I understand that The Candy Man in Orient will soon be closing for good and admit to an unexpected, profound sadness at this news. I grew up in Mattituck, and this business has been a meaningful part of my life for many years.
When my dad started working on Plum Island in the ’90s and passed the store each day on his way home from the ferry, gifts of The Candy Man’s chocolate became a regular occurrence. Report cards, birthdays, holidays, “just because” moments — even my wedding — were all celebrated with sweetness. This cherished business held a place in my heart long after I left home for college and eventually settled in another state. Every time I’m back home for a visit, I stock up on chocolate.
Many changes have taken place on the North Fork since my childhood, but the things that have stayed the same still make this special place feel like home and continue to draw me back. As I keep an eye on real estate listings and see large tracts of land on the market with development rights intact, I wonder what else will be lost as time passes. Those of us who grew up there still get pangs of nostalgia when driving down small main streets, walking familiar shorelines and enjoying local sweet corn from the farm stand down the road.
Though time will march on and things will continue to change, my fervent hope is that the soul of the North Fork won’t be lost. Many thanks to The Candy Man for being such a precious part of our lives these many years.
Mr. Winterfield (“ICE federal law enforcement,” Feb. 12) frames immigration as simply a “right way and wrong way to enter” and says those who didn’t legalize “have no right to stay.” But most immigration violations are civil, not criminal. Civil enforcement still requires hearings and due process. Constitutional protections do not disappear because someone lacks legal status.
He suggests that because America “voted for a president in 2024” to “fix the ongoing border crisis,” the matter is settled. Elections set priorities; they do not suspend the Fourth or Fifth Amendments. ICE is federal law enforcement and remains bound by constitutional limits.
Regarding the reference to “President Obama deporting three million criminals” and his claim that “nobody in liberal states had a problem,” that framing reveals the bias. ICE is not red or blue, and the Constitution does not shift with party control. The question is whether enforcement today is staying within legal guardrails.
Documented deaths in ICE custody and lawsuits over detention practices warrant scrutiny. Every citizen should care about how our immigration laws are enforced and whether our government is following its own laws. That is not political. It is patriotic.
Senate defies the people’s will
People who enter the country illegally and who find employment do so with falsified documents. These documents can then be used to enter the voter system.
Source: The Suffolk Times
