Editor's Note: Photos by Daniel Gonzalez. Text by Robert Camerino.

On Saturday, the Sag Harbor Yacht Club held a Winter Safety Seminar on its docks, to instruct its members on the safe and proper use of distress flares.

Sixteen hardy yacht club members and guests participated in this function, with the temperature a brisk 27 degrees and winds blowing from the North at 10 to 15 knots, accompanied by snow flurries.

United States Coast Guard ME2 Victor H. Davalos, Weapons & Law Enforcement Petty Officer from CG Station Montauk, an expert in this field, instructed the participants in the correct use of flares and flare guns.

SHYC’s Cruise Committee initiated this event after it had come to their attention during a prior club seminar with the Coast Guard, that a boater caught in a dire situation at sea, where their boat might be taking on water, can experience an inherent conflict between reality and the regulations governing the use of flares. This conflict arises due to the fact that most boaters have never set-off a flare, having never been in an emergency at sea and because it is illegal to set-off a flare, unless one is in an emergency situation. Obviously, an emergency is not the time to learn how to safely use a flare.

When Steven Brennan of the club’s Cruise Committee brought this to the attention of the Coast Guard, they agreed and worked together with him to arrange this event. The flare shoot was followed by a hot dog BBQ on the Yacht Club’s patio.

With Sag Harbor Village and the police union embroiled in contract negotiations for years, leading to a threat of disbanding the police department, a former government official has decided to hold a forum for the community to discuss the matter.

Bill Jones, formerly a village trustee and Suffolk County legislator, will outline his case on the arbitration process, which he says favors unions, during the forum at Pierson High School on March 9.

Jones, who grew up in Sag Harbor Village, the son of a village police officer, has voiced his opinions about the process being unfair in letters that have appeared in The Sag Harbor Express. He said he has watched the issues unfold, including Mayor Brian Gilbride's decision to look at the costs to hire outside agencies to police the village, and finally decided to speak out in a public forum.

While Jones said he has never directly been involved in police contract negotiations, he said over the course of his 25 years in government he has become very familiar with the budget impacts.

"These are negotiations in name only," he said. "Local municipalities have very little power because of the arbitration process."

Jones served on the Village Board from 1988 to 1992, when he was elected to the Legislature, where he served for two years. He has also worked under the county executive in the 1990s. He became the director of human services for Southampton Town in 2004, and later became the deputy supervisor under Linda Kabot. He lives in Hampton Bays.

"Simply put, no matter what the process, the public should be outraged that any public union should think they deserve a 4.5 percent raise, considering their salaries and considering the current dire economy," he said. "Arbitrators are giving the store away."

The Taylor Law, which outlines the process, is supposed to consider the locality's ability to pay. "A couple of arbitrators decided that because a local municipality has the unlimited ability to tax, it has the unlimited ability to pay. That is the crux of the problem," he said.

"It is unfair that police unions have the upper hand, in fact a stranglehold, on the process and it is unfair that police costs consume so much of a municipality’s budget," Jones said in a statement, released on Tuesday. "For over 20 years both Democrat and Republican elected officials have attempted to correct this injustice. The fix, unfortunately, relies on action by Albany."

Sag Harbor Village Police Officer Patrick Milazzo, the president of the Sag Harbor Police Benevolent Association, declined to comment.

On Tuesday, Gilbride said he will attend the forum and will encourage his fellow trustees, as well as leaders of other municipalities, to attend.

After being read a statement from Jones, Gilbride said, "I thank Bill for it." He shares Jones' belief that the arbitration process is "a rigged system."

The situation Sag Harbor finds itself in is one that many other municipalities also face. Gilbride said he just looked at the topics for the New York State Conference of Mayors Association and union negotiations are one of the major focuses. "We're looking for the governor to at least clear up some of the language," he said.

While Gilbride said he has taken some personal attacks over this issues, he continues to seek affordable police protection.

"My hope is that residents from all the communities will come so that they start to hear how this is a lopsided system," he said.

Four Southampton High School wrestlers placed during the Division II tournament Saturday at Center Moriches High School, including two who were named county champions and will compete this weekend for state titles.

Mariners wrestling coach Lester Ware said sophomore Peter Strassfield, at 285 pounds, and junior Rafal Rokosz, at 220, won their weight classes and now head to the Times Union Center in Albany Friday for the two-day New York State Public High School Championship.

Sophomore Chris Osufsen placed third at 106 pounds, and Roberson Coard, also a sophomore, came in third at 142 pounds.

Ware said Rokosz won with three pins, then an injury default, after pinning Stephen Ostrowski, of Mattituck, in the first round, then Lucas Sokal, of Hampton Bays, and Jake Harrington, of Stony Brook. In the final, Rokosz faced Center Moriches wrestler Ryan Lewis, whose shoulder popped out, ending the match, Ware said.

Strassfield beat Nick Tesiny, of Mattituck, in 28 seconds the quarter finals and in the semis Strassfield pinned John Dertinger, of Babylon in 1 minutes 33 seconds.

In his final match, against Kevin Giron, of Hampton Bays — who had pinned Strassfield last year — Strassfield won in 5 minutes and 12 seconds with a pin. “He was beating Kevin 9-2 when he pinned him, so it was a big win on a lot of levels,” Ware said.

Overall, Southampton as a team placed sixth in the tournament.

The trustees of Bay Street Theatre are interested in learning what kinds of shows will attract younger audiences, and to that end a six-month listening tour is being planned.

Bay Street Theatre Executive Director Tracy Mitchell called the move a "sea change," as the theater seeks to renew itself and explore new artistic endeavors.

“We do believe that there is a place for more dramatic theatre, new work, as well as the more avant garde and experimental,” Mitchell said. “We do know that younger audiences enjoy more participatory offers and theatre without walls. We look forward to producing all of these forms of theater across the seasons. It is certainly our goal to explore it all.”

Mitchell said that Bay Street will modernize itself while supporting the creative visions and eclectic tastes of the Hamptons artistic community

The listening tour announcement coincides with the Bay Street Theatre Board of Directors Executive Committee putting up a $100,000 challenge grant, agreeing to match every dollar the theater raises now through March 15.

The tax deductible donations will support the 2013 Main Stage season this summer, which features "Lend Me a Tenor,""The Mystery of Irma Vep" and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," and the theater's education and internship programs.

“This is an amazing opportunity for the theater and community,” Mitchell said. “Last year we heard the community say that they wanted us to stay. Now we hope everyone will help us by purchasing a subscription by March 15th, filling seats this summer, and getting the word out that we have a very limited time to match this wonderful challenge."

Donations can be made directly to the box office, by calling the development office at 631-725-0818 x129, online at www.baystreet.org or by check to Bay Street Theatre, PO Box 810, Sag Harbor, NY 11963.

Dates and stops on the listening tour are yet to be announced.

Performances planned earlier this month of "The Mistress of Monticello" at Southampton Cultural Center were postponed due to a blizzard, but now the staged readings will take place this Friday and Saturday.

The play, written and directed by Tina Andrews, is about the relationship between President Thomas Jefferson and his slave and mistress, Sally Hemings. The play is the basis for Andrews' CBS miniseries "Sally Hemings An American Scandal."

Andrews, a former "Days of Our Lives" actress, is the screenwriter behind the film "Why Do Fools Fall in Love."

Andrews' abstract art is on display, along with five other artists, in the Cultural Center's gallery as part of the Black History Month Exhibit entitled "Visual Heritage IV."

Friday and Saturday's shows will begin at 8 p.m. General admission is $10, while tickets for students younger than 21 is $5. Tickets are available at the door.

• A Boston man was arrested on DWI charges early Feb. 16. According Southampton Town Police reports, Nathaniel Barrett, 36, was driving westbound on Montauk Highway in Water Mill around 12:45 a.m. when he was seen traveling into the oncoming lane of travel.

He was stopped and police said he had an odor of alcohol on his breath, slurred speech, glassy eyes and was unsteady on his feet. He reportedly performed poorly on field sobriety tests, and was held for arraignment.

• Ronald Kassl, 37, of Hampton Bays, was arrested on misdemeanor charges of DWI and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree on Feb. 19. 

According to police, Kassl was stopped for a traffic violation while driving in Water Mill around 1:15 a.m. and was found to be in possession of cocaine. He was held overnight for morning arraignment.

Editor's Note: The following information was supplied by the Southampton Village Police Department. A criminal charge is only an accusation and does not indicate convictions.

Grand Larceny

• Southampton Village police arrested a Riverhead man Feb. 12, saying that he stole approximately $15,000 from his mother. Richard Lee Caviness, 46, was charged with grand larceny in the third degree, a felony, and remanded to the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverside in lieu of $2,500 bail after his arraignment at Southampton Village Justice Court.

Criminal Possession of Stolen Property

• Christopher Williams, 25, of Bellport, and Charles Durant, 32, of Brentwood, were arrested Feb. 5 at 10 a.m. and both charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree, a felony. Police said both men possessed items valued at more than $16,000 that were taken during a burglary at a residence on North Captains Neck Lane, which was reported to police on April 28, 2011.  Durant and Williams, who were both on parole, were sentenced Feb. 15 in a string of burglaries, according to the Suffolk County district attorney's office. Authorities said Williams and Durant went to homes posing as survey-takers, but really they were trying to figure out which homes were unoccupied so they could burglarize them.

False Personation

• A 17-year-old boy from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., was arrested Feb. 5 at 12:13 p.m. and charged with false personation, a misdemeanor, and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation.  Police said he was processed and released after posting $100 bail.

Recent crimes and suspicious incidents reported to the Southampton Town Police Department:

• A North Sea woman said a $4,000 diamond and anniversary band had been taken from a drawer in her home in late January.

After checking her home “top to bottom,” police reports state the woman was sure she put the diamond and band in a drawer in her bedroom, though said a friend of her daughter’s could have taken it while her daughter was in the shower. Police are investigating the crime as a grand larceny.

• Several incidents of credit card fraud were reported, one resulting in nearly $250 in unauthorized purchased from newegg.com, another reported after several attempts were made to withdraw funds from Manhattan ATMs, and one reported after $1,738 in unauthorized withdrawals were made.

• Several incidents of leaving the scene of an accident were reported. One occurred at Hampton Bays High School, and another occurred at the intersection of Montauk Highway and Tuckahoe Road after someone reportedly blew a red light, hit someone and left.

• A resident of Middle Lane Highway in North Sea reported a burglary on Feb. 15. According to police reports, a five-gallon jug of change, holding approximately $1,500, as well as a diamond ring and diamond necklace, were stolen from the home, which was entered through an unlocked front door.

• A resident of Wild Goose Lane in Water Mill reported that between Jan. 28 and Feb. 15, someone stole a 52-inch flatscreen TV, valued at $1,500, and assorted jewelry valued at $150. 

Southampton's Sea Scout Ship 908 — a maritime unit of the Boy Scouts of America — is setting up a shellfish hatchery at Conscience Point Marina in North Sea with the ultimate goal of establishing an oyster reef in North Sea Harbor and contributing to clam beds in western Shinnecock Bay, to help clean up local waters and protect marine life.

Now the Sea Scout Ship is asking for the community to pitch in to the effort by coming down to 230 Elm in Southampton Village on March 1 for a night of art and music.  The Bivalve Revival, as the benefit is named, will include an art auction and performances by The Realm, Mick Hargreaves and Terry Winchell.

Sea Scout Ship 908 estimates that $75,000 worth of labor and materials have been donated so far to the hatchery project, but more work needs to be done and more specialized equipment is needed, according to the ship's website.

Once complete, the building and equipment will be donated to another nonprofit, The Conscience Point Shellfish Hatchery, which is under the direction of Stony Brook marine science graduate Aaron Quisson, which is also a member of the Sea Scouts.

The hatchery will tie-in to education programs at Southampton High School, which has its own marine science lab, as well as Bridgehampton School, and local elementary and middle school classes will be invited for field trips.

According to the ship's website, the Sea Scouts' hatchery will support Stony Brook Southampton's plan to restore water quality in Shinnecock Bay.

The Sea Scouts will work with Chris Gobler, Ph.D., of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook Southampton.

According to SoMAS scientists, by adding more live organisms to the bay to use up excess nutrients — which are mostly the result of groundwater pollution from septic systems — the bay can be rid of an overabundance of algae that are threatening to marine life and human health.

Shellfish populations have declined in Shinnecock Bay for decades, with one culprit being the algae bloom known as brown tide, a murkiness that blocks sunlight from reaching eelgrass beds, where juvenile clams grow and fish forage.

The project calls for sanctuaries where there can be no fishing or destruction of habitat.

In August, Stony Brook Southampton announced it has received $3 million in grants toward the effort.

Read the entire Conscience Point Shellfish Hatchery, plan at seascoutship908.org.

The Bivalve Revival is March 1 from 7 to 11 p.m. at 230 Elm. Tickets are $30 in advance, available at Dunkerley's in Southampton Village and online at seascoutship908.org, or $35 at the door.

A newly formed organization aimed at unifying the Republican voice on the East End has chosen its executive committee.

The Peconic Republicans, said Frank Seabrook, of Riverhead, is a new organization that was created several weeks ago along with fellow Riverhead Republican Brian Mills.

The group consists of registered Republicans from the five East End towns.

“One of the main goals of the Peconic Republicans is to create a stronger more unified regional Republican voice," Seabrook said. "Therefore, it was very important for me that the leadership of this new organization not only came from the four corners of the East End, but also were leaders in their own individual communities."

Seabrook said he was "proud and honored" to announce the new executive committee members.

Ernie Wruck, the former chairman of the Southampton Town GOP, has been named the second vice chairman. "I am proud to be part of this new effort to unite East Enders to protect our businesses and communities from the increasing burdens of government which continues to rob our freedoms and our pocketbooks," Wruck is quoted as saying in a Peconic Republicans statement.

Seabrook is chairman of the group; Denis Noncarrow, a former Southold Town GOP chairman, is vice-chairman, Mills, a former Riverhead GOP Club president, is treasurer; and Diana Weir, the former chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Michael Forbes, is secretary.

"This is such a great opportunity to bring together great minds of the East End and put forth the values that have made our country great," Noncarrow said. "Our nation is in trouble and rallying together is what we need to do if there will be anything left for our children."

“These members of our executive committee have a long list of personal, professional, and political accomplishments," Seabrook said. "Each one of their individual resumes speaks for themselves. And having each one of their names on our team speaks loud and clear about how serious of a commitment I have towards promoting Republican ideals. The Peconic Republicans have now laid a strong foundation to build upon. Moving forward, it is our sincere goal to become a flagship organization within the Suffolk County Republican Party.”

The mission of the Peconic Republicans is to promote the platforms of the Republican party and support candidates and elected officials that do the same; help create a stronger more unified regional Republican voice; promote and encourage Republican volunteerism and activism; support the five East end Republican town committees; and increase Republican voter registrations

The Peconic Republicans are currently meeting on Facebook.

The Southampton Town Republican Committee is asking qualified residents to put their names forward as possible candidates in the 2013 town elections.

Not only is control of the Town Board at stake, but the town clerk and highway superintendent elections fall this year. Additionally, all five Town Trustee seats are up for election.

The Republicans will screen candidates to name their nominees for the posts — though if two Republicans insist on running for the same seat on the GOP line, there could be a primary challenge.

While most seats will be defended by an incumbent, one town trustee has said he will not be seeking re-election and at least one town council seat will be a toss-up, as Councilman Chris Nuzzi must step aside due to term limits. Councilman Jim Malone, a Conservative Party member, who was elected with Republican support, is eligible to run for a second four-year term.

The GOP Committee is hoping to field a candidate for supervisor this election cycle, after failing to find a willing candidate in 2011 to challenge incumbent Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst. Nuzzi was offered the nomination in 2011, but turned it down. Now, because he is confronted with a term limit, Nuzzi must run for supervisor is he wishes to stay on the Town Board.

Sundy Schermeyer, a Republican, holds the post of town clerk, and she will run for another four-year term.

Highway Superintendent Alex Gregor, a member of the Independence Party, was elected four years ago with the backing of the Democrats, and he is eligible for a second term.

Throne-Holst is also a member of the Independence Party, and she has historically run on the Democratic line as well.

The incumbent Town Trustees are Frederick Havemeyer, Eric Shultz,Ed Warner Jr., Jon Semlear and Bill Pell— though Semlear told 27east in 2012 that this, his 10th two-year term, will be his last.

Havemeyer and Shultz ran on both the Republican and Democratic lines in 2011, but they were shunned by GOP leadership for accepting the Democratic nomination. Warner and Semlear ran under the GOP banner, and Pell is an Independence Party member who was also backed by the Democrats.

To be considered for the Republican nomination in 2013 for any of the posts, interested town residents are asked to email resumes to Southampton Town Republican Committee Chairman William Wright at bwright16@gmail.com before March 15.

Who do you think should run for office? Post your thoughts in the comment section below. 

Through the efforts of the Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance and a student advocate for the American Heart Association, last week hundreds of young people were added to the ranks of locals who know how to perform CPR and use an automated external defibrillator.

For four days, Southampton High School physical education classes took a break from the regular curriculum and dedicated the classtime to learning the Heimlich maneuver, hands-only CPR, and how to use an AED, which delivers a shock to the heart.

Students practiced CPR on mannequins and participated in simulated emergency scenarios to test their First Aid know-how.

The CPR training was a first for Southampton High School, and sophomore Sarah Pierson hopes that New York State will soon make learning CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a requirement for all high school seniors before they graduate. As a youth advocate for the American Heart Association, Sarah lobbies in Albany and works in her community to raise awareness of the life saving technique.

Sarah is making a video of her fellow students' experiences in gym class. "It's really easy to learn and they're glad they are learning it," she said.

Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance CPR coordinator Frank Milza said he hopes the lessons "demystify" CPR for the students. Hands-only CPR, which emphasizes chest compressions rather than mouth-to-mouth, is the best technique for lay people to use, he said, and bystanders are more comfortable trying it.

Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance offers monthly hours-long classes for CPR certification, though Milza said the Southampton students, after an abridged lesson, now know enough to perform CPR effectively should they ever find themselves in that situation.

Milza said 95 percent of cardiac arrest patients do not receive bystander CPR, and Rick Fowler, an assistant chief of the ambulance corps, said CPR makes a world of difference, because the survival rate declines 10 percent for every minute without it.

Fowler said that even with a four-minute average response time in Southampton Village, when factoring in the time it takes to realize something is wrong and call 911, that is a long period for a patient to go without CPR.

"It's really important for kids to learn it," Sarah said, noting that heart disease in the leading cause of death in the U.S.

Fowler said knowledgeable bystanders are helpful even after an ambulance arrives. "Once we're there, they can still be a part of out team," he said.

The 10 ambulance volunteers who came out to the high school were not compensated — and some took time off work to do it.

Physical education teacher Tim Schreck has been CPR certified for 13 years. He said that teaching it now helps to learn it even better.

Schreck said he was happy to break with his curriculum for CPR lessons. "We find it really important and we're always looking for things like this," he said.

Fellow phys. ed. teacher Brian Tenety added, "The real goal is to put as much knowledge out there as possible," so students can give to the community and help others.

"They were all engaged, all really interested," Tenety said of the students during lessons, adding that, at this age, many have experienced tragedy. "It hits close to home, unfortunately."

"The event at SHS was incredibly special," said Terri Zenobio the American Heart Association's regional director for the youth market, who visited the high school during lessons. "To begin, the collaboration of all those involved and the commitment they each had to training the students in hands-only CPR was overwhelming."

Zenobio went on to say, "In a way, the students were given a call to action by learning the hands-only CPR techniques and the life-saving benefits of such, as well as the importance of volunteering and what it means to give back to a community with many of the ambulance corps as role models, having been graduates of SHS."

Robin Vitale, the senior director of government relations for the American Heart Association, said, “Thanks to the tremendous support of the Southampton Village Volunteer EMS, every student currently enrolled in physical education at Southampton High School is now armed and ready to respond to anyone who falls victim to a cardiac emergency.

Vitale pointed out that for the last nine years, students at Pierson High School in Sag Harbor have been taught CPR, and she said 16 lives have been saved as a result. "Imagine if every student in New York was trained just as Southampton students now are.  If anyone is interested in supporting our efforts to promote this curriculum policy, please visit www.SupportCPRinSchools.org.”

Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance's next First Aid class is March 9 and next CPR class is March 12. The cost of each class is $30. To register, visit www.villageems.org.

Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman is poised to attempt a return to his old job as East Hampton Town supervisor, leaving the Second Legislative District race wide open.

Schneiderman, a Montauk resident whose district encompasses Southampton Town and East Hampton Town, recieved the East Hampton Republican Committee's nomination for supervisor on Saturday.

In 2011, the Independence Party member was elected to his fifth two-year term in the County Legislature. With the backing of the Democratic Party, he handily defeated Republican challenger Cornelius Kelly. Schneiderman is eligible to serve another two years in the Legislator before term limits require him to step aside, but now the door is open for him to return to the supervisor's chair, a seat he held for four years before joining the Legislature.

Schneiderman used to be a Republican, but he switched his registration to the Independence Party in 2008.

In nominating Schneiderman, the East Hampton GOP sidestepped incumbent Republican Supervisor Bill Wilkinson. Read about Wilkinson's reaction at East Hampton Patch.

Who would you like to see run for County Legislature? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Bridgehampton overcame C-qualifier Stony Brook on Wednesday, taking the title of Suffolk County Class C-D Champions.

The Killer Bees came out on top with a final score of 54-42 during Wednesday's game, which took place at Patchogue-Medford High School. The Bridgehampton boys now advance to take on the B-qualifier, which will be either Babylon High School or Southampton High School, based on the outcome of a later Wednesday game at Pat-Med.

Bridgehampton won the Suffolk Class D title Feb. 14 with a 53-40 win over Shelter Island.

The B-C-D title will be determined Saturday at Longwood High School.

In 2012, the Killer Bees earned their first Class D county title in 12 years, then lost the C-D game to Pierson High School.

The Southampton Mariners boys varsity basketball team fell short Wednesday in the Suffolk County Class B final.

The number-one ranked Panthers routed the number-two ranked Mariners by a score of 82-57 in front of a packed house at Patchogue-Medford High School on Wednesday night, becoming the Class B champions for the first time in 25 years.

The Panthers will move on to play the Nassau County Class B champs on March 5, but will face the C-D winner, the Bridgehampton Killer Bees (7-5, 10-6), for the B-C-D playoff game in Longwood on Saturday at noon.

The winner of that will face either Amityville or Harborfields for the Small School Championship and a shot at the Section XI title.

• RELATED: Bridgehampton Killer Bees Take Class C-D Title

The following information was supplied by the East End Police Departments. A criminal charge is only an accusation and does not indicate convictions.

A roundup of recent notable arrest elsewhere on the East End:

NORTH FORK

• Community outcry about drug sales in Greenport led to a recent arrest, police said.

According to Southold Town police, on Friday, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota's East End Drug Task Force and Southold police conducted a search warrant at a home on First Street in Greenport.

Police arrested Lavain Creighton, 42, who lived at the residence, and charged him with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, narcotic with intent to sell, a felony. He was also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a misdemeanor; criminal possession of a narcotic drug in the fourth degree, a felony; and criminal use of drug paraphernalia, scales, a misdemeanor.

Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley said Creighton was found to be in possession of cocaine.

Creighton was arraigned in Southold Town Justice Court and held at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in lieu of $20,000 cash bail.

RIVERHEAD

• Rolando Luque, 38, of Flanders, was arrested on a felony charge of aggravated sexual abuse and a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child. According to police reports, an investigation by Southampton Town police revealed that Luque had sexually touched a 5-year-old girl. Southampton Town Police Det. Sgt. Lisa Costa said the incidents occurred over a period of time ranging from September through November of 2012, and Luque is known to the child.

WESTHAMPTON-HAMPTON BAYS

• Bryan Mora, 21, of Hampton Bays, was arrested on a felony charge of possessing a sexual performance by a child, as well as a misdemeanor sexual misconduct charge, on Feb. 11. According to Southampton Town police, Mora had an "ongoing course of conduct" with a 15-year-old dating back to April of 2012. Police had been investigating the incident for the past several months, said Det. Sgt. Lisa Costa, when he turned himself into police last week. Mora was released on an appearance ticket because he turned himself in, Costa said, and he is due back in court on Feb. 27 for an arraignment.

• Takashi McArdle, 62, of Hampton Bays, was arrested on charges of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree — a felony — as well as misdemeanor charges of DWI and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree. According to police, McArdle was stopped for multiple traffic infractions near Springville Road and Good Ground Road. He was reportedly driving with a revoked license, and police said they found cocaine wrapped inside a folded dollar bill in a cigarette box near his feet.

• Eric O’Brien, 19, of Hampton Bays, was arrested on Feb. 15 on a felony grand larceny charge. According to police reports, a man reported that in mid-January, O’Brien stole his skateboard from him while he was in possession of it.

Two female sergeants with the Southampton Town police filed complaints to the state this week against the town and the police department alleging that they have been subject to sexual discrimination when it comes to promotions and assignments, Newsday reports.

Town Attorney Tiffany Scarlato told Newsday that Det. Sgt. Lisa Costa and Sgt. Susan Ralph claimed to the New York State Division of Human Rights that department officials engage in a discriminatory course of conduct.

The Division of Human Rights will determine whether the complaints have merit and should proceed to hearings, which could result in fines against the town, according to Newsday.

According to town resolutions, Costa was promoted to sergeant in 2006 and Ralph was made sergeant in 2010.

Read the story at Newsday.com.

Monthly revenues for the East End's Community Preservation Fund reached their highest point in more than five years in January, according to New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele, I-Sag Harbor.

January 2013 revenues were $11.13 million, the most the CPF has raked in since May 2007. The total is a 226 percent increase over January 2012, when the CPF collected $3.41 million.

In January 2013, there were 1,054 real estate transfers, compared to 499 transfers 12 months prior.

In Southampton Town, there was a huge uptick in CPF revenues. From January to January, the take in increased nearly 250 percent. After collecting $2.15 million in January 2012, this January Southampton reaped $7.49 million.

CPF revenues are an indicator of the health of the East End real estate market — and how much towns can expect to spend on land preservation in the coming years. The CPF is funded through a 2 percent tax on real estate transactions and the revenues are used for buying up open space, nature preserves, parkland, historic properties and development rights. The CPF was created in 1999 at the state level, specifically for the Peconic Bay Region, to preserve the East End’s beauty and agricultural heritage.

Since the CPF's inception in 1999, it has generated $789.77 million, according to Thiele's office.

Kellogg's has announced a voluntary recall on some Special K Red Berries cereal packages due to the possible presence of glass fragments. 

Only certain box sizes, with specific expiration dates, are affected by the recall.

Kellogg's posted the following indentifying information to its website:

11.2-ounce package

• UPC Code 38000 59923
• Better if Used Before: DEC 02 2013 KNC 105 00:13 through DEC 02 2013 KNC 105 02:30

22.4-ounce twin pack

• UPC Code 38000 78356
• Better if Used Before:
  — NOV 30 2013 KNA 105 07:00 to NOV 30 2013 KNA 105 08:51
  — NOV 30 2013 KNB 105 15:00 to NOV 30 KNB 105 17:05

37-ounce package

• UPC Code 38000 20940
• Better if Used Before:  NOV 30 2013 KNB 107 17:31 to NOV 30 2013 KNB 107 20:05

If your package is any size other than 11.2, 22.4 or 37 ounces, it is NOT impacted by this recall.

If your package has the letters KXA, KXB, or KXC following the Better if Used Before Date, it is NOT impacted by this recall.

Click here for more information on the recall and what you should do in the event you purchased cereal affected. 

The man who twice tried to unseat Southampton's U.S. Rep. Tim Bishop is planning a move — possibly out of the First Congressional District.

Randy Altschuler, who fell short in both attempts to oust Bishop, in 2010 and 2012, has put his St. James home on the market, Newsday reports.

According to Newsday, the home went on the market two weeks ago, asking about $50,000 less than he paid for it, which was $1.1 million according to Zillow.com. The home has six bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, a "gourmet kitchen," pool and more on 2-plus acres of property.

Altschuler, a Republican businessman, lost to Bishop by less than 600 votes in the 2010 election.  He had considered running for Suffolk County executive in 2011, but opted for a rematch with Bishop instead in 2012. This time around, Altschuler was more than 11,000 votes shy of defeating Bishop.

Altschuler, who moved to the area about five years ago, had said in the past he moved to Long Island so his wife could establish a pediatrics practice, and he found it a good place to raise a family. The couple have two children.

"I wanted to bring my son up in a beautiful community,"Altschuler told North Fork Patch in 2010, before his daughter was born. "We're here because we choose to be here and we love to live on Long Island."

Click here to read the entire Newsday article (subscription required).