Staff picks: Our favorite stories of 2014
Grant Parpan, executive editor: “I enjoyed my mother’s reaction to the story of longtime Riverhead custodian Carl James. She had worked for the district and said Mr. James always gave her a hello and a smile. Sometimes simple things mean the most.”
Lori Miller, business manager: “The Riverhead Raceway Wall of Fame story gave my aunt, Peggy Smith, her last hurrah at the track. She was inducted to the Wall of Fame with several fellow recipients before passing from cancer last month.”
Paul Squire, staff writer: “Crescent Duck Farm: the last of its kind. Who knew ducks could be so interesting? The story was a fascinating look into a key part of the North Fork’s identity.”
Joe Werkmeister, web editor: “For so many boys, playing Little League baseball is a rite of passage. But those times are changing, as the story about the declining participation and ultimate demise of the Flanders Little League showed. Flanders, it appears, lost a piece of its identity.”
Mike White: “About 325 people searched for Jean Taber over the course of two days in April, and though this story didn’t have a happy ending, it gave our readers a chance to get to know a remarkable person.”
Joseph Pinciaro, managing editor: “He might be far from center, but nobody can say Greg Fischer is a man who doesn’t follow his convictions. Guys like him are exactly the kind of people who make covering local politics interesting. And it’s a bonus anytime we can get Jimmy MacMillan of The Rent is Too Damn High party in a story.”
Melanie Drozd, circulation manager: “The story of Sgt. Anthony Venetz and his family brings to light what a lot of military families go through that none of us know about. He lost his life protecting our country and now his wife has to fight to provide for their family.”