Week in Review: 20-Year-Old Injured in Crash Mourned

The following is a round-up of top headlines that posted on Westhampton-Hampton Bays Patch during the week of Oct. 15.

1. Beach Bakery No Longer Serving Kosher

The Beach Bakery — the only kosher eatery in Westhampton Beach — will no longer be serving kosher goods.

The decision comes, said bakery owner Simon Jorna, after a disagreement with the Hampton Synagogue, which Jorna said he had enjoyed a great relationship with for 20 years.

2. School District Moves Forward With $16.8 million Bond

The Hampton Bays School District has decided to move forward with a $16.8 million bond, which will go before the public on Nov. 27.

According to the school district, the bond would fund a number of upgrades to the district's schools at no extra cost to taxpayers.

School officials said debt from the 1998 elementary and high school additions is set to expire, freeing up $1.8 million annually. That money, officials said would be used to pay the new 20-year bond.

3. East Quogue Civic Looks to Boost Membership

For the past year, Al Algieri – president of the the East Quogue Civic Association – says his organization has been in hibernation, but now, the group is ready to wake up with a renewed effort.

On Oct. 27, the civic association is hosting an annual meeting in which membership is on the top of the agenda.

"We want to try to reach more topics that different members of our community are interested in," said Algieri.

4. Custodian: 'School District Wouldn't Let Me Honor My Husband'

When Michelle DeLaVergne's husband, Donald, died of pancreatic cancer in July 2011 after a five-year battle, she and her two daughters, Alexus and Miranda decided they wanted to do something to honor his memory while also helping to fight the disease. They settled on raising money through a pancreatic cancer walk, sponsored by the Lustgarden Foundation.

Oct. 14 marked the second time the family would participate in the walk, only DeLaVergne wasn't there — she said her employer, the Hampton Bays School District, wouldn't allow her to switch her regular 8-hour shift to Saturday so she could participate in the walk on Sunday.

5. 20-Year-Old Injured in Car Fire Dies; Family Mourns Tragic Loss

A young man who was trapped in a burning car fire in Hampton Bays this weekend succumbed to his injuries on Sunday, leaving a heartbroken family and friends and a lifetime of dreams unrealized.

Brian A. Gutierrez-Arteaga, 20, was known as a "renaissance" man among his friends — he spoke three languages, played the ukulele, drew, and painted.

"He was an artist," said Tony Rosalia, of Southampton, who raised Gutierrez-Arteaga as his own son after the young man's father had to leave the county. At the time, Gutierrez-Arteaga was only 11 years old.

Through tears on Monday morning, Rosalia said that his son died at Stony Brook University Hospital on Sunday after battling third-degree burns for a day and a half.

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