News From Around the Island, April 7

Headlines from around Long Island this week.

Fishermen Call for State Investigation

A dozen fishermen gathered in Amagansett on Monday evening as a show of support for a request made earlier to the governor's office for a state investigation into warrant-less search and fish seizures.

The Department of Environmental Conservation should have to follow the same due process laws that other police agencies follow, according to Daniel G. Rodgers, a Riverhead attorney who is representing siblings Paul and Kelly Lester, who were and have since asked to be for the fish that the DEC sold after seizing it as evidence.

Inmates Sue County Over Jail Conditions

On behalf of over 100 detainees, the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on Thursday in federal court against Suffolk County, claiming inhumane conditions at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverhead violate the constitutional rights of those detained there.

Citing a list of complaints - including overcrowding, raw sewage in sleeping areas and beyond, tainted drinking water, prolonged exposure to mold and vermin, and more - the lawsuit seeks to remedy conditions it cites as inhumane and award financial damages those exposed to the reported conditions.

Staff Cuts in Smithtown School Budget

Smithtown School District Superintendent Edward Ehmann unveiled the proposed 2012-2013 budget Wednesday night, a $215.8 million spending measure which would lay off roughly 45 faculty and staff members and increase 1.63 percent over the current budget.

Back on the Menu: Bollinger's

If that restaurant at 282 Main St., Farmingdale, looks familiar, it should.

, which closed in February after several years of operation, could open by the end of April, according to Joe Tonelli, one of the previous owners, who co-owns the new venture with Mary Bulone.

Bulone will handle front-end operations, Tonelli said.

East Hampton Man Named Photographer of the Year

The New York Press Association has named an East Hampton man the 2011 Photographer of the Year during last weekend's convention and awards ceremony in Saratoga Springs.

, the staff photographer at , won the top award for the first time from the newspaper association. He has been a regular contributor to East Hampton Patch.