Around town: the week of September 7, 2026
Seven local notes from the week of September 7, 2026, in and around the Town of Smithtown, each with its source.
A National Chemistry Honor Traces Back to Smithtown High School East
A science research coordinator at Smithtown High School East has picked up one of the most recognized national honors in chemistry education, a distinction handed out through the American Chemical Society and tied to an endowed fund supported by the Journal of Chemical Education and ChemEd X. The recognition covers more than two decades of work building out chemistry instruction and research programs on the East campus.
School leaders framed the honor as the product of steady, long term program building rather than a single achievement, noting the research culture on that campus took years to put together. You can read more of the details from Patch.
News like this moves through town quietly, one conversation at a time. If you are curious what else is happening close to home, the town guide at /towns/ is worth a look.
Hauppauge's Rolling 9/11 Tribute Heads to Ground Zero This December
A memorial van built in Hauppauge is set for a trip downtown this December. The vehicle carries painted portraits and imagery tied to the September 11 attacks, and later this year it will carry a wreath to Ground Zero in memory of the New York City police officers who lost their lives that morning twenty five years ago.
The project came together over the past year, led by a Hauppauge resident who has spent decades tied to the local fire department, going back to a grandfather who helped start it in the 1930s. The van's artwork points to two NYPD detectives who died on 9/11 and to dozens more who have died since from illnesses connected to their work at the site. After the December visit to Manhattan, the van is expected to come back home and sit outside the firehouse when Hauppauge holds its own 9/11 remembrance.
It says something about this stretch of Smithtown that a tribute like this gets built here and then travels back to be shown at a local ceremony. Curious what else is happening around Hauppauge this fall? Take a look at Greater Long Island for their coverage, or browse the /towns/ guide to see what makes this part of Smithtown feel like home.
A New Pharma Plant Is Coming to Motor Parkway in Hauppauge
ScieGen Pharmaceuticals is putting down roots on a vacant 3.4 acre lot on Motor Parkway, next to the Radisson Hotel, with plans for a combined manufacturing and storage building spanning roughly 60,000 square feet. The company makes generic prescription drugs and already runs several sites around Hauppauge along with its sister company Bactolac, a vitamin maker. Together they employ more than 1,100 people in Suffolk County.
Company leaders say the new site would let them keep up with rising demand and add to a drug lineup that already tops 85 products. They are aiming to have the doors open sometime around the end of this decade, and they plan to ask Suffolk County and New York State for tax incentives along the way, something they have used before for other expansions nearby.
Hauppauge has quietly become one of Long Island's steadier employment centers, and moves like this add to that pattern rather than starting it. For anyone watching how commercial growth ripples into nearby neighborhoods, it might be worth a look at Newsday's original reporting on the deal.
Curious how new employers in the area might shape home values close by? Take a look at /towns/ for a sense of what is happening around Hauppauge and Smithtown.
ScieGen Plans a Bigger Footprint in Hauppauge
ScieGen Pharmaceuticals is looking to grow its presence in Hauppauge with a new building that would top 60,000 square feet, combining manufacturing space with warehouse storage. The company says the added capacity is meant to keep up with demand from customers who rely on its products. Newsday has more on the plans.
Hauppauge has long been one of the working hubs of Smithtown, filled with the kind of industrial parks that keep a lot of Long Island employed without ever making the postcard version of the area. A move like this adds another piece to that pattern, more jobs, more activity on the roads near Motor Parkway, more reason for the area to keep showing up in business news.
If you are curious how a corner like this fits into the wider town, our town guide is a good place to look. And if you own nearby and wonder what growth like this might mean for your property, the home value page is worth a few minutes.
The 9/11 Memorial Behind the Hauppauge Firehouse
Tucked behind the Hauppauge Fire Department building on Wheeler Road is a quiet outdoor memorial that stays open around the clock, every day of the year. It holds a steel beam pulled from the World Trade Center, limestone carried from the Pentagon, and stone brought from the field in Shanksville. Small Twin Tower replicas, a waterfall, and shaped shrubs give the space a settled, cared for feel.
The department gave two of its own on September 11, 2001, both men who also served with the FDNY that day. In the years since, illness tied to the recovery work at ground zero claimed two more members, one a former captain and the other a firefighter who also served with Suffolk County police. Their names live on through benches placed in the memorial, and through the annual gathering the department holds there each September.
A former chief put it simply to News 12: the point is making sure people who were not yet born still understand what happened and who paid for it. It is the kind of small, unhurried spot that gives a place like Hauppauge its shape. If you are curious what else sits close to home here, the town guide is a good place to start at /towns/.
Hauppauge Boys Soccer Blanks Islip on the Road
Hauppauge's boys soccer team picked up a 2-0 win at Islip on Friday, keeping the young squad unbeaten in its last several outings. A freshman forward opened the scoring early in the first half after some confusion in front of the Islip goal let him poke the ball home for his first varsity goal. The second came just after halftime off a free kick that deflected in.
Much of Hauppauge's defense this season is new, with several first year varsity players filling out the back line in front of the goalkeeper, who has built a reputation over two seasons for piling up shutouts. Islip's coach pointed to the size and physical edge of the Hauppauge lineup as a factor in a tightly played game that stayed goalless for much of the first half.
Friday afternoon games like this one are part of the rhythm of fall in this part of Suffolk County, with fields around Hauppauge and Islip busy most weeks. If you are curious what else is going on nearby, take a look at Newsday's coverage. Curious what a Hauppauge address might be worth these days? Check out /my-home-value/ or browse /towns/ for more on the area.
Nesconset Park Adds Another Year of Names to Its 9/11 Wall
Every September, families gather at the park off Gibbs Pond Road built specifically to hold the names of first responders touched by 9/11. This past weekend marked the fifteenth time organizers held the naming ceremony, and more than 100 additional names went up on the wall this year. Some belonged to people who died on the day itself. Most belonged to responders who spent time at ground zero and got sick years or even decades later.
The park exists because a former responder wanted a physical place where that second wave of loss would not be forgotten once the anniversaries got further apart. Families come back year after year, some to see a parent's or spouse's name added for the first time, others just to stand there and mark the day. With the 25th anniversary of the attacks approaching, the crowd this year understood that the list is still growing.
You can find the story from News 12 Long Island here.
Nesconset is a quiet corner of Smithtown to plant roots in, memorials and all. If you are curious what else sits nearby, the town guide at /towns/ is worth a look.