News by Robert Chartuk

News by Robert Chartuk on South Shore Press


Dec 17, 2024

Tragic Loss Stuns Community

The tragic loss that sent waves of grief across the William Floyd community first appeared as a routine police report.

Dec 11, 2024

Lifetime of Art at Library Exhibit

The colors of the ocean, local scenes, and the memories of the lifetime of local artist Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap (1926-2023) are on display at the Center Moriches Library.

Dec 11, 2024

Sunrise Wind Cable Work Progressing

Work is moving along on the installation of the cable that will connect the mainland to the Sunrise Wind turbines off Montauk.

Dec 10, 2024

Pearl Harbor Remembered at Special Event

At precisely 12:48 on Saturday afternoon, the “Day that will in infamy,” the attack on Pearl Harbor was remembered during a special ceremony at the Bartlett Pond Park war memorial in Middle Island.

Dec 6, 2024

Tuna the Cat

It was on Election Day 16 years ago that l heard the mew of a little kitten in the bushes near my house. I lived next to a school and cringed at the cruel practice of people dumping off their unwanted pets.

Dec 6, 2024

Pictorial History of Shirley

Drive around Shirley today and you’ll still see glimpses of the way it used to be, when it was a fresh new seaside community promoted by its founder, Walter T. Shirley, as a “nice place to live.

Dec 6, 2024

Highway Robbery for Long Island Roads

Fresh off budgeting $2 billion for illegal migrants, Gov. Kathy Hochul has ponied up a comparatively paltry $100 million to fix up state roads across New York, with Long Island getting money for only one small project.

Dec 4, 2024

Chamber Flips Holiday Switch

The Chamber of Commerce of the Mastics & Shirley flipped the switch on the holiday season at their annual Community Tree Lighting.

Dec 4, 2024

Tierney Cracks Down on Retail Theft

Anyone with sticky fingers this holiday season be forewarned: the District Attorney’s Retail Protection Partnership is cracking down on shoplifting in a big way.

Dec 4, 2024

Panico Throws Gauntlet on Long Island’s Garbage Crisis

"It’s time for solutions and the leaders of New York State to get their heads out of the clouds, their feet on the ground, and come to solutions based in reality,” exclaimed Brookhaven’s Dan Panico.

Dec 4, 2024

Gavin’s, A Treasure on Main Street

It’s a place of serenity and solace, peace and perseverance, a shop where you can treat yourself to a special prize or find the most heartfelt gift for a loved one or friend.

Dec 4, 2024

After 40 Years of Service, Rotary Club Rests On Its Laurels

After 40 years of service to the community, the Rotary Club of Shirley & the Mastics held the final meeting on November 26th and will cease club operations at the end of the year.

Dec 4, 2024

Low-Interest Loans Available for August Flood Damage

Those who suffered damages from the floods that battered Suffolk in August can apply for low-interest federal loans.

Dec 3, 2024

New York Expands Life-Saving “Gio’s Law” to Include Police Carrying EpiPens

In a significant step forward for public safety, an amendment to New York’s “Gio’s Law” now enables police officers in Nassau and Suffolk counties to carry EpiPens, critical devices for saving people from life-threatening allergic reactions. The expansion will equip first responders, who often arrive before paramedics, with the tools needed to save lives during anaphylactic emergencies.

Nov 27, 2024

Domestic Terrorism: Pipe Bomb Sent to Lee Zeldin’s Home

Domestic terror hit close to home when a bomb was sent to former Congressman Lee Zeldin’s house, a nominee for a top appointment in the Trump Administration. The scare comes as the incoming President reported “violent, unAmerican threats” to the lives of his other perspective cabinet members and those who live with them.

Nov 27, 2024

Mixed Messages on Puppy Mill Law

Most agree that puppy mills should be shut down for abusing animals and saddling unsuspecting consumers with sick pets. However, some believe a new state law banning animal sales at pet stores goes too far and will make matters worse.

Nov 24, 2024

Major DWI Crackdown to Keep Holiday Travelers Safe

Looking to keep travelers safe, state and local law enforcement are cracking down on impaired and reckless driving in a major enforcement effort this holiday season.

Nov 24, 2024

Thankfulness in Perspective

We all look back on things we could have done differently, how if we had just done this or that our lives would be better. Maybe if we listened to that Bitcoin guy, we would be millionaires by now. Or if we had taken that job, we'd be retired. Or my favorite: Instead of spending all that money at Home Depot and just bought stock in the company instead, we'd have three more homes.

Nov 23, 2024

Library Grand Opening in Shirley

Community Pride shined through Shirley with the grand opening of a new library. The rebuilt main building joins two library annexes to complete a trifecta of projects designed to serve the area for the next 50 years.

Nov 23, 2024

7th Precinct Community Unity Thanksgiving Giveaway

All the fixings, including dessert—750 meals in all—were given out Saturday at the Suffolk Police Department's 7th Precinct in Shirley during an annual Thanksgiving event made possible by generous donations and dozens of volunteers chipping in.

Daily Feed

Local

Investors Throw Millions at Suffolk

The sale of $350 million in Tax Anticipation Notes at 2.94% and $46.4 million in Refunding Serial Bonds at 2.66% was reported by Comptroller John Kennedy. He attributes the impressive number of bidders to the county’s improved credit ratings which resulted in healthy competition, and significant cost savings for the residents of Suffolk County.


Local

History Comes Alive at Military Museum

The museum is the dream of the nearby Rocky Point VFW Post 6249 membership, whose stories are befitting of the many heroes depicted in the gallery’s hallowed halls. There’s museum advisor Joe Cognitore, the post’s commander, whose Army service in Vietnam earned him a Bronze Star with a “V” for Valor.


Local

Fort Sumter Pilgrimage Explores Family’s Civil War Legacy

Following the War of 1812 with Britain, President Andrew Jackson realized the need to strengthen the new nation’s coastal defenses, especially to protect the Atlantic entrance to Charleston, the south’s busiest port. Millions of tons of Massachusetts granite created an island at the confluence of the Ashley and the Cooper rivers where none had been before