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TIMES/REVIEW GRAPHIC | A photoshopped version of the final print issue of The North Shore Sun, which was printed Dec. 3, 2010.

Northshoresun.com published its final story today.

The site, which had published in an online only format since The North Shore Sun newspaper stopped printing last December, folded as parent company Times/Review Newsgroup looks to bolster its editorial staff on the North Fork. Each of the Sun’s staff members will assume new roles working for Times/Review’s four other publications: The Riverhead News-Review; The Suffolk Times; The Shelter Island Reporter; and the Long Island Wine Press.

“It was a fun ride and I’ll always look back on my time at The Sun with great admiration for the work we did and the communities we covered,” said Grant Parpan, who served as editor since 2007.”There’s not a person who worked for this newspaper and website who didn’t pour their heart and soul into it, and the warm sentiments from our readers the past several weeks showed us a lot of people noticed.”

The North Shore Sun began printing in the Shoreham-Wading River, Rocky Point and Miller Place communities in 2002. It later expanded to cover Mount Sinai, Ridge, Middle Island and Coram.

“We’ve enjoyed having a presence in Brookhaven for the past decade,” said Times/Review publisher Andrew Olsen. “We are certainly going to miss being a part of our readers’ everyday lives.”

Since publishing its first issue on Sept. 12, 2002, the Sun has been recognized by its peers around the country as one of the top weekly newspapers in New York State. In both 2006 and 2008, it was awarded the Stuart C. Dorman Award for Editorial Excellence, the top editorial prize handed out each year by the New York Press Association.

In nine years, the paper has won more than 100 editorial awards for its coverage of government, education and sports, feature writing and photography.

Coverage of the Shoreham-Wading River School District will continue in the News-Review print and online editions.

Northshoresun.com will stay live for an as-of-yet undetermined amount of time allowing readers to continue to access archives.

–30–

NICK FERRARA

Longwood senior Nick Ferrara and his father are working on an invention that could allow Nick to do the one thing he loves more than anything: play lacrosse.

Nick, 17, started playing lacrosse when he was 7 years old and he never dreamed of stopping. He broke his collarbone during a game in the spring of 2009 and sat out for the rest of the season for what he thought would be a temporary break.

But on Christmas Eve that year, he found out he has leukemia and hasn’t been able to play lacrosse since. He has a medical port — a small, ball-shaped device that feeds medicine into his veins — inside his chest.

If a lacrosse ball hit him near his heart, he could sustain a severe injury.

So he doesn’t risk it. He can, however, still be found on the lacrosse field as a volunteer coach for seventh and eighth graders at Longwood Junior High School.

“The only downfall is that I can’t play the thing that I love,” Nick said in a telephone interview this week. “I have to be a part of it somehow.”

He and his father are trying to create some sort of pad that could fit easily underneath a padded chest protector.

Until then, he’ll be coaching lacrosse and going to varsity games to see his former team members play.

“He’s been playing with these lacrosse kids since he was 7 and it’s kind of like a brotherhood,” said Nick’s mom, Denise Ferrara.

Last spring, members of the lacrosse team, the Lions, wore orange T-shirts underneath their jerseys with Nick’s name and uniform number (1) on the back. A leukemia ribbon and slogan saying “the fight with leukemia will be won” were printed on the back.

Longwood School District held a golf outing and Chinese auction fundraiser in June to help Nick’s family cover his medical costs, which include his monthly chemotherapy treatments.

“I was not able to attend [the fundraiser] because there was alcohol there,” he said with a laugh.

Nick participated in a fundraiser himself last month, when he modeled in a fashion show that raised money for A Mother’s Kiss, a non-profit organization that provides emotional and financial support to families of children who have cancer. He also takes part in the American Cancer Society’s fundraising event, Relay for Life, at school every year.

He said his family, friends and community have been sources of support throughout his treatment.

“There’s a good vibe coming from them,” he said.

And helping younger kids learn to play lacrosse is a way for him to repay his community, he said.

“Playing lacrosse is basically my life right there. That’s what I do,” he said.  “[The community] gave me a lot. I just want to give back.”

sbrix@timesreview.com

To the Editor:

The folding of a newspaper is a sobering day in a democracy, but the death of a local newspaper is a personal loss to a community.

For several years, the Longwood community could keep up with what was happening in the area, including the schools, by reading the North Shore Sun. The paper edition ceased months ago, but the publisher continued on with an on-line edition that they kept current.

Without having a real commercial base, Longwood never had a local paper that covered the entire district. The North Shore Sun was the exception, and they did it well.

One-by-one, other weekly papers backed away from Longwood due to the lack of commercial establishments and the advertising dollars they bring. Yes, we have sporadic coverage from locals in certain communities, but The North Shore Sun was the only paper that consistently covered Longwood … all of it.

Regrettably, our relationship will be coming to an end all too soon.  I appreciate that they continued to publish the online edition as long as they did, but I fully understand the economics behind the decision to shut down. As much as a local paper is a service, it’s also a business that has salaries and overhead to meet.

Personally, I’m losing a “colleague” who comes into my office and my home on a daily basis, and Longwood is losing an outlet for news and an unbiased watchdog.

I’ll also miss the fine young journalists who have worked so hard to learn their craft at the Sun, while seeking out stories that have simultaneously brought pride and knowledge to the community. They’ve helped to memorialize our history.

So, it’s a sad goodbye I’m saying to the Sun.

Thank you Grant, Samantha and Jennifer and best wishes to you and to the newspaper industry that is so important to a democracy, and to a community.

Myra Vaughn

Director of Public Relations, Longwood Central School District

COURTESY PHOTO | Steve and Liz Davis at last year's Bike MS: Twin Forks Ride, a 150-mile bike ride through the north and south forks that raises money for the National MS Society.

He climbed 66 flights of stairs in Rockefeller Center. He rode his bike 150 miles through the north and south forks. Next summer, he’ll kayak 280 miles around Long Island.

Steve Davis doesn’t take to excessive workout routines for no reason. His wife of 19 years has multiple sclerosis, and he has raised money through each of those events to advance multiple sclerosis research and help those living with the disease.

Mr. Davis’ wife, Liz, was diagnosed in the fall of 2008. A former school lunch aide and real estate agent, Ms. Davis can no longer work. The Rocky Point resident can’t drive anymore either, she said during a phone interview on Wednesday, and it’s hard for her to stay on her feet for long.

“I’ve been referring to him as my rock because he basically takes care of everything,” Ms. Davis said about her husband.

And taking care of things has strengthened their relationship, Mr. Davis said.

“I’ve gained a new respect for all the things she used to do before she got sick,” he said. “I pretty much do everything she used to do — school, kids, shopping cooking.”

“She’s the sous chef,” he added.

And Mr. Davis has used what he’s learned about caring for his wife to help others in the same situation.

Earlier this year, he created a “Multiple Sclerosis Caregivers” Facebook group, which provides information and support for those who care for multiple sclerosis patients.

“I wanted to get people together who care for someone who has the disease in hopes of getting more understanding of what everybody’s going through,” he said.

He expected the group to garner about a hundred local members, but it quickly ballooned beyond his expectations and now has about 2,500 people from around the world. Some are people who have the illness and provide insight into the best methods of care.

One member alerted others in the group to her business, Kickin’ Cane Covers, which sells custom-made, patterned covers for walking canes.

Another member spread the word about cooling jackets that can be refrigerated and help battle heat sensitivity.

Mr. Davis posts information from the National MS Society, positive quotes, dinner recipes and more. He plans to soon launch a caregivers self-help group that will meet in person. The group will likely meet in Riverhead, as the society’s only Long Island chapter is currently based in Melville.

“There’s nothing really here on the East End,” Mr. Davis said.

And that kayaking trip around the perimeter of Long Island Mr. Davis will take next summer will raise funds and, hopefully, awareness, he said.

He and his wife don’t take many vacations since it’s hard for her to travel, so the couple will stay in motels during each night of the 10-day kayaking trip so they can get away together.

“She’ll see me off the next morning,” he said.

samantha@northshoresun.com

The office, which was stationed at Riverhead Fire Department headquarters on Roanoke Avenue, served 84 people since it opened Sept 12, a FEMA official said Wednesday. The office has been open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday with a staff of between seven and 10. The other Suffolk County office at the H. Lee Denison building in Hauppauge will also close as well as centers in four other New York counties, according to a statement.

“We keep our disaster recovery centers open until we feel they are no longer critical in a given area,” Federal Coordinating Officer Philip E. Parr said in a statement.

FEMA officials as well as employee of the Small Business Administration, which provides low interest loan to disaster victims, were available at the center.

The centers in the upstate Essex and Ulster counties, which were hit much harder by the storms, will remain open.

On Aug. 25 at 3 p.m., the suspects entered the store located on Middle Country Road, took the $600 computer and fled the scene in a dull gray or primer black four-door Honda or Acura sedan with a sunroof, police said.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.  All calls will be kept confidential., police said.

SUFFOLK COUNTY CRIME STOPPERS PHOTO

SUFFOLK COUNTY CRIME STOPPERS PHOTO

SUFFOLK COUNTY CRIME STOPPERS PHOTO

SUFFOLK COUNTY CRIME STOPPERS PHOTO

SUFFOLK COUNTY CRIME STOPPERS PHOTO

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | Presiding Officer William Lindsay, left, said Tuesday County Executive Steve Levy's budget is shorty by nearly $124 million.

Ten days after Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy presented his 2012 preliminary budget, some county lawmakers said on Tuesday they believe it’s off balance by more than $124 million.

During a press conference in Hauppauge, Presiding Officer William Lindsay said the Legislature’s bipartisan budget working group has found Mr. Levy’s spending plan has a revenue shortfall of about $90 million and an expenditure shortfall of nearly $35 million.

“If he’s right and we’re wrong, then we’ll be very, very happy,” Mr. Lindsay said, adding that Mr. Levy’s budget overestimates sales tax revenue by $30 million. “Our analysis just doesn’t show that it’s there in this tough economy.”

Mr. Lindsay, along with fellow Democrats Vivian Viloria-Fisher, Ricardo Montano, Wayne Horsley, DuWayne Gregory and Independent Jay Schneiderman, said while “everything is on the table” as they proceed with finding a solution to balance next year’s spending plan, raising property taxes won’t be a realistic move because the new mandated 2 percent tax cap would only generate about $1 million.

Mr. Lindsay also said a preliminary analysis of Mr. Levy’s budget shows it doesn’t include $5 million in unemployment insurance for the 700 county worker layoffs proposed in Mr. Levy’s spending plan. Mr. Lindsay added that he believed that if those layoffs were to move forward, then the county won’t be able to plow snow from county roads and health clinics would be severely cut next year.

After the press conference, county Comptroller Joseph Sawicki, a Southold resident, described Mr. Levy’s projections for next year as “unreasonable.”

“I agree with the working group that Mr. Levy left a bomb for the Legislature to work with,” Mr. Sawicki said. “It’s a horrific budget and full of revenue gaps.”

The Legislature has until November 9 — the day after Election Day — to come up with a budget. Mr. Levy needs 12 out of 18 votes from the Legislature in order for his budget to gain approval.

“We’re way beyond cutting the fat,” Ms. Viloria-Fisher said about tackling next year’s budget. “We’re now cutting into bone marrow.”

First District Legislator Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) said in a telephone interview that he disagrees with Mr. Levy’s method of determining the layoffs.

“Mr. Levy made cuts across the board, which means there was no priority,” Mr. Romaine said. “I believe we need to maintain core county services, such as Social Services and Public Works.”

Mr. Romaine said he’s meeting with his fellow GOP legislators this week to discuss the preliminary budget and will ask them to consider consolidating some county services with other townships.

“I believe we need to rethink how we deliver county services,” he said. “We’re facing the worst budget crisis the county has seen in a long time.”

Mr. Levy blasted back at the Legislature Tuesday saying his past projections have always been conservative and “more accurate than the Legislature’s.”

“For eight years, I have balanced the budget and held the line on taxes while legislators have made the same claim,” he said in a statement. “Mr. Lindsay is cagily crafting an excuse so they can raise taxes as a buffer for a new county executive and claim they had no choice. This is a balanced budget that doesn’t rely on speculative revenue from the state and actually implements layoffs if union concessions don’t materialize.”

jennifer@northshoresun.com

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | Shelter Island hosted 'Homework Help Day' on Monday. Librarian Katherine Garrison, seated, navigates through Live-brary.com with library director Denise DiPaolo.

Libraries across Suffolk County took part in this year’s “Homework Help Day” on Monday in an effort to introduce students to the online interactive website known as Live-brary.com.

The online program, which is free to card holders at all North Fork libraries, includes free e-book and audio book downloads, as well as live tutoring and test preparation. There are also sections specifically designed for college students and adult education.

Denise DiPaolo, director of the Shelter Island Public Library, said “Homework Help Day” was launched to promote Live-brary.com, which launched last year.

“This starts the new school year off on the right foot,” Ms. DiPaolo said about the event. “[Live-brary.com] is intuitive, it’s interactive and I think parents like it because it’s free, especially in these hard economic times.”

Riverhead Public Library director Lisa Jacobs said while attendance for “Homework Help Day” was low at her library, she was still pleased that students came down to learn about the program.

“Getting the word out is what this event is all about,” she said.

Ms. DiPaolo said once students become exposed to it they seem to have a positive reaction.

“Once we show students how to use it, they become hooked,” she said. “The online tutors won’t do their homework for them, but they do help them by teaching.”

Of the subjects Live-brary.com offers, Ms. DiPaolo said math is the most popular program, followed by science and foreign languages.

“It’s another way to provide education to our patrons,” she said. “There’s a lot happening in this little library.”

Live-brary.com tutors are available everyday from 2 to 11 p.m.

jennifer@northshoresun.com

JAY DEMPSEY PHOTO | Marie Santacroce and Evan Martilotta were this year's Island's End Club Champions.

This time of year also means that many golfers have competed in their club championships and the 2011 winners have been crowned.

Evan Martilotta and Marie Santacroce won the Championship Flights at Island’s End Golf and Country Club in Greenport. Martilotta defeated four-time club champion, Jim Sage, for his second club championship. Santacroce won her match over Anne Keating for her third consecutive club title.

Other winners at Island’s End were Tom Regan and Pat Cristol in the A-Flight. Ron Yedloutschnig captured the B-Flight trophy and Drew Levy was the C-Flight champion.

At North Fork Country Club, in Cutchogue, Andy Stype defeated Steve Flurry and Kristen Gambardella beat Sandra Leary to win their club championship titles.

Gambardella was down three holes after the morning round, but came back after the lunch-break with solid putting, capturing her second club championship. I asked her what she thought the turning point of the match was.

“John Ross’ mushroom soup and the chocolate milk shake I had for lunch after the first 18,” she said. When asked about her swing thoughts Gambardella had this to say: “I had no swing thoughts today. I play better dumb,” she said. “ I definitely play my best when I don’t think and keep it as mindless as possible. I just play the game.”

Stype’s victory marked his ninth club championship spanning six decades.

“I knew it would be a tough match against Steve,” Stype said. “My experience helps a lot, but doesn’t make it easier. My father taught me to keep a level head and hang in there even when I’m down. I keep it simple,” he said. “I try to swing harder and stay down as long as possible. I’ve seen players decelerate and the ball goes all over the place.”

Looking happy and exhausted Stype had this to say as he headed to the 19th hole: “It was a long day and I’m glad it’s all over.”

Also at North Fork, winners in the A-Flight were Cindy Wickham and William Kreitsek, Sr.

B-Flight champs were Kristin Sayers and Dave Fujita. Roger Flore won the C-Flight and Jack McFeely took home the trophy in the D-Flight. Nine-hole winners were Dot Russo and Edna Beirne.

Tee Times: John McCreary aced the third hole at Island’s End. This was the fifth career hole-in-one for McCreary. Cedar’s Golf Club in Cutchogue recently had holes-in-one by Matt Sirico on the fifth hole and Charlie Milling on the ninth hole.

19th Hole: A newly engaged couple were having a discussion. The groom-to-be confessed, “I’m a golf fanatic. I think about the game constantly and play every chance I can.” The bride-to-be pondered this for a moment and said, “Thank you for your honesty. Now I should tell you something about my past. I was a hooker. “No problem,” said the groom-to-be. “Just widen your stance a little and overlap your grip. That should clear it right up.” Courtesy of Terry Matthews.

jdempse2@optonline.net