Babylon Democrats News

A Tireless Advocate for Change, Delores Quintyne Dies at 88

Apr
8
2022

Delores Quintyne’s name is synonymous with activism on Long Island.

Whether it was fighting racial discrimination in housing in Nassau County or pushing for better conditions for migrant workers in Suffolk County, Quintyne was front and center as a tireless advocate for change.

“She always wanted to help everybody,” said her daughter Madeline Quintyne-McConney of North Babylon. “She was mom to everyone in the community.”

Quintyne died April 8 from heart disease at the Mary Ann Tully Hospice Inn in Melville. The longtime North Amityville resident was 88.| read more ››

Babylon Celebrates 150th Anniversary of Town’s First Board Meeting

Apr
4
2022

It was a celebration 150 years in the making as Babylon Town officials past and present gathered in the Town Board Room at Town Hall for an event marking the anniversary of Babylon’s first Town Board meeting. The event, hosted by Town Historian Mary Cascone brought together elected officials from the state, county, neighboring townships as well as our villages to mark the official start of Babylon’s sesquicentennial celebrations.

In 1872, voters of the old Town of Huntington voted to separate and create a new township called Babylon. The New York State legislature approved the bill to create the Town of Babylon on March 13, 1872. Less than a month later on April 2, 1872, voters went to the...| read more ››

Suffolk Sheriff Toulon Appointed to NYS Municipal Police Training Council

Apr
1
2022

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. was recently appointed by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul to the New York State Municipal Police Training Council. The eight-member Municipal Police Training Council promulgates minimum training requirements for newly-appointed police and peace officers and a course of training for police officers appointed to supervisory positions.

“I am honored to be appointed by Governor Hochul to serve on the New York State Municipal Police Training Council,” said Sheriff Toulon. “I look forward to the opportunity and to be able to bring to the table my knowledge of state-of-the-art training techniques to help ensure that our law enforcement officials across the State are best equipped to protect and serve their communities.”| read more ››

Toni Bean, second African American woman to serve as Suffolk district judge, dies

Mar
24
2022

Lifelong Amityville resident Toni A. Bean, the second African American woman to serve as a Suffolk County District Court judge and a mentor to young lawyers of color, died on Saturday. Bean succumbed to a recent illness, her family said. She was 62.

In June 2004, Bean was appointed to Suffolk's district court by then-County Executive Steve Levy and was later elected in November. She followed Judge Francel Trotter Bellinger, of North Babylon, as the second African American woman to serve in that capacity.

Bean dealt with many cases including domestic violence and probation violations, her former colleague Derrick J. Robinson said, and she always handled them with “dignity and fairness” — a staple of the way she lived her...| read more ››

Suffolk Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. Sworn in to a Second Term

Mar
18
2022

Space in the Yaphank Correctional Facility will be used to expand a program that helps find jobs and homes for inmates after their release while doubling as a first-of-its-kind intelligence network where officials can share information with leaders of other jails, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon. Jr. announced Friday as he was sworn into office for his second term.

Toulon, the county's 67th sheriff, also announced plans to form a pair of task forces focusing on mental health and substance abuse among inmates and the community at large. Statistics show that 60% of the state's inmates have been diagnosed with mental health issues.

"There is both a drug and mental health epidemic on Long Island and I want to do all I can to help solve it," Toulon said during his inaugural address in Brentwood. "In the coming months, I will be creating a robust mental health initiative to try to expand access to services, drug and rehabilitation programs inside and outside of the jail to help put an end to this tragic cycle."| read more ››

Suffolk Sheriff's Office Donates Hundreds of Bulletproof Body Armor to Ukraine

Mar
7
2022

The Suffolk County Sheriff's Office is donating nearly 450 pieces of bulletproof body armor to Ukraine.
The four pallets of armor will be donated along with medical supplies, sleeping bags and other essentials.
The necessities were collected during the Long Island-Ukraine Emergency Drive.
"We stand with the people of Ukraine and we want to offer our help any way that we can and I'm proud to announce that the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office is able to step up and provide materials that can help keep them safe," says Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr.
College Hunks Hauling Junk is delivering the donations to a New York City processing center where it will be shipped to Ukrainians fighting against Russia.| read more ››

Babylon Town Sets $25G Fundraising Goal to Help Ukrainian Refugees

Mar
5
2022

The Town of Babylon is launching a fundraising effort for Ukraine that aims to collect $25,000 through the town’s businesses for refugees fleeing the Russian invasion.

Supervisor Rich Schaffer said the town’s Industrial Development Agency will coordinate the effort by reaching out to IDA clients, local chambers of commerce and the general business community.

"We felt that the monetary collection was the best way to do it," he said, noting existing clothing and medication drives.

The money will be given to the Holy Family Ukrainian Catholic Church in Lindenhurst, which Schaffer said will use a charity to distribute it to refugee assistance groups in Poland and other neighboring countries where an estimated 1 million Ukrainians are now living. The goal...| read more ››

Babylon Gives Back Through Direct Support Program

Feb
16
2022

A year ago last week the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was passed and signed into law. As a part of President Biden's American Rescue Plan, funding was delivered to state and local governments across the country to support them in COVID-19 recovery.

At the direction of Supervisor Rich Schaffer, Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez, Councilman and Small Business Committee Chairman Anthony Manetta, and the Babylon Town Board, the Town allocated $6 million to the Direct Support Program, which has been diligently working over the last year to provide much needed funding to support businesses, local nonprofits, and veterans groups struggling to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic

Since receiving funding, the Direct Support Program has assisted 155 small...| read more ››

Babylon Animal Shelter Receives Hundreds of Generous Donations in Memory of Betty White

Jan
27
2022

Town of Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer and Councilmen Terence McSweeney and DuWayne Gregory recently gathered with Animal Shelter Director Chris Elton and the Town’s companion dog Trigger to celebrate the amazing outcome of the Betty White challenge.

As a result of the challenge, The Town of Babylon Animal Shelter received nearly $5,000 in checks and a substantial amount of goods donated. Animal shelters across Long Island raised thousands of dollars in this celebratory fundraising campaign created through social media. It’s been reported that the challenge raised close to $99,000 in donations on Long Island and $12.7 million across the country.

Iconic actress Betty White passed away just weeks before her milestone 100th birthday, and as a result people...| read more ››

Statewide Early Voting Begins Saturday; Here's How to Vote

Oct
18
2021

ALBANY — Early voting, which will include weekend and evening hours, begins Saturday and extends through Oct. 31 at select polling sites in counties statewide.
Voters will be able to cast ballots on local races and on five statewide ballot proposals.
Here's how to participate in the increasingly popular method of casting ballots for the Nov. 2 election:
In Suffolk County, early voting begins Saturday and Sunday with polls open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Evening hours begin Tuesday. Suffolk County will have 12 early voting sites. The locations and hours are available at https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/BOE/Early-Voting-Sites-11-2-...| read more ››