Lindenhurst's Biggest Stories of 2011

While Lindenhurst Patch only launched in this , there was still plenty of news all across Lindy between then and now.

Crime
There were arrests for National Grid, robbing , delivered packages, across (with one and one , too), , students at and making a to the school.

There was also the where four men forced their way into an occupied Lindenhurst home in August and assaulted the female resident who answered the door.

The men fled, and the police were asking anyone with information to call the First Precinct at 631-854-8152 or Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS.

Also in Lindenhurst's backyard this year was the on-going investigation into the serial killer case, and the missing persons case of Shannan Gilbert recently that came to a close when Suffolk Police found her in Oak Beach.

Schools
Teachers en masse of a major school budget meeting; residents about the school budget and the fact that the teachers' union (TAL) and the Lindenhurst Board of Education were still in (and still are as the year ends); and the community barely a $140-million-plus school budget and an almost seven percent tax levy.

Two major school closures topped the news this year, too: , which closed in June, and the recent by the Diocese of Rockville Center to this coming .

The tax cap was also passed in New York state in June, which caused Lindenhurst Superintendent Richard Nathan to send out an "" to the community in November and the Village Board to just before Christmas to exceed the cap, if necessary.

9/11
The 9/11 canine memorial statue in the Lindenhurst Remembers 9/11 Memorial Garden was , then later and at the Village's annual to remember those residents lost on , now a ago.

And despite a put out by the Village, and the Village and Suffolk Police on the case, there have been no leads.

Gazebo
The rebuilding of the gazebo in Village Square, which was blown down in a March 2010 nor'easter, finally got this Fall.

Along with that the Village has been building a long-awaited substation.

And there's been much progress since the whole two-part project began in October this year.

Business
Plans for a CVS where the old movie theater were , then later earlier this year.

Lindenhurst was also home to the card shop that a winning $200-million-plus Powerball ticket in June that made multi-millionaires.

Another business, Top Bun, played host to a crew for an featuring two Lindenhurst residents in December.

Also in the heart of the Village, at the , Long Island musicians got together to for the Japanese Red Cross in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami the country experienced earlier this year.

People
One long-time Lindy resident, , marked 50 years in umpiring while another hit a major milestone: Mike Canobbio, a baseball coach for the last 35 years, won his 500th career game with the Bulldogs this year.

The announced at the end of the school year in June that it's the field after Canobbio.

Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone will now be moving on, and up, to the Suffolk County Executive seat in January after being in November.

However, Lindenhurst Mayor Tom Brennan will stay right where he is, previously Patch that he's flattered but happy where he is, after his name was floated as a possible GOP candidate for the town supervisor position Bellone is vacating.

Deputy Mayor Kevin McCaffrey's name was also floated by Babylon Town GOP chair Tony Pancella, but McCaffrey recently told Patch the same thing: that he's flattered, but happy where he is right now.

Health, Weather and Irene
Oh, yes, and let's not forget the record snowfalls, record , an in and a of whooping cough, being found in Lindy, an , some and the biggest weather headline of them all in Lindy: Hurricane .

Irene really Lindenhurst on August 27, and the took a beating, as did much of Lindy south of Montauk Highway.

The Village made the decision to everyone south of Montauk the the , but not many headed to the high school/evac shelter the Village opened. Many did leave, but just as many stayed, it seemed, to brave it out, all while transformers popped around the community.

The Great South Bay raged against the at the Lindenhurst Marina, leaving it closed for quite a while after the . As of this Fall the Village was awaiting to complete repairs on the docks, with the hopes of restoring it in time for Spring.

The Mayor, along with a slew of Village officials, the Lindenhurst Fire Department, the Suffolk Police First Precinct and OEM coordinator for the Village, , kept the under control and residents safe while Irene .

And both the and Departments of Public Works worked diligently through the storm and for weeks afterward trying to clear the streets of hundreds of in the Village and North Lindy.

But, no matter how hard they worked, many Lindenhurst residents - including this Lindenhurst Patch editor - were at the mercy of , which seemed to be unprepared for the storm's aftermath despite many and to the .

In fact, many Lindy were , Internet and/or phone between a few days to a week or more, leaving them frustrated. It also prompted politicians to call LIPA to the carpet, but LIPA announce it was anyway, following the storm.

On to 2012
Given all of that, and more, Lindenhurst has seen and survived a lot this year, and Patch was right here covering it all for you.

We hope you enjoyed this walk down memory lane for (please tell us what you think in the comments below), and we hope you continue to join us in 2012.

For now, let's pause to take a breath, give thanks and refresh for the new year.

Lindenhurst Patch thanks you for all of the support, and offers wishes for a new year filled with lots of good health, happiness, love and laughter for all Lindy residents.