Thursday, December 5, 2024 ~ Volume 70 ~ Issue Number 1 ~ $1.00
‘Taxation by Citation’ Suffolk’s Red Light Camera Program Officially Ends
By Matt Meduri Suffolk County’s red light camera program is no more. The controversial and widely-panned plan was implemented fourteen years ago. A $30 administrative fee was tacked on two years ago, against the advice of Suffolk County Legislators Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville) and Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga), who have made their combat of this program a key issue during their tenures. The initial plan was straightforward: cameras were installed at hundreds of intersections deemed to pose higher crash risks to drivers with the intention of curbing crashes, injuries, and fatalities due to drivers running red lights. The two key problems that have been discussed for the last decade-and-a-half have been the increase of rear-end crashes at these intersections - as well as dangers to pedestrians and bicyclists - and the tacit acceptance of a surveillance state.
Legislators announce the end of the red light camera program (Credit - Matt Meduri)
Continued on page 4
William Floyd and Massapequa Face Off in Championship Final By PJ Balzer It was chilly in the stands, but certainly not on the field, as the top two League One schools on Long Island battled it out in a fiery late-fall football game. On the field, it was a contentious, back-and-forth game between the Suffolk County League One Champion the William Floyd Colonials and the Nassau League One Champion the Massapequa Chiefs. To make it even more interesting, the town supervisors of the two teams wagered a friendly bet into the air via social media. Brookhaven Town Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches) challenged Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino (R-Oyster Bay) that if the Colonials won, he would make a donation to Supervisor Saladino’s favorite local charity while also picking up the lunch bill to his restaurant of choice. Mr. Saladino returned the confident sentiment in his Massapequa Chiefs and agreed to the bet and vice versa. Continued on page 10 William Floyd and Massapequa face off in the Championship final at Stony Brook (Credit - Matt Meduri)
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