35TH YEAR, VOLUME 36 • ISSUE 39 35TH YEAR, VOLUME 36 • ISSUE 38
SEPTEMBER 23, 2020 SEPTEMBER 16, 2020
The People’s Newspaper - Covering All of Brookhaven
COMMUNITY MOURNS LOSS OF ICON COUNTY
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Calarco promotes bus safety By Barbara LaMonica
STATE
TOWN
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State Senate District 1 race in full swing
Marks wins MMS library election by 63% in infrastructure enhancements, land
acquisition and preservation, and fighting illegal dumping. Muratore was vice chairman of Suffolk's Public Works, Transportation, and Energy Committee.
Suffolk County 4th District Legislator Tom Muratore passed away on September 9. He was 75. Muratore had a lengthy resume of public service that included a 34 year career in law enforcement. He served in the Suffolk County Police Department, including 18 years as Vice President of the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association. In 2002, at age 56, Muratore graduated New York Institute of Technology, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Hospitality Management. He was an alumnus of Central Islip High School's Class of 1963.
Muratore was first elected in 2009 to serve Suffolk County's 4th Legislative District which covers the heartland of Suffolk's real estate that includes the communities of Centereach, Farmingville, Medford, Lake Grove, Selden, Lake Ronkonkoma, Port Jefferson Station, Coram, Holtsville, Holbrook, and the Brookhaven Town portion
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Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, who, in a prepared statement described the legislator as "the utmost professional... who was never afraid to reach across the aisle," ordered flags flown at half staff in memory of Muratore.
Former Suffolk County Republican Leader John LaValle (left) and current Chariman Jesse Garcia (right) congratulate Tom Muratore During his 2009 first win.
of Ronkonkoma. After serving his inaugural term in the County Legislature, Muratore would go on to win consecutive two year terms
until his passing. He had a reputation for putting his constituents before politics where he devoted countless hours daily and was successful
in passing numerous pieces of legislation, many of which centered around veterans and war heroes, securing funding that would result
Jesse Garcia, Chairman of the Suffolk County GOP and Brookhaven Town Republican Committee, reflected on Muratore's long and successful career: "Tom Muratore dedicated his life to serving the people of Suffolk County. As a police officer and police academy instructor and legislator, he dedicated 34 years to protecting our families. As a legislator, Tom continued that service. With legislation that
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LEGAL ACTION EXPECTED FROM MASTIC BEACH TEEN, MAVERIK STOW MASTIC BEACH TEEN ARRESTED FOR ATTENDING SCHOOL, LEADS PROTESTS FOR DISTRICT TO FULLY OPEN By James Emery Looking to go back to school full time with extracurricular activities and sports, Mastic Beach teen Maverik Stow has taken to the streets in protest following his suspension and arrest for illegally entering school grounds. Stow’s desire to return to class has set up a battle with the William Floyd School District which had him arrested for trespassing after he insisted on coming in when he wasn’t scheduled due to the school’s COVID restrictions.2020 The FALL showdown had the district E D I T O R I A L threatening to close the high school and force its 3,000 students into taking all classes The South Shore Press Editorial Board online if the senior his attempts to enter school grounds when he’s not supGocontinued Solar with SunPower! GUIDE posed to. Maverick Stow’s instincts were correct. Some schools opened for classes five days a week, but his didn’t. He wondered why. Liquor 1-866-588-0476 stores were allowed to open, but other stores weren’t. People were forced to wear masks and couldn’t assemble, but you couldAfter rampage national news coverage and both students and parents taking sides, Stow said through the nation’s cities en masse and not even be prosecuted. He went to school when they said he couldn’t and he was arrested. He on Monday: “Having the William Floyd School District close down the high school to thought about his basic constitutional rights and he protested. They suspended him. Something didn’t seem right. To any fair observer, the shutting down of the nation has obvious political overtones. The forces aligned against all the in-person president learning for all students has never been my objective and this is of primary believe that their chances of beating him are better if the nation is in crisis, if the economy tanks. The public is bombarded daily by concern to me. I would like to assure the student body, the parents, the school district criticisms and second guessing. Not many have the courage to go against the conventional wisdom, not the governors or the mayors, and the general public that I will not continue to gain entry into the high school to go to not the William Floyd School District.
WILLIAM FLOYD SCHOOL BOARD SUSPENDS STUDENT FOR YEAR
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COLLEGE
But one teenager did. He spoke up and took a stand. And he suffered the consequences. If one school can fully open, why can’t his? If some groups can assemble, why can’t others? If you’re on one side of the political aisle, everything you say and do is okay. But if you’re on the other side, everything is wrong. It took a high school senior to declare that something just isn’t right. It took Maverick Stow to point out the obvious and make a stand.
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"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. " - NELSON MANDELA