Politics & Government

North Shore Report: Big News at the Places You Use

Restaurants, gas stations and parks make news this week.

Putting together a report on headlines relevant to the entire North Shore of Suffolk can be a challenge, especially when the bulk of the time we focus on each community. But this week there was plenty of news about the places we all either use or have paid close attention to, even if they aren't in our own backyards.

With gas prices steady climbing amid tensions overseas and demand that just isn't waning, paying the extra 10 cents to 15 cents often added for consumers opting to use credit at the pumps can be painful enough. But this week we found a station in Smithtown that's charging nearly $1 extra for the plastic convenience. What's your take?

Find out what's happening in Smithtownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Insignia Steakhouse is perhaps the most talked about restaurant in the North Shore area, with its copper gilded roof and high, high prices for food and drink. But nearby residents took their complaints about an expanded parking lot to town hall this week, pointing to noisy gravel and the threat of flooding as their main concerns. Insignia has already filed plans to legitimize the added parking.

Find out what's happening in Smithtownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If you have kids in the area, chances are you've spent time in Port Jefferson's "Rocketship Park." But as the village readies to renovate the park, which has fallen victim to wear-and-tear over the years, it's looking like the iconic rocket design isn't going to make it. It would be the dramatic change for the park, which has had some type of "rocketship" focal point since 1972.

As the Town of Brookhaven's Carmans River Plan move forward, intended to preserve a delicate watershed while transferring development rights for multi-family housing to business zones such as the Route 25A corridor, locals have raised major concerns about where exactly that housing will go. This week, however, Supervisor Mark Lesko told the public that the Heatherwood Golf Club would not be developed. At the same time, in Rocky Point off the housing list as well.

The Kings Park St. Patrick's Day Parade has become a big attraction in a short time. At the same time, it's proving to give a seasonal shot in the arm to local businesses.


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