8 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • OCTOBER 2020
IN THE NEWS
WEB BRIEFS LI AT A GLANCE
SUFFOLK LAUNCHES POLICE REFORM
PANEL
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone launched
Sept. 8 a new task force that will hold a series of public
meetings before devising a plan to reform and reinvent
local policing.
In addition to eight virtual public outreach meetings,
the task force will host one-on-one meetings with
stakeholders, examine current policies, and develop
a comprehensive policing plan for Suffolk County to
present to New York State next spring.
“The development of the comprehensive policing plan
with direct input from the community will help us
build upon the progress we have made and implement
strategies that will improve policing,” said Bellone.
The task force and state mandate to reform local policing
follow protests around racial injustice that have played
out nationwide and across Long Island since late
May, when a Minneapolis police officer allegedly
murdered George Floyd. As the
Press has previously reported, Nassau
County in August created a committee
that will explore alternative
approaches to law enforcement intervention
in situations regarding
mental health.
-Timothy Bolger
SCHOOL COVID REPORT CARD DEBUTS
New York State’s coronavirus tracker website added
a new function on Sept. 9 that tracks cases in schools
statewide, officials said.
The state Department of Health has directed school
districts to report whenever a student, teacher, or
staffer tests positive for COVID-19 now that the fall
semester is getting underway. Like the coronavirus
tracker website, the page tracking school-based cases
will be updated daily, officials said.
The state’s coronavirus tracking website can be found
at schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov A separate
coronavirus tracker for colleges and universities can
be found at suny.edu/covid19-tracker
-TB
ROSLYN HEDGE FUND FOUNDER
CHARGED WITH FRAUD
A Roslyn man who founded a New York hedge fund
was criminally charged on Sept. 3 with pressuring a
rival not to bid for assets related to Neiman Marcus’
bankruptcy so he could buy them at a lower price, the
U.S. Department of Justice said.
Daniel Kamensky, whose Marble Ridge Capital LP
specialized in “distressed” investing and is liquidating
its assets, was charged with securities fraud, wire
fraud, extortion and bribery related to bankruptcy,
and obstruction of justice.
Kamensky appeared briefly in Manhattan federal
court, where bail was set at $250,000. His lawyers did
not immediately respond to requests for comment.
-Reuters
BROOKHAVEN FIREFIGHTERS RESIGN
AFTER FLAG FLAP
Two Brookhaven Fire Department firefighters have
resigned after they were suspended for draping
a Confederate flag on the side of a fire
truck in August, sparking protests and
investigations.
The fire district’s board of
commissioners said it was instituting new
guidelines regarding the placement of flags on fire department
property following the uproar sparked by
the two firefighters, whose names were not released.
“I have requested support from the Suffolk County
Human Rights Commission to provide implicit bias
training to all of our firefighters,” said Brookhaven
Fire Department Chief Peter Di Pinto, who has issued
an apology for the incident.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone called for the
Suffolk County Human Rights Commission to probe
the incident and Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered the
state Division of Human Rights to also investigate.
Protesters also picketed outside the firehouse on
Sept. 2 after images of the flag on the firetruck began
circulating on social media.
-TB
NEW NAME FOR DUCKS STADIUM
Long Island Ducks stadium in Central Islip will soon
change names from Bethpage Ballpark to Fairfield
Properties Ballpark now that a new title sponsor is
taking over the naming rights.
The stadium is currently named for Bethpage Federal
Credit Union. Melville-based real estate firm Fairfield
Properties will assume the new name on Jan. 1, 2021.
The transition comes as New York Community Bank
dropped its title sponsorship for the Nassau Veterans
Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale following a change
of tenants sparked by the lack of arena entertainment
due to the coronavirus pandemic.
CENTURY 21 CLOSING DOWN
Century 21 Stores, the New York-based discount
department store, is closing all 13 of its locations nationwide,
including two on Long Island in Westbury
and at Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream.
The nearly 60-year-old company filed for bankruptcy
in Manhattan federal court, blaming insurers for nonpayment
of $175 million it says was due under
policies after business was interrupted
by the coronavirus pandemic.
The news comes after Lord &
Taylor, the oldest department
store in the United States, announced
last month that it’s also closing all its stores,
including four on Long Island, after it filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Aug. 2, the same day as
Men’s Wearhouse owner Tailored Brands.
Across the country, several big name brands, including
storied U.S. retailers such as Neiman Marcus,
Brooks Brothers, and JCPenney, which is also closing
LI locations, began restructuring relatively soon
after the crisis erupted.
-TB
GOV. OKS TRICK-OR-TREATING
Gov. Andrew Cuomo offered some hope about All
Hallows Eve during a Sept. 15 interview with News
12 Long Island, in which he indicated he would not
ban door-to-door trick-or-treating.
“I don’t think that’s appropriate,” the governor said
when asked if he would ban trick-or-treating out of
an abundance of caution during the pandemic. “You
have neighbors – if you want to go knock on your
neighbor’s door, God bless you, and I’m not going to
tell you not to.”
That appears to be a reprieve for the many young,
costumed ghouls and goblins across New York who
take to the streets every Oct. 31 in search of sweet
treats. The governor, however, did not rule out offering
some guidelines on safe trick-or-treating as
Halloween approaches.
-Robert Pozarycki
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