News Nearby: Wounded Veteran Gets Keys to New Ronkonkoma Home

From Smithtown Patch: Fanny Cakes Opens in Nesconset

For those locals with a sweet tooth and a passion for gourmet treats you have a new business in Nesconset to frequent – Fanny Cakes. The newest business in the area is owned by Kristyn Weiser, and along with local politicians, Nesconset Chamber of Commerce members, friends and family, she celebrated the opening of her new business venture with a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday. Weiser, a Smithtown resident and professional chef and baker, named her business after her late grandmother Filomena, affectionately nicknamed "Fanny" by her friends and family. "She used to teach me how to bake all the time, we'd be in the kitchen for hours," said Weiser. "It felt natural for me to pay homage to her."

From Three Village Patch: Case of Pertussis Reported in Three Village

Dr. Gregson H. Pigott of the Suffolk County Division of Public Health has said the county has seen an increase in cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough. A case of the highly contagious bacterial illness pertussis was recently reported at Nassakeag Elementary in Setauket, according to a letter dated Nov. 26 on the Three Village school district website. A school spokeswoman said Wednesday that the student has recovered and is back in school. Two other cases of pertussis were reported in Three Village schools in the past six months: once at Murphy Junior High in September and once at Gelinas Junior High in the summer during a music program.

From Sachem Patch: Wounded Veteran Gets Keys to New Ronkonkoma Home

Six months after breaking ground in the excavated property on Clarendon Drive in Lake Ronkonkoma, Sgt. Ryan Donnelly, and his fiance, Tina McGrory, were handed the keys to a brand new home. In a story Patch reported in early June, Donnelly was selected by members of the Suffolk County VFW to be the recipient of the Home Builders Care Development Corp’s “New Home for a Returning Veteran” program. "All I really want to say is just, 'thank you' to everybody who put their time and effort into making this happen," said Donnelly, a three-tour veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who lost his leg to an IED in Fallujah in 2005. "It means a lot to both of us, and without you guys it would have never gotten done."

From Kings Park Patch: Make Up Days for Sandy Will Include Portion of February Break

Students in the Kings Park School District will be in school during most of the February break to make up days lost due to Hurricane Sandy. The Kings Park Board of Education voted Tuesday evening to begin using days with the February break instead of the pre-determined first two days of March break, which was decided upon last year when the district and board agreed on the upcoming school year’s calendar. The district lost a total of six days due to Hurricane Sandy.