Smithtown News

Letter to the Editor: Immigration order opposes American values

Feb

2017

Jonathan “Jack” Harrington is a former adjunct professor at SBU’s MBA program and is currently an attorney. He is also a fellow at the Truman National Security Project and the former editor-in-chief of the Yale Journal of International Law.

On Friday, Jan. 27, President Trump signed an executive order barring Syrian refugees indefinitely and blocking entry into the United States for citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. This ill-conceived and rashly executed directive stands in stark opposition to the values of pluralism, equality and opportunity etched in the American experience. The devastating consequences reverberated immediately within the United States and around the globe.

Within hours, protests erupted at airports nationwide — JFK, Dulles, LAX and O’Hare...| read more ››

Susan Berland to run for Suffolk County Legislature

Feb

2017

Democratic Huntington Town board member Susan Berland will run this fall for the 16th district seat now held by term-limited Legis. Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills).

Democrats Tom Donnelly, a Babylon Town Board member, and legislative aide Josh Slaughter also are seeking to replace two other term-limited lawmakers, Louis D’Amaro (D-Deer Park) and Kate Browning (WF-Shirley.

Berland, who has $24,966 in her coffers, will not have to give up her seat to make the run because she has another year on her term. If she wins, the town board could appoint a successor or wait for the November election.

Toni Tepe, Huntington GOP chair, said she will begin screening candidates Feb. 16. “Susan will do nicely as a candidate in the...| read more ››

Officials push Suffolk park survey for illegal dumping

Jan

2017

Suffolk authorities are pushing to survey county parkland in search of illegal dumping while they establish a network of residents to watch for suspicious activity in their parks.

The announcement came in Hauppauge Tuesday after the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Brookhaven Town confirmed Monday an investigation into who dumped vinyl siding, crushed concrete, pulverized glass, a monster truck tire, household furniture and other items in several spots at Tanglewood Park in Coram, which is owned by Brookhaven Town.

The site was discovered after a resident called Legis. Kara Hahn (D-Setauket), prompting her to go to the park late last year and notify the town, state and Suffolk County district attorney about the debris she found. The DA investigated...| read more ››

Democrats will fight Trump’s ‘unconstitutional’ refugee ban, Chuck Schumer says

Jan

2017

Democrats will fight President Donald Trump’s “unconstitutional” refugee ban, pledged a teary-eyed Sen. Charles Schumer on Sunday.

Surround by refugees from Iraq and Syria, the Senate minority leader said he and his colleagues would draft legislation to overturn the president’s executive order, signed on Friday. He demanded the president reverse course.

“I, as your senator from New York, will claw, scrap and fight with every fiber of my being until these orders are overturned,” said Schumer, who almost broke down as he quoted the poet Emma Lazarus: “ Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Trump’s executive order suspended the entry of all refugees to the United States for 120 days while barring Syrian...| read more ››

Gov. Cuomo announces series of voting reform proposals

Jan

2017

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is once again urging state lawmakers to allow early voting access in New York as part of a series of voting reform measures his office unveiled on Sunday.

Cuomo, who last year proposed early voting and automatic voter registration at state licensing offices, is also calling for same-day voter registration, saying in a news release the measures would “remove unnecessary barriers that prevent participation in elections and increase accuracy within the voting process.”

“Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. This past election shined a bright light on the deficiencies of New York’s antiquated election laws and the artificial barriers they create that prevent and discourage voters from exercising this sacred right,” Cuomo said. “These proposals...| read more ››

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