Community Corner

News Nearby: Commack Woman Wakes to House in Flames

Catch up on the top news stories from across the region.

COMMACK

Commack Woman Wakes to House in Flames

A Commack woman woke up Thursday morning to find her home in flames.

The homeowner was awoken by the smell of smoke and then saw the blaze coming from her basement around 7:30 a.m.

When the Commack Fire Department arrived to the home at 23 August Crescent Road, they found basement filled with heavy flames and smoke billowing into the rest of the home.

KINGS PARK

Search Still On for Second Pot Grower

Smithtown officials are still on the hunt for a second suspect accused of helping tend to a marijuana farm discovered in Commack.

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Town of Smithtown's Public Safety Department busted a 100-plant marijuana farm being grown in a water recharge basin off Vanderbilt Motor Parkway and Redleaf Lane in Commack on Sept. 12.  Mark Kern, 44, of Kings Park was arrested and arraigned on criminal charges, but a second man fled the scene on foot.

HAUPPAUGE

Police Seek Man in Connection with Hauppauge Burglaries

Following a string of burglaries at the Hauppauge Industrial Park, police are searching for a man who was seen riding a bicycle around the area for questioning. The suspect is described as black, 40 years old and approximately six feet tall. Those who have approached him on the premises say the man said he was looking for a job. Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $5,000  for information leading to an arrest. Call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS; all will be kept confidential.

THREE VILLAGE

Former Stony Brook Professor Killed in Kenya Militant Attack

Kofi Awoonor, an internationally acclaimed poet who taught writing at Stony Brook University in the 1970s, was killed in an attack by Somali Islamic militants in Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday, according to a report published in Newsday. Awoonor, 78, was visiting the Kenyan capital for an arts and literature conference and had been shopping at Westgate Mall with his son when the attack occurred. Newsday cited various news reports, saying militants "started throwing grenades and shooting shoppers."

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