By I Love Babylon · Week of July 12–18, 2026

Three years after Rex Heuermann’s arrest, the Gilgo families have turned from the courtroom to Albany. Four serious crashes hit the Lindenhurst area in a single week. And Village Hall got ready to blow out a hundred candles. Here’s everything worth knowing from across the Town of Babylon — the big stories up top, quick hits below.

Jump to a story:
The Families’ Next Fight •
A Hard Week on Lindenhurst Roads •
Soldier Ride Returns •
Village Hall Turns 100 •
Tractor Supply Opens •
$7.5M for Straight Path •
Whiskey Down Diner •
West Babylon Drug Arrest •
$2M for Beach Sand •
Scholarship Season •
Quick Hits •
Nearby •
Coming Up •
In Memoriam •
What to Watch Next

GILGO · THE AFTERMATH

After the Sentence, the Families’ Next Fight Begins

With Heuermann sentenced and the criminal case behind them, the families of the Gilgo Beach victims spent this week fighting on two new fronts. Several went public with their anger over a Peacock documentary they say drew on case sources, and they pressed New York lawmakers to revisit the state’s Son of Sam law — the statute meant to keep convicted criminals from profiting off their crimes.

The week also marked three years since Heuermann’s arrest, a milestone News 12 noted on July 13. For the Town of Babylon, the case that put Gilgo Beach in the national vocabulary is no longer a courtroom story — it’s a legislative one.

Sources: CBS News (documentary) → · CBS News (Son of Sam) → · News 12 → · Babylon Beacon (sentencing recap) →

ROAD SAFETY · JULY 13–15

Four Serious Crashes in the Lindenhurst Area, Three People Hurt

Suffolk County Police investigated two unrelated crashes days apart. In the first, an 8-year-old boy started his grandmother’s parked car; it rolled and struck her, seriously injuring her. In the second, in North Lindenhurst, a turning van struck two pedestrians — an 8-year-old girl and an adult woman — seriously hurting the girl.

Two more incidents followed in the same stretch of days: an e-bike rider from Wyandanch, Gregory Dotson, was seriously injured in a North Lindenhurst collision, and a three-car crash in Lindenhurst ended in a DWI arrest. Four serious roadway incidents in the Lindenhurst area in one week are enough to raise concern — and worth watching for any response from police and local officials.

Sources: Babylon Beacon → · Greater Long Island → · Newsday (e-bike) → · Patch (DWI) →

COMMUNITY · JULY 17

Soldier Ride Rolls Through Babylon Village

Soldier Ride came through Babylon on Friday, one of the few events that reliably brings the whole village out to the curb. It capped a week heavy with service and remembrance: Long Island veterans gathered in Babylon to mark America’s 250th, the West Babylon Fire Department held a 20th-anniversary service for fallen firefighter Michael Greene, and the Town dedicated a new 31-foot Harbor Patrol vessel, the Richard L. Brooks, named for a longtime bay constable.

Sources: Babylon Beacon → · News 12 → · WBFD service → · Amityville Record →

CIVIC · BABYLON VILLAGE

Village Hall Turns 100

Babylon Village will mark the centennial of Village Hall with a community open house celebrating a hundred years of public service. Block party season also kicked off this week with strong crowds downtown.

Sources: Babylon Beacon → · Block parties →

BUSINESS · WEST BABYLON

Tractor Supply Opens at the Former ShopRite

The farm-and-ranch retailer is now open on Route 109, filling one of the area’s more conspicuous empty boxes. Down the road, a West Babylon mixed-use property sold for $7.2 million — one of the larger local commercial trades of the summer.

Sources: Patch via MSN → · Long Island Business News →

TRANSIT · WYANDANCH

$7.5 Million in Federal Money Targets the Straight Path Crossing

The MTA landed a federal grant to begin preliminary design work on eliminating three busy LIRR grade crossings, including Straight Path in Wyandanch. For anyone who has sat at Straight Path watching the gates come down, it’s the first real movement in years — though preliminary design is still a long way from construction.

Source: News 12 →

FOOD · BABYLON VILLAGE

Newsday Gets a First Look at Whiskey Down Diner

The new spot at 175 E. Main St. draws a review built around disco-ball brunches and a Bloody Mary program Newsday says is worth the trip.

Source: Newsday →

PUBLIC SAFETY · WEST BABYLON

Drug Arrest at a Great East Neck Road Convenience Store

Suffolk County Police executed a search warrant at Infinite Convenience Store, 419A Great East Neck Road, following community complaints. An employee, Jerome Jones, was charged with possession of crack and cocaine.

Source: Daily Voice →

BEACHES · GILGO & OVERLOOK

Town to Borrow $2 Million for Beach Replenishment

Babylon Town will purchase 1.5 million cubic yards of sand for Gilgo Beach and 100,000 cubic yards for Overlook Beach.

Source: Newsday →

SCHOOLS · TOWNWIDE

Scholarship Season Delivers

The Kiwanis Club awarded five scholarships to Lindenhurst High School seniors, another Lindenhurst graduate won a scholarship for academics and leadership, two Copiague High School students earned engineering scholarships, and a Copiague student took home a prestigious science award.

The Beacon also profiled local graduates choosing military service after high school, and Lindenhurst elementary students designed and selected a new logo for the district’s gifted program.

Sources: Kiwanis → · Lindenhurst grad → · Copiague engineering → · Science award → · Military service → · New logo →

Quick Hits

  • The Pizzeria in Babylon closed temporarily after a floor collapse. News 12 →
  • A North Babylon Boy Scout troop needs help. Troop 2014’s trailer was last seen in April behind St. Paul’s Church, where it had been stored. News 12 →
  • The Fried Apple Pie is back in Lindenhurst. Priorities. Patch →
  • Amityville’s Tracey Cullen was named president of King Kullen, taking the top job at one of Long Island’s most recognizable grocery names. Massapequa Post →
  • Auto Care Girls in Deer Park — opened by Maryam Mirza and Tamia Robinson — is working to make auto care more approachable for women. News 12 →
  • West Babylon named a new assistant superintendent for finance and operations. Patch via MSN →
  • A teen scooter rider fled a traffic stop in Copiague and crashed into an SUV and a pole, suffering serious injuries. Patch via AOL →
  • Babylon Village is targeting an unsafe home through code enforcement. Babylon Beacon →
  • Deer Park veteran Wynette Bates was honored by Suffolk County Legislator Tom Donnelly. Babylon Beacon →
  • Amityville boys track & field won a County championship. Massapequa Post →
  • A Wheatley Heights man, Christian McKenzie, was sentenced to 2½ years in a COVID-era PPP fraud case. Newsday →
  • Amityville opened applications for opioid settlement funds — worth flagging for any local group doing prevention or recovery work. Amityville Record →
  • America’s 250th continued across the Town, with a history and art exhibit and a sky-high salute in Amityville. Beacon → · Record →
  • The NB–WB Chamber honored outgoing president Garrett Simulcik, and the Village welcomed a scout while honoring its retiring public works chief. Chamber → · Beacon →
  • Fishing is picking up on the Great South Bay, and hazy skies returned from Canadian wildfire smoke. Fishing → · Smoke →
  • The Propel NY transmission project continues its permit process. Babylon Beacon →
  • Amityville’s Ron Becker reflected on a life in art, music and storytelling in a profile worth ten minutes. Amityville Record →

Nearby

Just outside the Town line, but close enough to matter.

  • West Islip’s Summertime in the Park series has begun, and the West Islip Symphony Orchestra is back on the calendar. Islip Bulletin → · Symphony →
  • Heckscher State Park released its summer and fall nature programs. Babylon Beacon →

Coming Up in and Around Babylon

  • Babylon Village Hall centennial open house — a century of Village Hall, open to the community. Details →
  • Block party season continues in Babylon Village through the summer.
  • Summertime in the Park, West Islip. Details →
  • Heckscher State Park nature programs, summer into fall. Details →

In Memoriam

Our condolences to the families and friends of neighbors we lost this week.

What Residents Should Watch Next

The Son of Sam push in Albany is the Gilgo story’s next chapter — whether the families’ effort draws a sponsor will say a lot about how far it goes. Road safety in the Lindenhurst area is worth following for any response from police or Town officials. And the Straight Path crossing now has federal money attached, so the question shifts from whether to when.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Don’t miss our latest events roundup — your guide to festivals, live music, markets and family fun across the Town of Babylon.
See this weekend’s events →

Got a story we missed? Reply to the newsletter or email ryan@babylonlocal.com — we’re always looking for news from every corner of the Town.

For more local updates, events, and community stories, visit ILoveBabylon.com.