NY State OKs Human Burials in Pet Cemeteries

On Thursday, lawmakers in Albany lifted the ban on human remains being laid to rest in pet cemeteries, something that animal lovers all over New York have been fighting since it had been set into law in April. Under the new regulations, human ashes may be buried in a pet cemetery, but pet cemeteries may not advertise that they accept human remains, nor may they charge to accept them. New Yorkers from all over the state have been chiming in, and animal lovers are pleased that they will be able to be buried with their animal families.

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Pedestrian Struck & Killed by SUV in Smithtown

Jonathan Czeh, a 34 year old man from Kings Park, was struck and fatally killed by an SUV in Smithtown while crossing Jericho Turnpike. The accident took place right after 7pm on Thursday, and Czeh was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after police and paramedics arrived. The car, a 2004 Ford Expedition, has been impounded for safety checks as part of an ongoing investigation while police try to determine the cause of this tragic accident. The vehicle was being driven by 40 year old Lisa Boyle of Commack.

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Stony Brook Woman Bagged Selling Counterfeit Tiffany’s Jewelry

A Stony Brook woman, Mary Ann Bell, was arrested for selling counterfeit Tiffany’s jewelry, and scamming buyers into believing that the profits from this jewelry was to support the Greater Port Jefferson Food Pantry when in actuality Bell was keeping most of the money for herself to pay for things like trips to Disney World, and paying off her mortgage. Bell has been charged with trademark counterfeiting in the second degree – the jewelry she was selling as genuine Tiffany’s was actually cheap knock-offs from China. Her scam was discovered when someone who had purchased one of her counterfeits brought it into a Tiffany’s store in Manhattan, complaining of the quality of the piece.

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Another Pair of Mail & Package Thieves Hit Long Island

A duo of two Farmingville women, 26 year olds Gina Puma and Nancy Rodriguez have been arrested after they were pulled over in Rodriguez’s car, and police discovered it was filled with stolen mail and packages from homes in the Ronkonkoma area. The car was pulled over in Islandia by police after it was identified as matching the description of a vehicle that had been seen near a car break-in. Both Puma and Rodriguez are being charged with 11 counts of fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, and Rodriguez’s car has been impounded.

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Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. Expanding Its Operation

Even with a tough economy, local Long Island business Greenport Harbor Brewing Co, which makes beers locally on the North Fork, is going to be expanding in 2012.  They are looking to purchase land upstate in Peconic, and the new facility will enable the company to produce 25,000 barrels of beer annually – a significant increase from the 3,800 barrels they are able to produce now at their Greenport location. Although the company is looking to move, they will maintain a tasting room in Greenport, and owner Richard Vandenburgh says their Greenport facility will be used for an apprenticeship program.

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