School Mask Confusion + How The KKK Officer Was Caught

Good morning Miller Place-Rocky Point!

In today's Daily, read about how local school districts are reacting to changing masks in schools rules. Stony Brook is holding a clinical trial for the Pfizer vaccine for children under age 11. An investigative deep dive shows how a Riverhead corrections officer was monitored by the FBI for ties to extremist groups like the KKK.

First, today's weather will be mostly cloudy throughout the day with a high of 79 degrees.

Today's top news from Miller Place-Rocky Point:

1. Grant Parpan recaps the changing school mask policy directives of the last week and local districts' reactions. Shoreham-Wading River was one of many districts that made outdoor mask wearing optional. (Riverhead News-Review)

2. News 12 has a story on Stony Brook Children's Hospital looking for volunteers with children aged 6 months to 11 years old to participate in Pfizer's clinical vaccine trial at Stony Brook Medicine's Advanced Specialty Care location in Commack. It started Tuesday and is open to healthy kids. (News 12 Long Island)

3. Sandra Peddle recounts how a Suffolk corrections officer was monitored by the FBI for ties to the KKK and having a Facebook posting about wanting to "mow over" Muslims. Sgt. Kenneth Gillan retired in 2020 after being charged with official misconduct. (Newsday)

Event Roundup:

• JAE Spring Concert II HS Aud, 7 p.m., Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School in Rocky Point
• AP Calculus AB, noon, Rocky Point High School
• AP Physics, 4 p.m, Rocky Point High School
• Board of Education meeting, Mount Sinai School District, 8 to 9 p.m. (virtual)

Miller Place-Rocky Point Notebook:

• In girls softball, Miller Place beat Mount Sinai 10-2. Jessica Iavarone struck out 16 batters. (Newsday)
• The winners of the Shoreham-Wading River science fair from Briarcliff School and Miller Avenue School presented at the BOE meeting. Kindergartner Claire Tepfenhardt's project was to see if her dog sits more for a treat, first-grader John Lister added coins to his Matchbox cars to see if they go faster down a ramp and second-grader Celia Gaeta looked at how the moon affects a person’s feelings. Gaeta won the Brookhaven National Laboratory Elementary School Science Fair for second grade. (Facebook)

That's it for the top happenings and headlines today from Miller Place and Rocky Point. Check back next time to keep updated and informed. If you know of something that should be included in the Daily, drop us a note!

-Jackie

About me: I am a lifelong Long Islander who has covered local news for over a decade. I'm a busy working mom who loves to share nearby news to inform, educate, inspire or just make your daily life a bit easier. I used to live next door in Shoreham and I love the beautiful North Shore beaches. Drop a note at millerplace-rockypoint@patch.com!