_______________
BaBylon _______________
HERALD BEaCon
Also serving Babylon, Bay Shore, Copiague, Deer Park, Farmingdale, Lindenhurst, North Babylon, West Babylon, West Islip and Wyandanch
Suffolk’s water is crystal clear
LI filmmaker in a starring role
Pets, pets, pets
Page 3
Page 10
Page 12
VOL. 75 NO. 26
JUNE 19 - 25, 2025
$1.00
Babylon Village getting ready for busy summer season By CHRISTIE LEIGH BABIRAD cbabirad@liherald.com
Photo courtesy Town of Babylon
Judge Edward J. Kiley’s family joined public officials at Greenlawn Terrace and Great Neck Road in Copiague as the intersection was renamed in his honor. L. to r.: Town Councilman Terence McSweeney; NYS Assemblyman Kwani O’Pharrow; Councilman Anthony Manetta; Supervisor Rich Schaffer; Kiley’s grandson Austin; his son and daughter-in-law Sonja and Darren Kiley; his brothers, Jerry, Jim and Bill; Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez and S.C. Leg. Kevin McCaffrey.
‘The Judge’ gets his own crossroads as Babylon Town honors his memory By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com
Greenlawn Terrace at Great Neck Road in Copiague has been ceremoniously renamed Judge Edward J. Kiley Court by the Town of Babylon. Judge Kiley had been a resident of Copiague since 1967, a New York City police officer and full-time criminal attorney before becoming a Suffolk County District Court judge in 1980, where he served with distinction for seven years. Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer, Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez, Councilman Anthony Manetta, as well as S.C. Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey and Assemblyman Kwani O’Pharrow, joined the judge’s family for the recent street renaming.
“The day was a dream come true for the entire Kiley family,” said his son Darren. “My dad gave his entire life to service. Every day as he always said, welcome to another beautiful day of life, and he dedicated each one to helping as many people as he could. “ His son added that “the Judge, as so many called him, loved Copiague and the Town of Babylon and we, as a family, are thankful to Rich Schaffer and the entire town board for bestowing such an honor on a man so many of us admired, loved and dearly miss.” Kiley, who was also known as “the marrying judge” for officiating at thousands of weddings, died in 2021 at the age of 88. His wife, Mikki, died last year. Born in 1932 and raised in Brooklyn, Kiley CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
The Village of Babylon is gearing up for a busy summer, with its popular Summer Recreation Program set to begin and all pool and lifeguard staff ready for the season ahead. The Gilbert C. Hanse Village Pool will officially open at noon on June 27, while Trustee Anthony Cardali announced that the Metropolitan PGA Junior Golf Tournament will take place June 30 at the Sumpwams Creek Golf Course. “We’ll see some real good golf at this event and upcoming stars,” Cardali said. Trustee Sean Goodwin announced that the Babylon Chamber of Commerce is againhosting the free Thursday Summer Block Party, on July 17 and Aug. 21. He also encouraged residents to attend the Bike Parade on June 21 and save the date for the Car-Free Bike Ride through Southards Park, scheduled for Sept. 27. “I think this bike ride would be a fantastic thing for families,” Goodwin said. In other summer activities, the village board approved a request from resident Jack Monteleone to display temporary 18-by-24-inch signs at various businesses from June 16 to Aug. 10 to promote an Adrenal Cancer Awareness fundraiser. The event will be held Aug. 10 at the Village Gazebo.
Christie Leigh Babirad/Herald
The greens are ready for local golfers at Sumpwams Creek Golf Course.
“I think this is a very worthy cause,” said Trustee Dominic Bencivenga, adding that she wants to support the effort however she can. The board also approved several upcoming community events: • July 12: The 3rd Annual EnsO Basketball Tournament will be held at the Park Avenue Courts from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a rain date of July 19. • June 16–Aug. 11: Babylon United Methodist Church can display 8.5-by-11-inch flyers in store windows to promote its Vacation Bible School. • July 19: The Long Island Nurses Honor Guard will host a COVID-19 Memorial and Tribute Ceremony for Nurses at the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2