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WE THE PEOPLE: THE CITIZEN AND THE CONSTITUTION COMPETITION
Students at Smithtown High School East and West have become experts on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights and competed in the regional We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Competition held on Saturday, December 10, 2011.
Students from AP Government classes from both campuses studied for months in order to prepare for their role as experts testifying on selected Constitutional issues. Simulated congressional committees consisting of constitutional scholars, lawyers, elected officials and community members judged the students’ performances. This year a High School West team, consisting of Mr. Gatto’s 9th period students, placed 2nd in the competition.
Representative Tim Bishop, who actively supports the program, was invited to present the awards at a ceremony honoring the students after the competition. Unfortunately, Congressman Bishop had a prior engagement and was not able to attend the ceremony. However, he graciously agreed to come to Smithtown to meet with the AP Government classes and also address the senior class on the topic of Occupy Wall Street.
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St. Johnland Nursing Center in Kings Park, NY proudly announces the election of Marian Conway and Brian E. Swiggett to its Board of Directors.
Ms. Conway, the Executive Director of the New York Community Bank Foundation since 2007 and Program Officer from 2002 to 2007, is also a Board member of the Community Development Corp, Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk County, Islip Arts Council, Long Island Arts Alliance, Middle Country Library Foundation and Long Island Museum of American Art, History and Carriages.
Mr. Swiggett has been a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Prismark Partners LLC in Cold Spring Harbor since 1994. His previous affiliations include the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum and St. John’s Church in Cold Spring Harbor.
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Pictured at the Smithtown Emergency Food Pantry are its Executive Director Pat Westlake (left) and Suffolk County Legislator Lynne C. Nowick.
Legislator Nowick visits the Smithtown Emergency Food Pantry
Serving the Smithtown Community for over 28 Years
(Smithtown, NY)…Suffolk County Legislator Lynne C. Nowick recently visited the Smithtown Emergency Food Pantry, housed at the St. Thomas of Canterbury Church in Smithtown, at 90 Edgewater Avenue. It has been in existence for 28 years and is supported by donations from the Smithtown community, as well as the parishioners of seven churches (Byzantine Church of the Resurrection, First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, St. Andrews Lutheran, St. James Episcopal, St. James Lutheran, St. Thomas of Canterbury, and Smithtown United Methodist) who donate food and other non-perishables. Volunteers from these seven churches are assigned a month in which to operate and staff the Food Pantry.
Approximately 130 families visit the Smithtown Emergency Food Pantry monthly to feed their families. Many community groups such as the boy scouts and girl scouts, the Elks, Rotaries and others conduct food drives on the Pantry’s behalf.
The Smithtown Emergency Food Pantry needs basic staples such as canned soups, canned chicken and tuna, pasta and tomato sauce, canned vegetables, potatoes and fruits, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, beans, baby food and baby supplies, paper goods, pet food and toiletries. Donations of these items may be dropped off at the Smithtown Emergency Food Pantry Monday through Friday between 9am and 12 noon. Monetary donations are also accepted as they help to supplement the supplies with fresh milk, eggs, meat and poultry. For more information, please call the Pantry at 265-7676.
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submitted on facebook
Live in Arizona but heart still in Commack
If your birthday is January 20 and you live in the Landing Ave. vicinity this message may be for you! Happy BirthdayFrom:
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Sign of Our Times
by Eric Sailer
Click to view
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Commack-Kings Park Rotary Club
This Close from Rotary International on Vimeo.
Commack-Kings Park Rotary Club Events
Rotary = ServiceSave The Date - The Commack - Kings Park Rotary Club will be holding a food drive to benefit the Smithtown Township Emergency Food Panty on Sunday - February 12th at the Commack King Kullens. The food drive will be held during the hours of 12 noon and 2pm. Please join us in helping the hungry .
Click on Rotary Logo for complete story.
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NOTICE OF SMITHTOWN LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETINGS
January – December 2012
At the December 20, 2011 meeting of the Smithtown Library Board of Trustees, the Board approved the following schedule of meeting dates for 2012.
A regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Smithtown Special Library District will be held the following dates at 7:00 p.m. Until further notice, all meetings will be held in the Community Room of the Nesconset Branch located at 148 Smithtown Boulevard, Nesconset, N.Y.
Pursuant to Section 103 of the Open Meetings Law, these meetings are open to the general public.
Tuesday, January 17 Tuesday, February 21 Tuesday, March 20 Tuesday, April 17 Tuesday, May 15 Tuesday, June 19
Tuesday, July 17 Tuesday, August 21 Tuesday, September 18 Tuesday, October 23 Tuesday, November 20 Tuesday, December 18
Tonight: A chance of showers before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 33. Breezy, with a west wind 19 to 22 mph decreasing to between 8 and 11 mph. Winds could gust as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 46. West wind between 5 and 11 mph. Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31. West wind between 10 and 16 mph For five day forecast
Headline News
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 4:28PM A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION EARLY THIS EVENING…AND BEHIND IT…A STRONG NORTHWEST FLOW WILL DEVELOP. WINDS WILL RANGE FROM 20 TO 30 MPH WITH 40 TO 45 MPH GUSTS. WINDS SHOULD SUBSIDE TO 10 TO 20 MPH LATE THIS EVENING.
THESE WINDS COULD PRODUCE SOME DOWNED TREE LIMBS AND POWER LINES…CAUSING ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES AND LOCALIZED ROAD CLOSURES.
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 1:51PM 
January 26th was a very special day for Smithtown students Keeley O’Malley, a fourth grader at Mt. Pleasant Elementary and her brother Connor, 6th grader at Great Hollow Middle School. Their dad Sgt. Matthew O’Malley returned from Afghanistan and surprised them at school. Sgt. O’Malley answered questions in Mr. Jackowski’s 4th grade class and explained to the students how important the American Flag. He said it is a symbol that reminds soldiers of home. He encouraged them to keep remembering our servicemen and women as they say the pledge in school each day. The staff at Mt. Pleasant also took part in the celebration by making banners and lending their photography expertise.
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 5:35PM Suffolk County Police today arrested a Nesconset man for robbing a Nesconset bank this morning.
A man entered the People’s United Bank, located at 465 Smithtown Blvd., and handed a teller a note that stated he had a gun and demanded cash be put into his black messenger bag at 8:41 a.m. The man then fled the bank on foot.
Andreas Dambakakis, 30, Nesconset, was located at his home approximately an hour later and taken into custody.
Major Case Investigations Unit detectives charged Dambakakis with Robbery 3rd Degree. Dambakakis will be held overnight at the Seventh Precinct and arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip tomorrow.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 6:32PM The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Capt. Joshua C. Pairsh, 29, of Equality, Ill., died Jan. 22 in the United States of a non-combat related illness. He was assigned to 4th Civil Affairs Group, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 2:11PM ;)
Robert BonerbaOn 1/24/12 at 5:30 PM, in the K-Mart parking lot on N. Ocean Avenue in Farmingville, NY, New York State Police narcotic investigators arrested two subjects for heroin sale and possession.
Robert Bonerba, age 62, Nesconset NY, was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th Degree(A Misd.) and Unlawful Loitering 1st Degree(B Misd.). Mr. Bonerba was issued an appearance ticket returnable on 3/22/12 in Suffolk County First District Court.
Aaron Morgan, age 32, Mt. Sinai NY, was charged with Criminal Sale of a Controlled
Aaron Morgan Substance 3rd(B Felony), Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th(A Misd.) and Loitering 1st(B Misd.). Mr. Morgan will be arraigned today in Suffolk County First District Court.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 12:29PM 
Smithtown High School East Student Rachael Davis is an Intel Finalist. Rachael is one of forty students throughout the United States who will be competing for the first place award of $100, 000. Rachael in one of the three hundred semi-finalists announced earlier this month. The 40 Intel Talent Search Finalists will go through additional judging before the final winner is announced in March.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 11:08AM 
Commack High School Student Savina Kim is an Intel Finalist. Savina is one of only forty students in the country to become a finalist is this prestigious science competition. Savina was one of three hundred semi-
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 4:15PM
Updated on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 5:49PM by
[Smithtown Matters]
Senator John Flanagan (2nd Senate District) announced that over $22.5 million in funding he secured in 2006 for the environmental cleanup of the Nissequogue River State Park has been reappropriated in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget. The funding was requested by Senator Flanagan in a recent letter to Governor Cuomo and announced as part of the Executive Budget unveiled on January 17th.
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 2:02PM ;)
Leading by example… that is what Smithtown resident Scott Martella is doing. Quietly, behind the scenes he works tirelessly for people. Scott recently accepted a position with the Cuomo administration, becoming Suffolk County Representative to the Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo. To avoid any conflict, Scott relinquished his position as Vice President of the Smithtown Board of Education.
Scott Martella has lived in Smithtown his entire life. He graduated from Smithtown High School in 2004, and went on to Boston University where he received his BA in 2008 in International Business. During his time at BU he did a semester in Washington DC where he interned for Boston Scientific. It was during this semester that he recognized his passion for government, policy and politics.
In 2008 Scott joined Brian Foley’s campaign for New York State Senator. During the campaign he traveled throughout the district speaking with people and listening to their concerns. This experience solidified his belief in government as a positive force. “Meeting people with different needs and expectations was great. I spoke with seniors and veterans, college students, people struggling to stay on Long Island, people with jobs and those without. I came away with a sense that government had to retool as an institution. That is one of the things that is so great about working with this governor. He gets it.”
Scott has a strong belief in the quality of the public education system on Long Island. At the age of 22 he became the youngest person to be elected to the Smithtown Board of Education. He is also a realest; “The tax cap was the right thing to do. People are struggling to stay in their homes and to stay on Long Island. There needs to be mandate relief in addition to the tax cap.” He is most proud of his work on the BOE to maintain programs in the district. He is also very impressed with the students who showed up to express themselves before the BOE. “They were great… their voices need to be heard, not only in front of the BOE, but in discussions about housing policy and zoning issues.” He went on to say, “I grew up on Long Island surrounded by family and it was wonderful. We have many families with generations on LI who have built communities into what they are. I would like to see that today’s young people have the same opportunities. I would hate for Long Island to become a place where people must leave to pursue a better quality of life.”
In his position as Suffolk County Representative to the Governor’s office, his job is to relay the concerns and issues that local governments and organizations are experiencing. “The Governor has a work ethic that is unbelievable and I enjoy that and respect that.” To make sure that he is effective in his position, Scott maintains contact with all the municipalities on a regular basis. He attends meetings, and acts as the liaison for the governor’s office. “I love what I am doing. I am happy to facilitate for the people of Suffolk County.”
What’s next for Scott Martella? He is looking forward to Governor Cuomo’s continued success as the Cuomo administration takes on challenges like mandate relief and holding the line on property taxes.
On a personal note, Scott is dating Shelbi Thurau who is also a Smithtown HS graduate from the class of 2005. He is very proud of his family and is quick to acknowledge the significance of family in his life. He gets his work ethic from both parents his dad is a union carpenter and his mom is a clerk typist.
Scott Martella is doing what he loves, representing Smithtown and Suffolk County. He is working for a boss he is proud of and he is optimistic about the future. Now if he could just find an affordable place to live. But that’s a story for another day!
Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 6:19PM
A tragic house fire in Poughkeepsie has resulted in the deaths of three young people. The MidHudson News has indicated that two of the three fatalities were students at Marist College. One victim has been identified as Kerry Fitzsimons, 21, of Commack. The house was severly damaged and was razed.
[Smithtown Matters]
According to the Poughkeepsie Journal - Poughkeepsie police have identified the three victims of Saturday’s fire. Kerry Fizsimons, 21, Eva Block 21, and Kevin Johnson also 21.
The paper has reported that the autopsy results indicate Kerry Fitzsimons ( Commack) died of smoke inhalation.
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