Alek Lewis
Government
Aguiar to give ‘State of the Town’ speech at service clubs’ dinner meeting June 8
Supervisor Yvette Aguiar will give this year’s "State of the Town" address at a dinner meeting of the Riverhead Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs to be held on Wednesday, June 8 at the Sea Star Ballroom. Tickets are $35.
Government
Hearing set on site plan and change of use for former Truetech building, where shooting range and gun sales are planned
The Riverhead Planning Board will hear from the public Thursday on a proposed site plan and change-of-use application for the former Truetech building, which is set to house a firearms facility, HVAC supply warehouse and distribution operation, and offices.
Government
Officials eye new three-story town hall on Howell Avenue as solution to town’s space problems
Town officials are considering building a three-story town hall on vacant land at the corner of Howell Avenue and Brook Street, and renovating and repurposing two existing buildings for town court and police department use, at an estimated cost of $30.8 million.
Government
Riverhead considering ban on firearms businesses downtown
Riverhead Town is moving forward with a code amendment that would exclude gun shops from the Main Street business district and require town board special permits for gun shops, with minimum distances from certain other land uses.
Breaking News
Update: Man in custody after leaving a suspicious backpack on a door of the county court building in Riverside; building cleared...
Update: A backpack found on the door of the county court building early this morning prompted the evacuation of the courthouse and a lockout that lasted most of the morning. Police have a man in custody, a sheriff's office spokesperson said.
Government
Town board looks to expand solar moratorium to all renewable energy facilities
Riverhead Town Board members signaled they will move to expand the town’s moratorium on commercial solar applications to include all renewable energy systems, in anticipation of applications for new types of facilities, like anaerobic digesters, that are not addressed by the current zoning code.
Board of Education
School board hires new assistant superintendent for finance and operations
The Riverhead school board in a 5-1 vote, with one member absent, appointed a new assistant superintendent for business Tuesday night, Rodney Asse. He will start in his new job July 1.
Board of Education
School board recap: new STEM director hired; parents ask district to omit Regents test scores from class averages
The Riverhead school district's new STEM director, Jeannine Campbell, will integrate a MakerSpace program in the district.
Business
Splish Splash to open for the season Saturday, with ‘Hyperlight’ tube ride and cashless service
Splish Splash in Calverton will open for the 2022 summer season on Saturday, with a new tube ride called 'Hyperlight' and cashless service throughout the park.
Board of Education
School district to hire former budget director at upstate school district cited for fiscal mismanagement during his tenure
Riverhead Superintendent Augustine Tornatore said the new assistant superintendent, whom Tornatore hired last year while at Liberty K-12 School District in Newburgh, “was not the top financial person“ in the Rochester City School District when it overspent its revenues by $42 million in 2018-19, leading to a state comptroller’s audit and the appointment of a state monitor. Rodney Asse did “a fantastic job” at Liberty as its business official, Tornatore said, and has “a good reputation.”