Nearby: Plane Lands on Route 231

Small Plane Lands on Route 231
A small plane landed on Route 231 in Babylon Village at around 1 p.m. Thursday. FAA spokesman Jim Peters told Newsday the home-built, single-engine plane made a hard landing, signifying some type of distress. No one was injured. The plane is registered to Dan B. Wright of Santa Barbara, Calif. The plane landed near the John Street exit, north of Montauk Highway.

Severed Animal Heads Found
Two severed animal heads were found in plastic bags in East Northport Tuesday, according to the Suffolk Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The animal heads may have belonged to goats or sheep and were found at the intersection of Elwood and Warner Roads. "We find this deeply disturbing," said Suffolk SPCA Chief Roy Gross. This is the second time in less than a year that animal remains have been found in the same general vicinity.  Anyone with information can contact the Suffolk County SPCA at 631-382-7722.  All calls will be kept confidential.

Sheraton Gets Town's Approval for New Hotel, But Holds Off
Sheraton Long Island will hold off on building a new hotel in the Hauppauge Industrial Park, despite waiting more than a year for the town's approval. 
Smithtown Town Board approved the Sheraton's proposed plans to build a four-story hotel, the Springhill Suites Marriott, off Motor Parkway in Hauppauge on April 25. The hotel chain has no plans to move forward with construction at this time.

Reptile Handover Creates Mini-Frenzy
This past weekend, Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown held a Reptile Amnesty Day where people with illegal lizards and amphibians could turn them in no questions asked. The day netted the agencies that took part in the event a cache of animals that might have otherwise ended up being released into the wild, as a man who was drinking his coffee one morning found out when four alligators floated by him in the Peconic River.The event turned into a mini media frenzy with coverage coming from major news outlets like the The New York Post, CBS, Newsday and other local papers.