Monday, May 21, 2012
The new Seagrass Protection Act will allow regulation of seagrass management areas.
The New York state Senate has passed legislation to protect marine habitat and the continued viability of commercial and recreational fishing. The bill was sent to the Assembly, and has been returned with changes to the Senate for final approval. The bill - sponsored by Senator Owen Johnson (R-C, Babylon) - establishes the Seagrass Protection Act to address threats to seagrasses, an ecologically important species. The bill grants the NYS Deparment of Environmental Conservation authority to: The Great South Bay is home to a type of seagrass called eelgrass, an important component of a healthy estuary system. "The passage of this legislation is great news for Long Island. Seagrasses are vital to the health of our bays, providing a habitat …
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Pols hope the cost savings will keep the company from taking its 1,600 jobs off Island.
Hoping to prevent the loss of 1,600 jobs on Long Island, the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency on Thursday floated an incentive package worth millions to Broadridge Financial — a public company that has threatened to move off-Island if officials didn’t find a way to help it trim costs. If the financial services company takes the offer — which its board will decide on in June — then it'll come as a disappointment to officials in New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Ohio and Texas who were trying to woo the $2.2 billion company into moving to their states. The Suffolk IDA said the incentive deal includes sales tax exemptions on $75 million in equipment purchases related to its renovation of its two Edgewood buildings, as well as a 15-…
Monday, May 14, 2012
Suffolk Police investigation Monday afternoon at Islip Town facility didn't impede flight operation activities.
A call to Suffolk Police about a possible bomb at Long Island MacArthur Airport at noon on Monday was determined a false alarm, according to Islip Town officials. Suffolk Police officers were dispatched to the town airport, complete with a canine unit and emergency response trucks, and conducted an investigation that lasted a little more than an hour, according to a town spokesperson. "It was deemed not credible. The call received was not very specific in nature," said the spokesperson, who noted that there was no impact to airport services during the investigation. In fact, few leaving or working in the airport realized there was a threat issue. A woman manning a luggage kiosk told Patch she didn't know anything about a threat or why …
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
One year ago, West Islip residents felt joyful and uneasy after a daring military raid took out the terror leader. How do you feel now?
Tuesday marks the first anniversary of the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The man who was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that the destroyed the World Trade Center was killed by Navy SEALS in Pakistan. At the time, West Islip residents were jubilant that the world's most wanted man had been taken out, but there was also much apprehension over what would come next. Even a year later, there is still some concern. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security released a bulletin warning of possible terror attacks on the anniversary. Rep. Peter King, R-Seaford. told CBS, "There is chatter or talk among various terrorists, various Al-Qaeda supporters, about avenging the death of bin Laden. Basically with the first …
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Budget Task Force blames townwide deficit on "wasteful spending, fiscal mismanagement" by former Nolan administration.
A task force commissioned by the Islip Town Council revealed the town is facing a projected $26 million budget deficit in 2013. After months of analyzing the town's finances, the task force, led by Councilman Steve Flotteron, said "wasteful spending" and lack of fiscal oversight under former Town Supervisor Phil Nolan, combined with the economic recession contributed to the "staggering" gap. The entire budget for the town in 2011 was $120 million, meaning the deficit represents roughly 20 percent of the overall budget. "The looming financial distress was ignored," said Bill Mannix, director of Islip’s Department of Economic Development and a member of the task force, adding that the prior administration, led by Nolan, failed to heed …
Friday, April 20, 2012
The 22nd annual celebration will be held in Sayville from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The 22nd annual Earth Day Celebration, sponsored by the Town of Islip, will take place Saturday starting at 11 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. at Gillette Park in downtown Sayville. The event will feature earth-friendly vendors, animal exhibits, bouncy play houses for the kiddies and even face painting. According to town officials, Sayville was chosen as the location given that notable business owners and residents, such as Pam Raymond who owns the Sayville Inn, have long been involved in eco-friendly and environmental issues and programs. “It was the perfect choice as the Sayville community has long shown support for programs and efforts to make the community a cleaner and eco-friendly place to live, work and visit,” said Eric Hofmeister, …
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Patch asked readers what they thought the best use of additional state aid money would be for West Islip schools. See what your neighbors had to say.
On Thursday Patch posed a question to readers: What should West Islip schools do with the extra state aid money for the 2012-2013 school year? With budget season in full swing, residents had different ideas about the best use of the money. Many responders went the fiscally conservative route. Adam Inzirillo commented on our Facebook page: "Be smart and financially responsible and save it for next year." Thiry-nine percent of poll voters agreed. Others voted to keep on teachers that have been let go in current years. Several commentors proposed putting the money into either Westbrook or Kirday elementary schools, which are closing this year to save the district approximately $3.2 million. "How about keeping one of the Elementery schools …
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Legislator invited by West Islip first grader to attend VIP day.
Suffolk County Legislator Tom Barraga (R-West Islip) recently invited Westbrook Elemntary School for VIP Day. Barraga was invited by first grader Thomas McElwee and attended the special day along with other VIPs. The event was hosted by Ms. Joanna Grimm’s first grade class.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
District awarded $736,000 more school aid than estimated.
Last week New York State legislators passed a budget that will result in significantly more aid for local schools. West Islip will receive $736,613 more in extra funds for the 2012-2013 school year than projected in January. West Islip's original estimate of $29,433,175 was increased to $30,169,788. The additional aid includes more than $133,000 in foundation aid and more than $600,000 in the gap elimination adjustment. The approved aid numbers, released on March 30th, also show that the district will receive $1.1 million more than in the 2011-2012 school year. Superintendent Richard Simon told Patch he was "disappointed" with the amount of state aid allotted to the district in January. Governor Cuomo's original January budget included …
Monday, April 2, 2012
Repeal of four percent state sales tax went into effect on Sunday.
New York State repealed the four percent state sales tax as of Sunday, April 1, on clothing, footwear and similar items costing less than $110 each. “Increasing the impact of this tax-relief program will help strengthen the purchasing power of residents throughout New York state. That's good for hard-working men and women who're constantly trying to stretch their budgets to provide for their families and equally good for helping to stimulate our economy,” Senator John Flanagan (R) stated in a release. The program, which is in its second year, applies to items purchased in person, over the Internet, by phone or by mail. The qualifying amount for the sales tax exemption has doubled from clothing and footwear sold at $55 or less, to items …
ex-pat babylonian
12:51 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
actually, helping the eelgrass grow is a productive, matt. i'm all for protecting american jobs and eliminating voter fraud but saving our fragile ecosystem from destruction is vital. more ›