After a months-long reconstruction project, the Huntington village municipal parking lot that has been home to heavy machinery since July is officially open for public parking.

“It was finished on time, as promised, for the final weeks of the holiday shopping season,” said Town Supervisor Frank Petrone on Monday, referring to the work as “a major parking lot rehabilitation project.”

Read on to learn more about what life has been like since the project has been completed, and especially what the Gerard Street lot merchants have to say now that construction is finally over!

When the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office arrived to evict two sisters from a Huntington residence and adjacent army surplus store on Wednesday, they found an estimated 100 exotic birds, 20 cats and one dog among hundreds of hoarded items, Suffolk County SPCA officials confirmed.

The furry and feathered creatures had been living in “deplorable” conditions with an “overwhelming” smell at 391 West Jericho Tpke., SPCA Chief Roy Gross said. Bird cages were scattered throughout both houses on the property; some birds were standing in 7 or 8 inches of feces; some could not stand up in their cages.

Read on to learn the full story, including how police have been working to help these animals in need.

A series of controversial speed cameras set to be installed near schools in Suffolk County will not be plugged in after all.

County Executive Steve Bellone announced the decision Tuesday, saying that a year of research into the program produced data that does not support its implementation.  

“As I have said from the beginning of my tenure as county executive, I will use data to drive decisions that I make on behalf of the residents of Suffolk County,” Bellone said in a release. “The data and research does not support the implementation of the school speed zone cameras in Suffolk County.”

Read on for the full story!