Here are some of this week’s top stories from RiverheadLOCAL. Be sure to visit our website for more coverage of news and events in the local community.

1. It’s official: Santa Claus arrives in Riverhead.

Check out these photos from the 70th Annual Riverhead Lions Club Christmas parade on Main Street and the riverfront bonfire.

2. Riverhead Police announce arrest in Home Depot grand larceny last October.

The Riverhead Police Department has arrested one of three men wanted for allegedly stealing more than $1,500 in roofing shingles at the Home Depot in Riverhead in Oct. 2021.

3. Cops: Riverhead man involved in crash Friday night drove drunk with 7-month-old passenger.

A Riverhead man was charged with felony DWI after a crash on Main Road in Riverhead Friday evening, with a 7-month-old child in his vehicle, according to Riverhead Town Police.

4. Southold man, 90, killed in Riverside crash.

An elderly Southold man was killed in an accident on County Road 94 in Riverside this morning. The driver of the vehicle, which overturned and crashed into the median, was injured.

5. Crowd fills Riverhead’s new town square for tree-lighting event Sunday evening : photo slideshow.

A crowd filled Riverhead's new town square Sunday evening to celebrate the holiday season and enjoy the inaugural lighting of the Colorado blue spruce Christmas tree bedecked with festive decorations and a thousand colorful lights, standing tall near the center of the square.

6. Town settles federal lawsuit over proposed new cell tower on Fresh Pond Avenue in Calverton.

Riverhead has settled a federal lawsuit brought by a Houston-based telecommunications company over its plan to erect a new cell tower on Fresh Pond Avenue.

7. Disabled Riverhead combat veteran receives service medals 55 years after coming home from Vietnam.

Christmas came early this year for disabled Vietnam War combat veteran Thomas Kurpetski of Riverhead. More than half a century after his service, the Marine Corps lance corporal today received the medals he earned during his service in Vietnam.

8. Residents, angered by proposed zoning code changes, again press Town Board for moratorium.

Frustration over delays in the comprehensive plan update and inaction on a moratorium for Calverton boiled over in the Riverhead Town Hall meeting room yesterday.

9. IRS reverses its prior ruling that septic improvement grants to homeowners are taxable income.

The IRS has reversed its 2020 ruling that Suffolk's Septic Improvement Program grants were gross income for federal tax purposes. The new ruling will boost the installation of nitrogen-reducing septic systems, helping to protect local waterways and marine life.

10. As tax bills are issued for new year, ongoing dispute over LIPA payments leaves fire and school districts still waiting for last year’s cash.

Dec. 1 marks the beginning of a new property tax year in Suffolk County and payments due from the Long Island Power Authority to school and fire districts in Riverhead Town — and to the town itself — are still caught in a standoff over how the payments, totaling millions of dollars, should be collected.

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