March 14 – 20: Week in Review

Port Jefferson Patch presents a review of its most newsworthy stories from the last week. The following stories appeared March 14 - 20.

The Academy Award nominated documentary Quest For Honor played at on Monday as part of the The film follows the rough and disturbing story of how a video journalist and a reporter investigate the shooting of a widowed Kurdish woman (Nesrin) who is shot and left for dead in what is supposed to be a designated Safe House after her in-laws have taken her children away from her.

If you attended the in Rocky Point last week you saw that Port Jefferson was clearly represented in the festivities on floats and banners. Even Colleen Gilroy, one of the parade Queen's ladies in waiting, is from Port Jefferson Station.

Two local youth organizations have paired up to take advantage of a series of county resolutions that have put a former industrial property on Sheep Pasture Road into the hands of the community.

The county legislature approved a resolution last August for those two organizations to share use of the 36.8-acre property, one of several related resolutions dating back to county's 1986 acquisition of the property. It was transferred to the county due to the previous owner's failure to pay taxes, but since then, the county has said people illegally used the property for dumping and all-terrain vehicle riding, with Legis. Vivian Viloria-Fisher, D-Setauket calling it "a scar in our community for decades because it was so badly abused."

The Village of Port Jefferson has extended the parking meter holiday to April 15. The meters were supposed to go back online on March 15 but citing concern for the businesses in town after an especially snowy winter season and the continued downturn in the economy the village decided to keep the meters dark, at least for one more month.

Flotilla 22-06 of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary located in Port Jefferson marched with other businesses from the village and surrounding areas in the . According to Coast Guard Auxiliary member Thomas J. Lynch his flotilla patrols the waters of the Long Island Sound from just past Old Field and along the coast to Port Jefferson and beyond.

While it has filed tax grievances seeking a reduction in the taxes it pays on its power plant in Port Jefferson, LIPA says that it prefers to negotitate a settlement that is agreeable to all parties.

At a LIPA Task Force public meeting last month, Mayor Garant revealed that on Feb. 4, LIPA filed a tax grievance with the Village of Port Jefferson as well.

The utility is seeking a 90 percent relief based on the purported reduced value. The tax recertification filed with Port Jefferson village on Feb. 4 also seeks a 90 percent reduction in village taxes.

If successful, Port Jefferson will face a severe revenue shortfall in its schools and village government, along with the fire department and the Village of Belle Terre.

As the Blockbuster corporation fights for its life in bankruptcy court things look grim locally for the retailer as many stores are closing up shop. There is one bright spot: the looks to remain open, for a little while at least.

On Saturday, cigar shop in Port Jefferson showed off the work of David Gerena whose art is inspired by his love of the atmosphere surrounding cigars in an exhibit titled,