1. Praying for peace, working to help: ‘Our call is to stand up to evil’.
The local community’s response to the humanitarian aid drive organized by St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Riverhead has been overwhelming and uplifting, Rev. Bohdan Hedz, the church’s pastor said today. “We were hoping to fill one truckload with items by Friday,” Hedz said, “instead we filled four truckloads.”
2. Cops: Cigarettes caused deadly house fire on East Second Street.
Cigarettes caused the deadly house fire on East Second Street Nov. 16, the Suffolk County Police Department said today.
3. Aguiar: Town and Triple Five reach agreement on transfer of EPCAL property to Riverhead IDA; public forum set for March 8.
Triple Five has agreed to move forward with the town’s proposal to involve the Riverhead Industrial Development Agency in the $40 million EPCAL land deal, Supervisor Yvette Aguiar announced this afternoon.
4. Pet store owner moves to dissolve his company, even as he sues town over law he claims will put him out of business.
A pet store owner suing the town over its new pet dealers law, claiming the law will put him out of business, is simultaneously petitioning a court to dissolve the company and appoint a referee to liquidate its assets and wind up its business affairs.
5. Cops: Homeless man charged with robbery, assault, harassment and other crimes after violating order of protection.
A homeless man has been charged with assault and robbery, harassment and other crimes after being arrested for allegedly violating an order of protection early this morning.
6. Riverhead school superintendent ordered district offices swept for listening devices last fall.
Riverhead School Superintendent Augustine Tornatore had an electronic privacy sweep done at the district's Osborn Avenue offices last fall, according to documents obtained by RiverheadLOCAL through a Freedom of Information Law request.
7. School district business official to be paid full compensation for balance of his contract term.
Riverhead Central School District's longtime business official, sidelined since October by an investigation into unspecified charges, according to district officials, will be paid his full compensation through the end of current school year under a settlement agreement signed by the district in January.
8. Riverhead’s pet dealers law remains suspended as lawsuits challenging it continue.
The law, which would ban the sale of commercially bred dogs, cats and rabbits by retail pet dealers in Riverhead, would have taken effect Jan. 1, but remains suspended by a temporary restraining order issued by a judge in November.
9. Riverhead wins decade-old lawsuit challenging new endangered species regulations adopted by DEC without public hearing.
A State Supreme Court judge in Albany County has sided with the Town of Riverhead in a decade-old lawsuit challenging regulations adopted by the State DEC in 2010 to protect endangered species. The court ruled on Feb. 18 the new regulations are null and void because the Department of Environmental Conservation failed to hold a public hearing prior to adopting them.
10. Local community rallies against war in Ukraine.
More than 100 people gathered outside Riverhead Town Hall this afternoon to rally against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, voicing their support for the East End’s Ukrainian-American population and calling for the end of the war in Ukraine.
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