Sam Kmack

Melville

Islip Reporter at Newsday

City watchdog reporter covering Tempe and Scottsdale for @azcentral and member of @azrepublicguild. Formerly @TucsonStar and @ArizCIR.

Articles

One person killed in crash on Montauk Highway in Copiague, police say

4 days ago | newsday.com | Sam Kmack

One person was killed in a crash Saturday morning on Montauk Highway in Copiague, Suffolk County police said. The crash happened around 5:40 a.m. near the highway's intersection with Emerson Avenue, a Suffolk police spokesperson said in an email to Newsday. Suffolk police did not provide additional details on the crash victim. The crash closed Montauk Highway between Wilson Avenue and Dawes Avenue until just after noon on Saturday, police said.
Hempstead woman charged in stabbing death in Freeport, police say

4 days ago | newsday.com | Sam Kmack

A woman is charged with manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of a man "during a domestic incident" on Friday night in Freeport," Nassau police said. Ivory Washington, 46, stabbed "an adult male victim" who was found in front of 139 Frederick Ave., around 7 p.m. on Friday, police said in a news release. First responders administered medical aid to the victim before transporting him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 8:30 p.m., police said.
Long Island weather: Clear and dry with temps near 70

4 days ago | newsday.com | Sam Kmack

The weekend on Long Island will be clear and dry with mild temperatures after a week of rain, according to the National Weather Service. Saturday morning will be cloudy with "maybe some drizzle," NWS meteorologist Matthew Wunsch said. But it's expected to clear by midmorning and remain that way into early next week. "It might be a little bit on the breezy side [on Saturday], however. ... Maybe some gusts upward of 30 to 35 miles per hour," Wunsch told Newsday.
Fire Island Water Taxi fares rise by average of 44% this summer

5 days ago | newsday.com | Sam Kmack

Fire Island Water Taxi rides across the Great South Bay will rise by an average of $114 this summer after the Suffolk County Legislature approved the rate hikes this week. Suffolk County legislators unanimously approved the rate hikes Tuesday, and Suffolk County Executive Edward Romaine signed the bill into law Thursday. Fire Island Water Taxi LLC had asked Suffolk County to approve the increases in January.
Breeze Airways launches direct flights from Islip to NC

1 week ago | newsday.com | Sam Kmack

Breeze Airways will offer new direct flights from Long Island MacArthur Airport to North Carolina beginning in October, Islip Town and airline officials announced Wednesday. Breeze plans to fly direct from Islip to Wilmington International Airport two days each week — Thursday and Sunday — beginning Oct. 2, Islip Town wrote in its announcement. Flights can be booked online at Breeze’s website starting Wednesday.
Driver racing on Sunrise Highway charged with assault after crash

1 week ago | newsday.com | Sam Kmack

A Centereach man who crashed into another vehicle while racing on Sunrise Highway was charged with assault on Friday, the Nassau County police said. Ghavin Mcarthur, 21, was racing two other vehicles in his 2020 BMW around 10:30 p.m. before the crash. He was traveling west "at a high rate of speed" and "changing lanes without signaling and passing vehicles," Nassau police said a news release.
Stabbing in Roberto Clemente Park in Brentwood, police say

1 week ago | newsday.com | Sam Kmack

Suffolk County police are investigating the stabbing of a teenage boy in Brentwood on Friday evening that sent the victim to the hospital with serious injuries, the agency said Saturday. The 16-year-old was stabbed in Roberto Clemente Park around 8 p.m. , officials said. He and two other boys were sitting in a "wooded area" of the park when four other males arrived and "punched and hit the victim," police wrote in a news release.
Tutor Time in Ronkonkoma set to close in 30 days, official says

1 week ago | newsday.com | Sam Kmack |Carl Macgowan

The Tutor Time of Ronkonkoma day care facility is set to close, a Brookhaven Town Board member said Friday — a move that has blindsided parents who say they now must uproot their children a month before the school year is set to end. Town board member Neil Foley said parents of children at Tutor Time "are angry they had only a 30-day window" before the day care closes. It's unclear when, exactly, the center is closing.
Bicyclist dies after hit-and-run crash in Commack

1 week ago | newsday.com | Sam Kmack

Suffolk County police are investigating a hit-and-run crash that left a bicyclist dead in Commack on Friday night, according to a news release from the agency. The crash happened in front of 68 Hauppauge Rd. just before midnight. Police said a man was riding an e-bike eastbound on that street when "a small white SUV" going in the same direction hit him from behind. The driver of the SUV left the scene after the crash. The bicyclist was pronounced dead at a hospital in West Islip.
Long Island forecast: Sunny today before rains moves in tonight

1 week ago | newsday.com | Sam Kmack

Saturday could be the last sunny day on Long Island for nearly a week as showers are expected to sweep the region from Sunday until late next week, according to the National Weather Service. Saturday will be in the upper 70s with clear skies until this evening. Rain is expected to start around dinner time and continue into tonight, when the temperature will drop into the mid-50s, according to NWS meteorologist Dominic Ramunni. "A warm start to the weekend.