On what would have been Andrew McMorris's 18th birthday, the many who loved him will gather again for an event meant to celebrate his life and keep his legacy alive.

On Saturday, March 30, the Suffolk County Council of Boy Scouts of America and the Andrew McMorris Foundation will host the 3rd Annual Andrew’s Top Gun Run, to raise the funds for scholarships and for Scouting, which Andrew loved.

The family of a young person who died too young is gearing up for a celebration of his life and legacy on what would have been his 18th birthday.

The Andrew McMorris Foundation and the Suffolk County Council of Boy Scouts will be hosting the third annual Andrew’s Top Gun Run 5K on March 30 on the runway at Enterprise Park in Calverton marking the special milestone.

An empty runway where a Wading River boy learned to ride his bike, before dying when he was12 because of a drunken driver, soon will be the site of a bittersweet celebration.

On Saturday, family, friends and other Long Islanders will mark what would have been Andrew McMorris' 18th birthday with a 5-kilometer run event at Enterprise Park at Calverton. 

It was an honor to speak to Central Islip High School students yesterday along with Suffolk County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Toulon about the dangers of drunk, drugged, impaired and distracted driving. We pray that our presentations and talks will prevent what happened to us from happening to anyone else.

The Andrew McMorris Foundation 5th Annual Year in Review showcases journey the foundation took from September 2021 to September 2022. Produced and edited by Hollywood East Video https://hollywoodeastny.net

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney continued his two-day rally in Albany today calling on lawmakers, with the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York (DAASNY), to pass a bill that would close the loopholes in the drugged driving law that make it unworkable.

Gov. Kathy Hochul ended 2023 by vetoing the Grieving Families Act for a second time, which ignited frustration among area families who have lost a loved one in a wrongful death incident and have advocated for years for the bill to be passed. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed — for the second consecutive year — the Grieving Families act, which had widespread support in both parties and chambers in Albany.

The news was a blow to families living with staggering loss — efforts to have the Grieving Families Act signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul had, once again, been vetoed.

Those advocating for the Grieving Families Act bill said would bring equity to those who have lost loved ones in wrongful death cases.

Families who have lost loved ones in car accidents and other tragedies are ramping up the pressure on Gov. Kathy Hochul.

They want her to update New York’s more than 150-year-old law governing civil lawsuits — saying this is about more than money

Alisa McMorris smiles when she talks about her son Andrew, who, in his 12 years, found several passions in life.

"My son Andrew was what we call a renaissance man...we believed him to be an old soul," she says. "He lived far beyond his years at 12 years old, he was a painter, artist, musician."

The day before Thanksgiving is known as "Blackout Wednesday," and law enforcement agencies are warning people who consume drugs or alcohol at gatherings not to drive impaired. 

Grieving parents joined the effort Monday on Long Island to push for stricter laws. 

Grieving parents stand with community leaders, the police, and local dignitaries to encourage drivers to be safe this holiday season.

Grieving parents who lost their children to drunk and drugged driving stood with law enforcement to beg people not to get behind the wheel impaired this holiday week.

They say while they encourage people to enjoy their Thanksgiving week, they should always have a plan for a sober ride home. Police say they will be stepping up patrols island-wide this week.

It’s so familiar that most people know it very well: if you drink and drive, the penalties are stiff. If a person who drinks and drives causes a crash, the consequences are severe. However, when it comes to driving while impaired by a substance other than alcohol, the consequences are not as clear in New York State as they are for alcohol DWI.

A group of families that have been directly affected by this situation joined on Monday with law enforcement leaders and others to call for proposed legislation that addresses this situation to be adopted as law.

Parents whose kids were killed by drunk or drugged-up drivers joined Long Island law enforcement Monday to push for a state law that would allow cops to crack down on dangerous, impaired motorists.

Members of the media joined the Carpenter family, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney and others as they viewed the two vehicles at the barracks involved in the crash: Guzman's Chevrolet Silverado and Carpenter's Ford Escape, both of which sustained significant damage.

Tierney said state laws allowing prosecutors to bring charges against drugged drivers have dangerous loopholes that endanger the public.

Thank you to everyone who attended, donated to, or sponsored our Fifth Annual Gala!

The state’s highest court has refused to hear Thomas Murphy’s appeal of his aggravated vehicular homicide conviction for driving drunk into a group of Boy Scouts in Manorville and killing 12-year-old Andrew McMorris of Wading River.

When Andrew McMorris, 12, was killed by a drunk driver while out on a hike with his Boy Scout troop in 2018, his friends, still so young, so much of life ahead, were left helpless in the face of a heartbreak too big and horrific to grasp. One of those friends was Carter Rubin — the winner of "The Voice" in 2020, when he was just 15 years old. Carter recently debuted his song that had been written for Andrew.