the Setauket Fire Department's Main Street fire house is leaning sideways amid the heavy winds, forcing the temporary closure of the fire house, a fire district official said Thursday. "We're in the process of trying to fix this," said district manager David Sterne, who said fire department response times will not be affected as the vehicles have been relocated to other stations and firefighters are on standby there as well. The fire siren contained within the cupola has been temporarily disabled, but crews will still receive calls via their radio pagers. "We have barricades and tape around the firehouse. A crane company came to respond, but it's still too windy to even put a crane up," Sterne said.

School District Re-Instates Security Guards

While the approval of the 2012-13 school budget meant the elimination of four elementary school security guard positions, those guards were back on duty on Monday at Setauket Elementary, W.S. Mount Elementary, Nassakeag Elementary, and Minneauke Elementary. Their re-instatement was a unanimous decision at the Jan. 22 Board of Education meeting. "As we re-evaluate the district’s security needs, we are now in the process of bringing people back," Gary Dabrusky, assistant superintendent for human resources, said during the meeting.

Reports of Pertussis at Gelinas and Setauket Schools

A suspected case of pertussis was reported at Gelinas Junior High and a confirmed case was reported at Setauket Elementary this week, prompting the school district to send home letters from Suffolk's Board of Health. In total, three confirmed cases and one suspected case have been announced during the 2012-13 academic year so far.

In response to an article about Stony Brook University Hospital's overtime totals published Jan. 24 in Newsday, hospital CEO Dr. L. Reuven Pasternak and School of Medicine dean Dr. Kenneth Kaushansky wrote a letter explaining that the use of overtime in hospitals is widespread and justified. Newsday originally reported that SBUH paid its employees more than $14.5 million in overtime costs in 2012. It's justified because overtime for current employees typically costs less than a salary plus benefits that would go to a new hire, Pasternak and Kaushansky said. Salaries come from the hospital's general operations expenditures, while benefits and retirement contributions are taxpayer-funded because the hospital is a state institution, they said.

DiBernardo Family Launches Memorial Foundation to Remember Joey D

The family of the late Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo – "Joey D," the former Setauket Fire Department volunteer, FDNY firefighter who survived the tragic Black Sunday fire in 2005, and Miller Place resident – has launched a non-profit charity in his honor. The Lt. Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation will be raising money to provide personal safety ropes and life-saving training to fire departments who cannot afford to pay for them, according to Joe DiBernardo, Joey's father. "This is all in Joey’s memory because those were his passions," Joe DiBernardo said.

Ward Melville Grad Publishes Alzheimer's Educational Children's Book

Danielle Cohen wrote down nearly everything her grandfather, Jerry Lesonksy, said to her as he began to suffer from Alzheimer's Disease. One of those things, Cohen said, was this: "If one day I don't remember your name, or your beautiful face, it's because of Alzheiemer's Disease. ... My brain may forget you, but my heart never will." Lesonsky passed away in May of 2012, but his memory lives on in a new children's book written and illustrated by his granddaughter, based on the true story of their relationship. Cohen's book What's Wrong With Grandpa? was released Aug. 28 via CreateSpace.com and is available for sale at $14.95 on Amazon.com. A portion of the proceeds goes to support research on Alzheimer's Disease.