News Nearby: Viral Tesla Fundraiser Hits Goal; Pedestrian Killed in St. James

There are plenty of things happening in the Three Village community on any given day, but let's take a look at what's making headlines in the towns around us:

From Miller Place-Rocky Point Patch: It took just about a week and a half to raise enough to preserve Nikola Tesla's Wardenclyffe lab in Shoreham thanks to a viral fundraiser on indiegogo.com. The fundraiser surpassed the goal of $850,000 Tuesday evening after a $33,333 donation by the indie filmmakers of “Fragments From Olympus - The Vision of Nikola Tesla." Indie filmmaker Joseph Sikorski used money from his filmʼs budget and raised some additional last minute funds to make the contribution to the cause. With the $850,000 goal reached, matching funds for the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe will be released, allowing the non-profit group led by Jane Alcorn to purchase the property for a new museum. to read more.

From Smithtown Patch: A pedestrian was struck by a car and killed Monday evening as he was pushing a cart along a road in St. James. Police have not released the name of the man, pending identification and notification of his family. According to police, Kyle Stevenson, 18, of St. James was driving a 2003 Honda Civic eastbound on Railroad Avenue at about 8:22 Monday evening, when he struck the pedestrian who was pushing a shopping cart along the shoulder of the roadway, east of First Street in St. James. The pedestrian was transported to Stony Brook University Medical Center where police said he died as a result of his injuries. The driver of the car was not injured and was not charged.

From Kings Park Patch: A Kings Park woman has been charged with driving while intoxicated at 100 miles per hour or more on the Long Island Expressway early Thursday morning. According to the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office, Deana Gorman-Olsen, 35, appeared "lethargic, disoriented and had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on her breath" when she was pulled over by Deputy Sheriff Rasiak at about 4:30 a.m. on the LIE in Islandia. The office said Gorman submitted to a breath test that resulted in a blood alcohol content of .13 percent. Gorman, who was driving a 2012 Toyota Camry, was charged with driving while intoxicated, operating without a license, speeding and numerous other vehicle and traffic violations.

From Sachem Patch: A Ronkonkoma resident was given the opportunity to meet with the little girl she discovered stranded at the playground at Heckscher State Park more than a week ago. Patti Tullo was at the park on August 14 when she noticed a little girl playing by herself on the playground. The girl was 2-year-old Alexia Zambrotta. “She was actually up on a slide that she should not have been on,” Zullo said in her interview with CBS New York. The little girl is safe and sound, thanks to Tullo's kindhearted curiosity. "It turned out very well,” Zullo stated in the CBS article. “That’s all that matters.” to read more from Sachem Patch.

From Port Jefferson Patch: Local elected officials have begun putting their support behind claiming that the energy company is engaging in unfair practices. In letters written to the FERC, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko, Brookhaven Town Representative Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld and New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright have all said they share the village's concerns. The filing charges British-owned National Grid with “perpetrating fraudulent practices and illegally exercising market power.” This is the latest action by the village in its campaign to force the company to do something about its aging power plants languishing in towns across Long Island. to read more from Port Jefferson Patch.