The TIMES of Smithtown
Serving Smithtown • St. JameS • neSconSet • commack • hauppauge • kingS park • Fort Salonga August 6, 2015
Volume 28, No. 23
Smithtown stalls in surprise storm
LI FESTYLE LONG ISL A ND
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AUGUST 2015
TIMES BEACON RECORD NEWS MEDIA
SMOKE RISES ON LI’S SCENE SLICE OF LIFE AT THE VINEYARDS BACK TO THE BOOKS
COMPLIMENTARY
Lifestyle Magazine
Waving goodbye to summer
AvAiLAbLe NOW
Photo by Rohma Abbas
Fallen trees block a vehicle from passing on ashland Drive in Smithtown. By phil corSo
Severe weather toppled trees and downed power lines across the North Shore on Tuesday morning, leaving roads unnavigable and residents without electricity in areas including Port Jefferson, Setauket, Smithtown and Stony Brook. The National Weather Service
Sick horses saved
Suffolk SPCA accuses Hauppauge woman of neglecting animals
PAge A5
sent out three separate thunderstorm warnings in the early morning hours, between 4 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., citing reports of hail, thunderstorms and wind damage, with trees falling onto homes and power lines down throughout the Port Jefferson area. By daybreak, intense winds and rain made way for a sunny morning that revealed the aftermath of the storm. Trees
were in the streets and traffic lights had gone black. By 11 a.m. on Tuesday, utility PSEG Long Island reported more than 20,000 customers in Brookhaven Town without power and more than 8,000 in Smithtown. More than 42,000 customers were affected in total and as of 10:30 a.m., 38,027 were without power throughout Long Island
and the Rockaways, PSEG said. As of Wednesday morning, PSEG reported 15,189 customers without power, the majority of the remaining outages in Brookhaven, Smithtown and Southold, with Smithtown being the hardest-hit area of the three, according to PSEG. “PSEG Long Island has, in total, STORM continued on page A5
Town set for new animal shelter director By victoria eSpinoza
After a tumultuous year at the Smithtown Animal Shelter, a new director has been appointed and a fresh start seems certain. The Smithtown Town Board has voted in Susan Hansen, of Rocky Point, and she began her new post on Wednesday, Aug. 5. “I’ve been an animal advocate for as long as I can remember, and I want to make a difference,” Hansen said in a phone interview. Hansen has volunteered at multiple animal shelters in-
cluding Manhattan Shelter, Brookhaven Municipal Animal Shelter, the Riverhead Municipal Animal Shelter and the North Fork Animal Welfare League. But she has done more than just volunteer; she is also the founder of a nonprofit animal welfare organization that promotes shelter reform. A Better Shelter Inc. provides assistance to local animal welfare organizations, shelters and communities through fundraising, adoption efforts and TNR, or trap, neuter, return. TNR is a proven method SHeLTeR continued on page A8
File photo