Mr. Zaleski played Santa for the fifth straight year with the hope of helping every student in need receive a gift during the holiday season. As a 31-year member of Riverhead’s highway department, Mr. Zaleski said he is happy to use his longtime municipal status as a platform to give back to those in need. He was reelected highway superintendent this November.

“It’s really a good thing,” Mr. Zaleski said. “And I’m very humbled, because every year it grows more and more.”

His son Ryan attended school in Riverhead, and Roanoke Avenue Elementary principal Thomas Payton left an indelible mark on Mr. Zaleski as an attentive school administrator. 

“Mr. Payton would literally wait for my son and walk him in to school every day,” Mr. Zaleski said. “So I never forgot something like that.”

The principal keeps a list of local children in need throughout Riverhead’s grade schools—including Aquebogue, Riley Avenue, Roanoke Avenue and Phillips Avenue—and helps distribute the toys throughout the district. 

“[They] make sure all of the children in need get something,” Mr. Zaleski said. 

Roanoke Avenue Elementary School assistant principal Andrea Lopez told the Riverhead News-Review the school is “extremely grateful” for Mr. Zaleski’s generosity. When dropping off toys Monday afternoon, Ms. Lopez couldn’t help but notice the big smile on Mr. Zaleski’s face.

“Receiving all of this for our families and our parents, it really makes their holiday,” she said. “It’s the most gracious thing that he could do. You know things are tight nowadays, and it lifts up the spirits of everybody and makes that bridge between our school and the community that much tighter.”

When collecting the toys, Mr. Zaleski asks that people donate a variety of toys for students in grades 1 through 4—dolls, trucks, board games, paint sets, you name it. This year, roughly 500 toys were donated by community members with the help of Riverhead Moose Lodge 1742, All Suffolk Car Clubs and Fink’s Country Farm.

The toy donation is accompanied by an annual 5K that Mr. Zaleski runs—something residents are likely familiar with from his years of running in town. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Zaleski ran a 5K to support healthcare workers and has run several others in support of local food banks since. 

Mr. Zaleski consistently goes above and beyond for his community, with over a decade of educational, interactive elementary school visits displaying highway department equipment like snow plows and dump trucks. His efforts earned him and the Riverhead Highway Department the Riverhead News-Review’s 2024 Public Servant of the Year award. 

“It’s just all ‘do good to feel good,’” Mr. Zaleski said of his efforts. “That’s basically my motto.”

The post Riverhead Highway Santa delivers 500 toys for students in need appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

The Vibe

The Riverhead joint has a bit of a split-space feel. When you enter the restaurant, venture to the right for the diner-inspired area with bright lights, booths and big round tables. Pull up a chair to the sports bar — best for brunch — right beside the buzzing seating area. To the left it’s moodier, dimly lit and the ultimate setting for a night out at the chic bar serving top-notch espresso martinis, mojitos and other creative cocktails. 

The Food

Options are in abundance on the eatery’s multiple-page menu: loads of drinks, including cocktails, juices, milkshakes and smoothies; and diner classics from breakfast to burgers, soups, salads and American entrees. There is also what sets the restaurant apart — its Hispanic Heritage menu section with breakfast, apps, sides and marvelous mains. 

Colombian Empanadas Although empanadas come in many varieties, these have a heartier composition. The thick corn exterior offers a subtle, buttery crunch, revealing the starchy potato-meat filling — your choice of chicken or beef — that leaves you thoroughly satiated.

Patacones Peconic Imagine an elevated nacho. That’s what you’re getting when you bite into this fried plantain loaded with fresh guac, pico de gallo and your choice of protein including shrimp, skirt steak, shredded beef, chicken or pork cracklings. The latter makes for a wonderful contrast of sweet creaminess on the base and crisp fatty flavor on top, all rounded out by the refreshing pico de gallo. 

Mofongo This traditional Puerto Rican dish is assembled with a creamy garlic sauce served inside a fried-plantain-made bowl. Opt for shrimp, chicken, chicharron or steak, delightfully soaked in the decadent sauce, as the salty flavors balance perfectly against the silky plantain foundation. 

Peruvian Lomo Saltado Stir-fried steak cooked to a just-right medium has a tender, juicy texture and is complemented by the acidic hit of red onions and tomatoes. The main part of the meal speaks for itself, but the addition of French fries and jasmine rice give it a meat-‘n-potatoes base that’s easy to love.   

Peconic Eatery

871 Old Country Road, Riverhead

631-591-0291

@peconiceatery

Hours

Open daily, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

---

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The post The Dish: Latin fusion helps reinvent a Riverhead classic appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Consider sailors facing offshore knockdowns or transiting inlets with breaking waves. For me, that knockdown occurred aboard a friend’s Pearson (named Sauvage) while I helmed her offshore in big seas and fierce winds. My bad steering and our main sail control device caused Sauvage to roll severely onto her side. Fortunately, an instinctive response on both our parts quickly put her back on her feet with only damage to our pride and underwear.

Such frightening, awe-inspiring, experiences indelibly shape sailors’ future performance. Surviving these challenges hones skills that can be called upon again, proving the undeniable effect of experience.

The idea of a stable, immutable “self” is seductive, offering comfort in a chaotic world — a fixed “I” untouched by life’s triumphs and tragedies. This manifests in phrases like “I’m just not that kind of person,” or “That’s just the way I am.” However, this perspective is a comforting fiction that collapses under neurological, psychological and philosophical scrutiny. We are, inescapably, the sum total of our life experiences; our identity is not a sculpture but a river, continuously shaped by and meandering through every event from birth to death.

Biologically, the brain is not a pre-wired, static organ but a dynamic landscape sculpted by neuroplasticity. Every sensation, learned fact, emotional shock (including knockdowns!), and practiced skill physically alters the brain’s structure. Synapticconnections strengthen with repetition, new neural pathways are forged in learning, and unused connections wither away. The New York City Uber driver who memorizes the city’s labyrinthine streets develops a larger hippocampus. The violinist who practices for decades has a motor cortex tailored to their fingers’ movements.

Traumatic experiences can rewire the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, leaving lasting imprints on fear response and emotional regulation. The brain does not merely process experience; it becomes its experiences. To suggest a core self exists independently of this ever-changing substrate is to advocate for dualism — a “ghost in the machine”— that modern neuroscience does not support.

Psychologically, experience is equally definitive. Foundational theories of developmental psychology that I recall from an undergraduate elective, from Piaget’s cognitive stages to Erikson’s psychosocial stages, are built on the premise that we are constructed through our interactions with the world. A child consistently nurtured and encouraged develops trust and autonomy; one criticized or neglected may internalize shame or self-doubt.

These are not preordained traits but forged conclusions from countless micro-interactions. Our beliefs, values and prejudices are not downloaded at birth. They are absorbed from parents, culture, friends, and media. A person raised in a homogeneous community may hold certain assumptions, radically challenged and reshaped when exposed to new people and places. The “self” holding those initial assumptions is fundamentally altered by new experience, proving our worldview is not a fixed lens but a collage assembled from everything we have sensed.

A simple thought experiment illustrates this: Imagine identical twins separated at birth. Genetically indistinguishable, they possess the same raw potential. One is raised in a stable, intellectually stimulating home, the other in poverty and instability. To claim their “core selves” would be the same is absurd. One might become a confident academic, the other a resilient survivor, their personalities, aspirations, fears, and cognitive patterns diverging dramatically based solely on their lived histories. Their identities are products of their distinct journeys.

The counterargument points to temperament or genetic predispositions. It’s true we are not blank slates; we enter the world with certain biological wiring. An infant may naturally be more introverted or irritable. But temperament is not destiny, it is the raw material upon which experience works. A cautious temperament, met with supportive parenting, may develop into a prudent adult. The same temperament instead shaped by trauma could solidify into anxiety. Genetic predisposition is the seed, but experiences are the soil, sun, rain and storms that determine the tree’s final form.

Clinging to the fallacy of an immutable self is intellectually dishonest and existentially limiting. It allows us to abdicate responsibility for our own growth with excuses like, “I can’t change who I am,” or, “What does something from decades ago matter?” It fosters prejudice by essentializing others, seeing flaws or differences as inherent rather than products of unique journeys. Conversely, embracing the idea that we are our experiences is empowering and humbling. It means we are never finished. Every new book, conversation, failure, and act of courage participates in the creation of who we are becoming.

We are walking histories. Every memory, scar, lesson learned and joy felt is a thread woven into the tapestry of our identity. To claim there is a “true self” hiding behind this tapestry is to miss the point the tapestry itself is the self. We are not statues revealed by the chisel of experience; we are the cumulative layers of the chisel’s marks. Our life experiences are not merely events we pass through; they are the very substance from which we are made.

To believe otherwise is to ignore the beautiful, relentless, and ongoing construction that becomes “us.”

erialJohn Cronin is a Shelter Island Reporter columnist.

The post Guest Spot: The tapestry of self appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

• William Feehan of Shoreham, 49; Lauren Seaton of Shoreham, 57; and Hugo Ajcuc Boch of Riverhead, 46, were arrested for alleged driving while intoxicated.
• Mark Burke of Moriches, 42, was arrested on an alleged warrant.
• Kenyetah Payne of Coram, 44, and Irma Choy Oscal of Guatemala, 29, were both arrested for alleged petit larceny.
• Antonio Cabrera-Palacios of Riverhead, 39, was arrested for alleged criminal contempt.
• Kevin Cevallos-Ortiz of Riverhead, 21, was arrested for alleged trespass.
• Lucas Arevalo-Gonzalez of Riverhead, 49, was arrested for the alleged criminal possession of a forged instrument.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

The post Blotter: Three arrested for alleged DWI appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

After years of planning, eminent domain battles and public debate, what officials say will transform downtown into a destination is at last becoming reality.

We hope they’re right.

There’s reason for optimism. Joseph Petrocelli has a proven record — the Long Island Aquarium and Hyatt Place East End speak for themselves.

An 80-room Hilton Tapestry Collection hotel with condos and ground-floor retail could bring the kind of steady activity downtown Riverhead needs. Add in a public plaza, playground and amphitheater, and you’ve got real potential to undo decades of downtown decline.

But concerns remain, and Supervisor Tim Hubbard’s decision to dismiss critics as politically motivated obstructionists at an August Town Board meeting was unfair and unhelpful. Taxpayers have every right to question major development decisions without being accused of partisan obstruction.

Just three months after Mr. Hubbard praised Mr. Petrocelli’s track record at that same meeting, voters narrowly elected Pastor Jerry Halpin, a political unknown who campaigned on listening to residents, fiscal restraint and greater transparency in town government. Mr. Halpin won by just 37 votes in November. Friday’s groundbreaking may be one of the last times the public sees Mr. Hubbard in an official capacity before Mr. Halpin takes over Jan. 1.

Despite strong objections at public hearings, the Town Board voted unanimously to sign off on the deal. The town sold three properties for $2.65 million without competitive bidding. Whether that was legally permissible under urban renewal law isn’t the question — the question is whether it was wise. Did taxpayers get the best deal? We’ll never know, because no other proposals were sought.

The eminent domain proceeding that forced out Craft’D bar for a $120,000 settlement adds another uncomfortable layer. Using government power to seize private property for private development always deserves scrutiny.

Beyond the initial construction — slated to run through 2026 — taxpayers are on the hook for ongoing costs. Mr. Petrocelli’s firm will receive 7% of construction costs to manage the public spaces, plus $150,000 annually for 10 years to maintain the park. That’s $1.5 million in management fees alone, not counting the construction management percentage. 

Those aren’t abstract figures. They’re real taxpayer dollars flowing to a private developer for work the town’s parks department might otherwise perform.

The parking concerns are also worth taking seriously. Downtown already struggles during peak times. The development includes only 12 underground parking spaces for condo owners. The 80 hotel rooms and restaurant will rely on the planned First Street parking garage. That might work fine — or it might create a new problem.

None of this means the project is doomed. Many downtown business owners enthusiastically support the development. Letters of support flooded in from the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary and East End Arts. They see what Mr. Petrocelli’s previous projects have done for downtown. That track record counts for something.

Friday’s groundbreaking is a milestone, but it can’t be treated as a victory lap. The real test begins now.

The post Editorial: The real test begins after the groundbreaking appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Response on key issues

Mr. Reitman’s Nov. 20 letter (“Explain this”) raises several questions. The answers are clear.

First, property taxes. Congress does not set school or property taxes — Albany and local governments do. Under single-party Democratic rule since 2018, New York now ranks 50th in the nation for tax climate, according to the Tax Foundation. What Congress did do, with my leadership, is deliver the largest federal tax relief Long Island has seen in decades: quadrupling the SALT deduction cap from $10,000 to $40,000; reducing taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security; and expanding small-business deductions. According to Newsday, the average Long Island family will save $2,860 next year — real relief offsetting the increases coming from Albany and local budgets.

Second, wars overseas. Republicans did not “end wars,” nor did we start any. What I have done is vote to ensure Israel can defend itself against terrorism, provide humanitarian aid to civilians, strengthen U.S. deterrence against Iran, and demand strict oversight and accountability for Ukraine aid. Violence in Venezuela is driven by the Maduro regime and is precisely why America must project strength abroad, not retreat from it.

Third, working families. That is why I’ve supported no-tax-on-tips, overtime tax relief, expanded R&D and small-business expensing, energy policies that lower fuel costs, and bipartisan bills protecting Medicare, SNAP, Meals on Wheels and other lifelines for seniors and families. Claims that these programs are being “cut” are inaccurate.

Fourth, shutdowns. I have consistently voted for clean, bipartisan funding bills — eight under President Biden and five under President Trump — to protect veterans, seniors, federal workers, and families who rely on government services. And while the Constitution requires Members of Congress to be paid during shutdowns, I placed my pay on hold in solidarity with those who were not receiving theirs.

My votes are guided by one principle: helping Long Islanders afford to live, work, and retire here. That is my responsibility — and I take it seriously.

Nick LaLota

Riverhead

Advice for young citizens

To all young citizens between the ages of 18 and 29: If you do not have decent housing, a job that can pay your bills, affordable and comprehensive health care, you should do the following. 

Register to vote if you haven’t done so, learn how to file petitions with the Board of Elections and become committee persons in the Republican and Democratic parties. If you are a Latino or Black youth, only one-third of you vote; you have to increase that. If you are white, less than half of you vote. God only helps the people who help themselves.

Warren McKnight

Greenport

Congress

Isn’t it about time that Congress (Republicans and Democrats) finally clawed back the powers that they have ceded to the Executive Branch?

David James

Cutchogue

Cutchogue’s Holiday Elves

The Board of Directors of the Cutchogue Civic Association would like to thank and recognize Joe and Helen Corso for once again decorating our hamlet for the holidays. For many years now, the Corsos have braved the elements, climbed ladders and hung holiday lights and decorations along Main Road. 

They are the perfect elves, as they just seem to appear out of nowhere, quietly hang the decorations without help from anyone, then disappear. Even more impressive is that in the often cold and snowy month of January, they will again climb ladders and take down the decorations, storing them until next year. We thank our “Holiday Elves,” Joe and Helen, for their continued support for our great Cutchogue community.

Marjorie Adams, Barbara Best,
Andy Brooks, Barbara Butterworth,
Pat Kirkpatrick, Carolyn McCall,
Rich Parlini, Mike Tiner, Dave Bergen

Board of Directors for
Cutchogue Civics Association

Mattituck

Voting matters

Trump pointed out that the system was broken (he was right) and that he was the only person who could fix it. Many people believed him. Well, his methods are making things worse, and I think it’s intentional.

In June, I Googled “What is Project 2025.” That’s when I became angry and terrified. As I’m sure you’re aware, our democracy is in peril, and Congress doesn’t function on our behalf.

What’s the fix? We are. Dwight Eisenhower said: “There is nothing wrong with America that the faith, love of freedom, intelligence, and energy of her citizens cannot cure.” We the people have been given the power by the founders, but we have to vote like we care about proper representation. We must hold those in Congress accountable to look out for our welfare and not cower when threatened by a bully.

The people in Congress have to understand that we, not the oligarchs, elected them. If they’re not representing the people, they’re not doing their jobs.

I understand that people typically vote according to party philosophies, but Congress has abandoned those philosophies to focus on job security. We must show them that the people determine their job security. In 2026, we have to restore the system of checks and balances that the founding fathers knew was critical to the survival of our democracy. This time, you can’t be complacent and just vote a straight party line. Look into the candidates.

If the current situation continues for another three years, there may not be any way to repair the damage. If there is a 2026 election, it will be the most important election of our lives. Let’s hold up our end of the bargain. First we have to save democracy. Then we can think about fixing it.

Charles Gueli

East Marion

Thank you

I never thought I would be writing a letter like this, but the time has come. Thank you to all those who put their faith in me to serve as Southold Town Assessor for five terms. Before this, I spent thirteen years in the private sector, in the same industry; all of which helped to make the transition to the assessors office in January of 2006, a rewarding and smooth one. With that being said, I have enjoyed helping the public at the counter, my office and in hundreds of homes I visited for those unable to come to Town Hall. The trust you afforded me to review and process sensitive documents, even in your own home, is what makes a small town like Southold a great place to live and work. 

I am not leaving the area but will no longer be your assessor. So, if you see me around… Don’t hesitate to stop and say hello!

It has been a pleasure serving the people of Southold Town for the last 20 years. 

Kevin Webster

Cutchogue

War in Ukraine

The following letter was forwarded to the White House and to the United Nations:

Just seven days after I was born in September of 1938, Germany invaded Czechoslovakia. On the 30th of that month, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s Munich Agreement requested Czechoslovakia cede some of it’s territory to Germany in exchange for Hitler’s promise of no further territorial demands. That led to World War II.

In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Now, three years later, we are considering asking Ukraine to cede part of Ukraine to Russia. Of course Putin will agree to no further territorial demands.

Do we really want World War III?

Richard Brewster

Orient

My vision

I found last week’s letter, “A Different Vision,” to be the most overbearing, high and mighty letter I have ever read. We don’t need a history lesson or the reciting of “Give me your tired…” 

Many of us are descendants of immigrants who came through Ellis Island. They were people who were sponsored by an American and had a job waiting for them. They assimilated and loved America for all its opportunities and freedom. You wrote, “Lincoln’s remarks echoed that he believed there should be no hindrances to those looking to improve themselves by coming to America.” But these are not the people coming here now! They are not looking to improve themselves. They are draining our resources and contributing nothing.

Our ancestors worked and did not want hand outs. The immigrants or better yet illegals, that have invaded our country, have not been vetted, many are terrorists. Two West Virginia National Guard members were recently shot by an Afghan National. Sarah Beckstrom died and Andrew Wolfe is in critical condition. And you do know about the Somalis who stole billions of welfare tax dollars in Minnesota? One of the most unbelievable and egregious scams in our history! Ask yourself why the Biden administration allowed this invasion? A new voter base? Or per Obama “to transform America”?

We are being invaded, plain and simple. Your fantasy of yesteryear’s immigrants is over!

Barbra LaCorte Latham

Cutchogue

Two questions

There’s a very nasty fellow named Rodrigo Duterte who is currently being held in the Hague by the International Criminal Court whose membership is made up of a majority of the world’s countries. Mr. Duterte, former president of the Philippines, is held on charges of crimes against humanity for extrajudicial killings of alleged drug traffickers. During his six years in office, the alleged traffickers were not given due process. On Duterte’s orders, they were just murdered. The number killed by Duterte’s henchmen ranges between 6,000 and 30,000.

Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of Defense (he prefers to call himself the Secretary of War) has presided over the violent destruction of more than 20 boats on the high seas, and the extrajudicial killing of more than 80 people. He recently presided over one attack by blowing up a boat with 11 people on board. Two survived and for about an hour tried to save themselves before they were hit with another explosion and killed.

According to experts in international law and the laws of war, the two remaining people who were alive were required to be rescued. Instead, they were slaughtered. All experts agree. If we are at war, then the killing of these two people constituted the crime of violating the laws of war. If we are not at war, then the killing of these two people amounts to murder.

The United States is one of the countries that has refused to join the International Criminal Court. On that score, Hegseth appears to be safe from the same fate that has befallen Rodrigo Duterte. But except for the number murdered, is there a difference between Duterte and Hegseth? Or is it just a question of how many murders it takes before the world does something about it?

Michael Levy

The post Letters to the Editor: Response on key issues appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Supervisor Tim Hubbard and his fellow Town Board members looked on with pride as the demolition at 127 East Main St. marked a milestone that has been in planning and discussion for nearly 30 years, the supervisor said.

“A project of this scale does not happen without strong partners and significant investment,” said Mr. Hubbard, who exits his role as supervisor at the end of the month. “These dollars are not only an investment in bricks and mortar, but in our downtown Riverhead’s long-term economic health and cultural life.”

Jerry Halpin, who takes over as supervisor next month after defeating Mr. Hubbard by just 37 votes, also lauded the project.

“From here, we’ll do everything we can to make sure that downtown has the best opportunity to be successful,” Mr. Halpin said. “Whether it’s someone who is currently here, or the new businesses that are coming in.”

New York Secretary of State Walter Mosley joined the ceremony, calling the development a model for community revitalization across the state.

The Riverhead Town Square project is the largest effort backed by the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, which provides $10 million grants for community redevelopment.

“We’re now witnessing this community utilizing their DRI to build on its strength while also harnessing its history and its unique charm,” Mr. Mosley said. “They have taken a thoughtful and thorough look at how to carefully curate what the future of this land will look like come this spring.”

He noted that demolishing the 1950s-era building that most recently housed the popular Craft’D bar will open up downtown and create a new gathering space.

“It’s reconnecting this community with its history, its downtown and its waterfront,” Mr. Mosley said. “Because when you honor the past, you learn from the past. And when you learn from the past you are able to make room for innovative thinking and projects that will be transformative, turning a site into a destination that is great to live, work and play.”

Also attending the hour-long event were 1st District Legislator Catherine Stark, state Sen. Anthony Palumbo and Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio, who bundled up against temperatures hovering around 32 degrees on the brisk Peconic waterfront. Former Greenport Village mayor David Kapell was also recognized for pushing downtown revitalization efforts on the East End.

At the end of the countdown, Andy Williams’ Christmas classic “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” played as the luminaries watched the demolition crew begin razing the building.

“When you start to see machinery come in, pavements being torn up and buildings prepared to be torn down you’re actually starting to see what’s happening in real time,” Mr. Mosley said. “The plans you started out in meetings are now being put into action.”

J. Petrocelli Development Associates was tapped to develop a five-story, 78,000-square-foot mixed-use building with up to 80 Hilton Tapestry Collection hotel rooms and 12 condominium units, along with restaurant and retail space and 12 underground parking spots.

The project will also include landscaped green areas, an amphitheater, a children’s playground and pedestrian pathways linking Main Street to the waterfront, according to the town.

Riverhead won the competitive $10 million state grant in 2022 after applying every year since the program launched in 2016.

Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin announced Riverhead and the Village of Amityville as winners during a Zoom meeting with town officials, selecting them from among more than 90 applicants, the Riverhead News-Review previously reported.

The town had previously lost out to other Long Island communities including Westbury, Hicksville, Central Islip and Baldwin.

In addition to the $10 million DRI grant, Empire State Development has given $3.2 million to Riverhead in the last five years for the project through Restore New York and Pro-Housing Communities grants. Riverhead Town also secured a $24 million federal RAISE grant from transportation funding.

“It really is a ‘Hunger Games’ when you think about it,” Mr. Palumbo said as he applauded Gov. Kathy Hochul for bringing the state funds to Riverhead. “I think many people mistake the East End as a place where there’s tremendous wealth, that everyone’s from Hollywood, and those of us that live here realize that that’s not the case. To make this kind of investment in our community is really important.”

Riverhead officials cleared the way for the project in 2021 by tearing down deteriorating structures at 117 and 121 East Main St., located opposite The Suffolk. Removing those buildings opened up sight lines to the Peconic River.

This past September, the town used eminent domain to acquire the Craft’D space, paying the owner a $170,000 settlement. The town has also purchased several additional properties in the area over time.

Once the demolition is completed, Mr. Petrocelli said, subsurface testing and structural analysis of the area will take place before the hotel is built.

That process will begin in the spring and he expects the hotel to be fully completed by 2027.

“It takes generations to change a town; you’re not going to do it overnight,” Mr. Petrocelli said Friday. “Once we have another attraction, now our destination gets bigger and I think the hotel is about bringing people here.”

The post Riverhead breaks ground on $32.6M Town Square project to revitalize downtown appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Long Island’s average price hit $2.94 per gallon this week, down 2.4 cents from last December, and about 35 cents below from the same period in 2023, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 1,158 stations released Monday, Dec. 8. Many Riverhead gas station prices are below the average.

“With the national average falling further, we’re now at multi-year lows heading into Christmas,” said Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis. “Barring any major disruptions, prices are likely to stay relatively low into the new year.”

Prices fell 4.1 cents over the past week and are 4.4 cents lower than a month ago. The national average dropped 5 cents to $2.90 per gallon.

GasBuddy found wide variation on Long Island, with station prices ranging from $2.09 to $4.29 per gallon — a $2.20 spread. The Mobil station on Old Country Road in Riverhead was charging $2.79 per gallon for regular unleaded. At Southold Town gas stations, the price was about 40 cents more per gallon.

Meanwhile, diesel prices across Long Island also declined, falling 5.1 cents nationally to $3.67 per gallon.

Nearby markets showed similar trends: New York City averaged $3.10 (down 2.5 cents); Trenton, N.J., averaged $2.93 (down 7.4 cents); and Bridgeport, Conn., averaged $3.04 (down 3.3 cents).

In December 2023, Long Island’s average was $3.29 per gallon.

The post Long Island gas prices drop to $2.94 as holiday travel begins appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard remarked on the “warm and inclusive” environment the Riverhead First Baptist Church has cultivated over the last century. He also commended the Rev. Coverdale for his over four decades of dedication to his pastoral duties and outreach programs for the youth and families in the Riverhead community. 

“You’ve helped so many people and people in need. We don’t always show up at the pew, but sometimes, we need that pew,” Mr. Hubbard said. “We have to show up, and you give us guidance, assistance and help, and it’s very important for the community.”

Recently Riverhead Town officials adopted changes to its Community Benefit Zoning Use District code, which inches the Riverhead First Baptist Church closer to finally bringing its decades-long affordable housing proposal to fruition.

The room erupted in applause after the town board’s decision in September, as the code amendment has received overwhelming support from community members who have backed the Family Community Life Center project since it was first proposed by Pastor Charles and Shirley Coverdale in 1988.

In collaboration with builder Georgica Green Ventures, LLC, the mixed-use, transit-oriented development proposal also known as The Northville Commons calls for the construction of a 10,000 square-foot community center and 80 affordable apartment units on nearly 13 acres of the First Baptist Church’s land on Northville Turnpike.

The post 100 years and counting at Riverhead Baptist Church appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

The Wading River venue with a hotel, spa and restaurant on site unveiled East Wind Wellness, a reimagined suite centered around mindfulness, balance and community on Dec. 10. 

Spa director Anne Marie Foley who spearheaded the transition from a traditional spa to a healing space, hopes the space supports healthy habits, stress management and connection for visitors from the Island and beyond, seeking peace.

The new suite, situated in East Wind’s spa area will feature guided workshops, wellness therapies and mindfulness sessions including floating pool meditation with sound bath healing, reiki meditation and massage plus traditional sound bath healing. 

Many of the healing practice leaders at East Wind are bringing new skills to a space where they served as masseuses and in Foley’s case, previously as an esthetician. 

Just coming into her role a year and a half ago, Foley knew the suite could offer more than the typical spa treatments they are now building on. 

“I always had a vision that this place that meant so much to me, had so much more potential,” says Foley.

See more on northforker.com

The post East Wind Wellness breathes new life into spa services appeared first on Riverhead News Review.