This Morning’s Bulletin — 3.19.14

Good Morning!

• Suffolk County Democrats have chosen a candidate to face off against incumbent North Fork State Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo in this fall’s election. They’ve picked Tom Schiliro of Manorville, a sergeant in the Suffolk County Park Police and a criminal justice professor at Suffolk County Community College. Mr. Schiliro said he stands for accountability and experience. Mr. Palumbo won his current one-year term in a special election last fall after his predecessor, Dan Losquadro, left the assembly when he won the 2012 election to become Brookhaven Town’s highway superintendent.

• Money for the Community Preservation Fund continues to roll in, albeit at a slightly slower pace than in the first two months of 2013, said State Assemblyman Fred Thiele on Tuesday. Mr. Thiele’s office reported $14.61 million in revenue for the Peconic Bay Region in January and February of 2014, compared with $16.05 million in the same period of 2013, a 9 percent decrease. Riverhead is the only town that saw an increase in revenue year-over-year, bringing in a much-needed $440,000, up 18.9 percent from the $370,000 they received in the first two months of 2013. East Hampton brought in $3.66 million, down 16.9 percent, Shelter Island brought in $510,000, down 17.7 percent, Southampton brought in $9.41 million, down 5.1 percent and Southold brought in $590,000, down 19.2 percent.

• The Nature Conservancy staff at Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island confirmed yesterday that there is a pair of bald eagles nesting in an undisclosed location in the preserve. According to TNC, this is just the third known bald eagle nesting site on Long Island in recent times. The bald eagles subsist mainly on the plentiful fish of the Peconic Bays.

• The Northeast’s only satellite tag, catch-and-release shark tournament is coming back to Montauk this summer. A maximum of 50 boats will compete in the Shark’s Eye All-Release Tournament and Festival, to be held July 11 through 13 at the Montauk Marine Basin. This tournament requires the mandatory use of circle hooks, heavy tackle and safe handling practices, and the tags given each shark provide data on their travel habits. According to the organizers, one of the tournament’s primary goals is to bring attention to the plight of large sharks that are disappearing from our waters. More information is online here.

And that’s the way things look at dawn’s light here today.