The Independent 041520 by The Independent Newspaper

Arts & Entertainment

Andrea Grover

A sharp stop and a look ahead By Bridget LeRoy bridget@indyeastend.com

1918 Flu Pandemic Came From A Bird

Deepwater Hearings Shelved Until August

Andrea Grover: A Sharp Stop And A Look Ahead

How Are South Fork Police Dealing With COVID-19?

Andrea Grover with her husband, Carlos Lama, and their daughters, Gigi and Lola. Independent/Lindsay Morris

No matter what, Andrea Grover, the executive director of Guild Hall in East Hampton, takes what she calls “a sharp stop” at 5:30 PM every day. And those days, even working from home, are filled with the new normal for many — constant emails, Zoom meetings, FaceTime, and more. “It’s been like talking and running a marathon simultaneously. It’s really hard to differentiate between work and home at this point,” she said. When the “shelter in place” suggestion hit, Guild Hall was luckily already ahead of the game. The 82nd Artist Members Exhibition opened on the cusp of coronavirus at the beginning of March, but Guild Hall’s “man behind the curtain,” as Grover calls Joe Brondo, had already gone through the museum and filmed a virtual tour, and Casey Dalene, the curatorial assistant, went in and took hundreds of photos of the artworks with her iPhone. Those works can be seen, and purchased in some cases, on the website. “And we’ve been lucky enough to have ‘Live at Guild Hall,’” she said. The institution has rebroadcast two past performances from last summer — Melissa Errico’s “Sondheim Sublime”

FIVE TOWNS ONE NEWSPAPER

and G.E. Smith’s “Portraits” series with Loudon Wainwright III and Wesley Stace — but with the performers, live, offering insights on the performances. Sort of like a DVD director’s commentary, on the Guild Hall YouTube channel. “In this disconcerting and confusing time, Guild Hall is delighted to offer as a special live-streaming treat the premiere of one of the most clarifying and crystalline concerts we’ve presented in recent years, Tony-nominee Melissa Errico’s in-concert performance of her beautiful album ‘Sondheim Sublime.’ During this livestream premiere on Sunday, which will also celebrate the 90th birthday of Stephen Sondheim, Errico will be joining Guild Hall’s YouTube Channel to answer questions from viewers in real time about the concert and Sondheim,” reads the YouTube site. Since the video premiered two weeks ago, it’s had over 6000 views. Guild Hall has many things planned for the time ahead, and Grover credits the Hamptons Arts Network, comprised of 19 East End arts-based institutions, as being “incredibly supportive. We get on a phone call every

week, and it’s always at least 18 of us.” She talks with folks like Andrea Mitchell of Bay Street Theater, Elka Rifkin from the Watermill Center, and Amy Kirwin of Southampton Arts Center, about how they will move forward and into the summer. “It’s about these mid-sized arts nonprofits,” she said. “The little ones can maybe stealth through this, and the really large places have endowments. But we depend on tickets, and sales, and the big summer galas. The good thing is we’re all in this together, figuring it out together.” Grover feels blessed that “the girls are home and we have fun.” Her daughters, Gigi and Lola, and her husband, the musician and DJ Carlos Lama, are all artistically inclined. “The house is like a conservatory,” she said, laughing. “There’s always music.” And after that sharp stop in the evening, the family takes a walk together at Long Beach in Sag Harbor, which is “paved, so it’s good for Carlos,” Grover said of her husband, who uses a wheelchair. “My dad, who is 92, was a fisherman, and until about five years ago, jumped in the water every day,” she

said. “He says ‘get in the salt water, gargle with it,’ and I miss that feeling of really being part of the bay or the ocean,” she said. “This has been a time to reconnect,” she said. “And to feel and be able to show appreciation for the people who are keeping Guild Hall running, and to spend time with my family.” But, Grover acknowledged, she can’t wait to be able to jump in the water again.

“The good thing is we’re all in this together, figuring it out together.” — Andrea Grover

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Unprecedented times, unprecedented efforts.

As an integrated member of Stony Brook Medicine, Long Islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier academic healthcare system, we are taking extraordinary measures to combat COVID-19 We are rapidly adapting to evolving CDC and DOH guidelines, policies and information concerning Coronavirus (COVID-19).

We have increased our bed capacity from actively staffing 94 to 184 and our ICU beds from 7 to 21. We have postponed elective surgeries and procedures, as well as mammography screening.

We are performing all urgent procedures and operations necessary to preserve life and function, including maternity deliveries.

We have suspended performing X-rays and lab work in our East Hampton Healthcare and Westhampton locations. Patients requiring X-rays at the Hospital or at the Hampton Bays Atrium, are now required to call and schedule an appointment as, until further notice, walk-ins are no longer accepted. Please call (631) 726-8285 to make an appointment for an X-Ray exam.

We have adequate supplies (PPE, vents, etc.) for current needs. We are keenly monitoring quantities and have taken innovative steps to reach beyond traditional supply chains to help bolster our supplies.

W e are consistently re-educating and updating our physicians and staff about revised guidelines on proper PPE use, per changing CDC guidelines. We have a forward triage at the entrance to our Emergency Department, where a nurse in personal protective equipment (PPE) is stationed 24/7 to greet and screen patients. Those with COVID-19 symptoms are required to don a mask before entering the ED.

We send patient test samples to the New York State Department of Healthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wadsworth Laboratories in Albany. Results take between 1-2 days during which time the patient is in isolation, and if confirmed positive will remain in isolation for 14 days.

W e have wellness programs, exercise classes, and nutrition workshops offered on our YouTube channel at bit.ly/SBSHWellnessPrograms and will be continually adding more.

We answer questions and provide information on our website southampton.stonybrookmedicine.edu as well as Facebook @stonybrooksouthamptonhospital and Instagram @stonybrookssh.

Our colleagues at Stony Brook Medicine have established a Coronavirus Hotline (631) 638-1320 with registered nurses answering calls M-F from 8 am until Midnight and Sat-Sun from 9 am-6 pm. There is someone available, M-F from 9 am-4 pm, who speaks Spanish or you can call (631) 689-8333 and a Stony Brook operator will contact a Spanish interpreter and then connect you to the Hotline.

For more than a century, this hospital has served the East End. While these times are unprecedented, one constant remains: the indefatigable spirt of this diverse community. We are deeply heartened by your support. Many have asked how to help and a Healthcare Heroes Fund for COVID-19 has been established to help offset the extraordinary expenses associated with providing care during the Coronavirus outbreak. If you wish, you may make a gift at https://southampton. stonybrookmedicine.edu/giving/healthcare_heroes. It will be gratefully received. We are honored to serve you.

Unprecedented times require unprecedented measures. Our dedicated physicians, nurses and staff are responding heroically around the clock to care for our community and our patients. We all need to take good care of each other so that we can overcome this global pandemic together.

southampton.stonybrookmedicine.edu Stony Brook Southampton Hospital is an equal opportunity employer.

Robert S. Chaloner

Chief Administrative Officer, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital

The Independent

Letters

Publisher & GM James J. Mackin Executive Editor & Associate Publisher Jessica Mackin-Cipro Executive Editor Rick Murphy

The Independent accepts exclusive letters of 500 words or less, submitted digitally by Friday at 4 PM. The Independent reserves the right to not publish letters deemed slanderous, libelous, or otherwise questionable. Letters can be sent to news@indyeastend.com.

We Need Leadership To all business owners and leaders in the community, We need leadership from you now! Our future economy depends on the input of leaders in the business community throughout the United States. Please read the message from the International Economic Development Council carefully. We need to take responsibility for our own future and guide Washington in the right direction. Politics were not designed to be able to pivot quickly in order to expedite and implement the changes we need to guarantee our future. It is critical that you reach out today to your elected officials and ask them to support economic development in this fourth COVID-19 bill. Please share the message with your networks and other organizations. It is ur-

Tully’s View

gent that we come together in order to have a strong voice and be heard from coast to coast. Bob Kern President of the Riverhead Chamber of Commerce

It Does Discriminate Dear Editor, While usually I applaud your editorials for their good sense, I cannot let this particular one pass without comment, and indeed reprimand. How can you possibly say that COVID-19 “claims its victims indiscriminately” and doesn’t care “how much money you have, or what race you are?” This is patently false. Among others, Governor Andrew Cuomo has stressed how this pandemic underscores the incredible inequality that prevails. Sincerely, Helen Searing Continued On Page 34.

Managing & Sports Editor Desirée Keegan Features Editor Bridget LeRoy Senior Writer T.E. McMorrow Copy Editor Lisa Cowley Writers/ Columnists / Contributors Denis Hamill Nicole Teitler Zachary Weiss Dominic Annacone Joe Cipro Karen Fredericks Isa Goldberg Vincent Pica Bob Bubka Gianna Volpe Heather Buchanan Vanessa Gordon Joan Baum Jenna Mackin Vay David Georgia Warner Brittany Ineson Ernest Hutton Head Of Sales Daniel Schock Advertising Media Sales Director Joanna Froschl Sales Manager BT Sneed Account Managers Tim Smith Sheldon Kawer Annemarie Davin John Wyche Art Director Jessica Mackin-Cipro Advertising Production Manager John Laudando

Independent/Irene Tully

Director of Business Development/ Branding Amy Kalaczynski Director of Marketing & Real Estate Coordinator Ty Wenzel Graphic Designer Lianne Alcon Contributing Photographers Nanette Shaw Kaitlin Froschl Richard Lewin Gordon M. Grant Rob Rich Jenna Mackin Lisa Tamburini Irene Tully Ty Wenzel Justin Meinken Tom Kochie Jan Mackin Bookkeeper Sondra Lenz Office Administrator & Classified Manager Tammy Dill-Flores Delivery Managers Charlie Burge Eric Supinsky Louis Evangelista Published weekly by: East Hampton Media Holdings LLC Subscriptions by 1st Class Mail: $91 yearly The Independent Newspaper 74 Montauk Highway Suite #19 East Hampton, NY 11937 P 631 324 2500 F 631 324 2544 www.indyeastend.com Follow : @indyeastend Email : news@indyeastend.com ©2020 Entire Contents Copyrighted Financial responsibility for errors in all advertising printed in The Independent is strictly limited to actual amount paid for the ad.

April 15, 2020

The Independent

News & Opinion “There has been no decision” regarding the closure of the schools, he said. “It makes no sense for one locality to take an action that’s not coordinated with the others. He didn’t close them, and he can’t open them.” Cuomo discussed for the first time the possibility the shutdown could be extended for the remainder of the school year, and noted the decision would be made in conjunction with neighboring states and school districts.

More Protection Delivered

Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order that requires all essential workers who interact with the public to wear face masks.

Governor Says Worst Is Over But death count increases by the hundreds each day By Rick Murphy rmurphy@indyeastend.com

Deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic have reached a plateau, perhaps for the first time. A somber Governor Andrew Cuomo at a press conference Monday, April 13, discussed how difficult the previous day had been for him. “For me, I’m Catholic, Easter Sunday is the high holy day in many ways,” he said. “To have this happen over this weekend is really especially tragic, and they’re all in our thoughts and prayers.” Cuomo was referring to the 671 deaths the state reported on what is arguably the Christian faith’s most joyous day. But instead of hosting an egg hunt at the executive mansion, a tradition started by his father, former Governor Mario Cuomo, he was instead visiting a rehab center that lent

ventilators to New York City. “I think you can say the worst is over,” Andrew Cuomo said, but warned if people let up on social distancing and other measures, the novel coronavirus could have a second wave. There were 731 new deaths statewide from April 6 to 7, making it the largest single-day increase in deaths since the pandemic hit New York. It followed four successive days in which casualties ranged from 562 to 630, and numbers have since dropped daily. While Cuomo called the latest “terrible” and “painful,” with the state death total reaching 10,056, it was also the first time in a week the daily toll dropped to under 700. He announced April 13 a multistate plan to reopen in phases.

“We’re on the path to normalcy,” Cuomo said, although adding there is no timeframe currently. New Jersey, Connecticut, and other so-called turnpike states have coordinated efforts. He also issued an executive order designed to bring the death rate down. All workers who interact with the public — in supermarkets, for example — will be required to wear face masks. Cuomo said the stabilization of the death rate is “good news,” but the flattening is “at a horrific level,” higher than health officials anticipated, but lowering day-to-day nonetheless. He also said he will order employers who still have their businesses open and are interacting with the public to provide workers with some sort of face covering. The most prevalent change will be in supermarkets and other food stores. Cuomo acknowledged the order is similar to the New Jersey law enacted earlier this week, but customers there have to wear masks as well now.

Schools Out Until Summer? New York Mayor Bill de Basio said Friday, April 10, he is shutting the city public school system until summer. This drew a rebuke from Cuomo, who said he was the only one with the authority to do so.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said the federal government delivered 200,000 N95 masks after he personally reached out to the White House. “President [Donald] Trump delivered,” Bellone said. There were 3404 hospital beds and 771 intensive care unit beds in Suffolk County as of March 12. As it appeared, the rate of illness that required hospitalization took a downturn. Congressman Lee Zeldin, a member of the bipartisan Coronavirus Task Force, secured a donation of 10,000 N95 masks from the Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation. The masks were distributed to frontline workers across Suffolk County. “This latest donation of vital personal protective equipment is yet another example of how New Yorkers have come together to help our frontline workers in need,” Zeldin said. “In reflecting, the selflessness of its organization’s namesake — September 11 hero Stephen Siller — the Tunnel to Towers Foundation is stepping up to the plate when our community needs this generosity most. I thank each and every one of them for their continued service to our local workforce and I look forward to continuing to work with Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone to deliver this valuable personal protective equipment to those in need.” Bellone has also asked residents to do their part in stopping the spread by not littering disposable gloves and masks on public property. He announced that ProHEALTH is opening drive-thru testing sites for all first responders, and asked anyContinued On Page 34.

News & Opinion

April 15, 2020

Sights & Scenes Across The East End As local communities thank health care workers and those on the front lines, here are some sights and scenes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit www.indyeastend.com as we continue to add images from across the East End.

The entrance to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. Independent/Lisa Tamburini

Rex Martin and Brent Becker at the Montauk Fire Department, which is closed except for emergency calls. Independent/Richard Lewin

A sign thanking Southampton Hospitall. Independent/Lisa Tamburini

Â A thank you to health care workers sign hangs outside Southampton Publick House. Independent/Jessica Mackin-Cipro

The Montauk Historical Society and Long Islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easternmost resident and Keeper of the Light Joe Gaviola decided it was best for public safety to close the property until conditions improve. Independent/Richard Lewin

The Independent

1918 Flu Pandemic Came From A Bird The influenza killed 675,000 Americans By T. E. McMorrow t.e@indyeastend.com A mysterious, very contagious, and lethal virus that had crossed over to humans from an animal spread quickly across Europe, and then the United States, leaving mass casualties in its wake. American officials, along with some members of the press, initially downplayed the significance of the 1918 influenza pandemic, promising it would soon go away. The public was told by some officials they should go about business as usual. As the lethality of the virus became clear, with death resulting from pneumonia-like conditions as a result of the disease, officials delayed closing institutions, then pushed to have them reopened. Protective equipment was in short supply, doctors and nurses became ill and died, and the country’s surgeon general gave the American people a lesson on how to make cloth face masks to help stop the contagion. Sound familiar? This pandemic, commonly referred to as the Spanish influenza, although that origin was eventually debunked, closely mirrors the world’s current fight against COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website described the 1918 pandemic as being caused “by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin.” It came from a bird. Europe was consumed by what was then known as The Great War, now called World War I. The United States joined the fight in April 1917, taking sides with France, England, and Belgium. Russia dropped out of the Allied Forces ef-

fort after the Russian Revolution of 1917. Their chief opponents were the nations now known as Germany, Austria, and Turkey. The Independent has examined the reporting in every issue of The New York Times, and local newspapers, like The East Hampton Star from that year. In 1918, The Times was an advocate for the war effort and the President Woodrow Wilson administration. The war dominated its front page daily with every one topped by a banner headline proclaiming the day’s events on the battlefield. The influenza never made it to the front page once, despite the fact that the disease would go on to kill roughly 675,000 Americans, as reported by the CDC. According to the organization, “about 500 million people, or one-third of the world’s population, became infected with this virus. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide.” Of the 116,516 American troops who died in the war, over 63,000 of them were killed by the flu. Molly Billings, an associate professor at the University of Washington’s Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, wrote about the pandemic in 1997, the year she obtained her BA from Stanford University. “The influenza virus had a profound virulence, with a mortality rate at 2.5 percent, compared to the previous influenza epidemics, which were less than 0.1 percent,” she said. “Most of humanity felt the effects of this strain of the influenza virus.

An emergency hospital during the 1918 influenza in Kansas.

It spread following the path of its human carriers, along trade routes and shipping lines. Outbreaks swept through North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Brazil, and the South Pacific. In India, the mortality rate was extremely high, at around 50 deaths from influenza per 1000 people.” It’s not known where the disease made the jump from bird to human, but it likely was not from Spain. While the rest of Europe was engaged in an all-out war, Spain was on the sideline. Information from the war-consumed nations was being censored, but not from Spain. The first mention of Spanish influenza appeared in The New York Times on June 21, 1918. The story is sourced from an unnamed Dutch traveler, just returning from Germany. “Spain Affected by German Sickness and Other Countries Will Be, Says Hollander,” the headline on the story reads. “‘The mysterious sickness, now prevalent in Spain, comes from Germany and will doubtless soon reach other countries,’ said a Dutch tailor who recently returned from Germany.” On June 25 and June 27, The Times reported that German troops were infected by disease. “Spanish Influenza is Raging in the German Army,” a June 27 headline

read. “LONDON, June 26: Influenza is now epidemic all along the German front, according to advices received from the Dutch frontier, and the prevalence of this ailment is said to be hampering the preparations for offensive operations.” On June 28, dateline Washington, D.C., The Times reported that the “epidemic is not regarded here as having serious proportions. It is clear that the soldier who has it is incapacitated for duty, and thousands may be down with the disease at once, so that military movements may be delayed.” “The American troops have at no time shown any form of the disease,” the story reported. “Precautions have already been ordered, however, to meet any emergency.” On July 3, a Spanish ship came to an American port, and was fumigated, a story reports. On July 11, kaiser Wilhelm II, the leader of Germany at the time, was reported to have fallen ill with the disease, and had to leave the western front of the war. All along, Americans were promised that the disease could never hit home. This is the first installment of a threepart series on the influenza pandemic of 1918.

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News & Opinion

April 15, 2020

East Hampton Food Pantry Meets Growing Demand Helps feed the unemployed and food insecure, donations welcomed By T. E. McMorrow t.e@indyeastend.com “No one in the Hamptons should be hungry,” reads the banner on the homep-

Help From Chamber

The East Hampton Chamber of Commerce is focused on local recovery efforts and appreciates the efforts of the local, county, and state officials who are working tirelessly to secure muchneeded resources for the region. The offices are currently closed. Members of the community can book a 30-minute virtual appointment to gain assistance while applying for these funding opportunities, for sole proprietors, LLCs, or nonprofits. As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, small businesses may apply for two Small Business Administration loans — the Economic Injury Disaster Loan may be accessed at www. sba.gov/funding-programs/disasterassistance, and Paycheck Protection Program at www.sba.gov/fundingprograms/loans/coronavirus-reliefoptions/paycheck-protection-program-ppp. For updates call 631-324-0362 or email info@EastHamptonChamberofCommerce.com. JM

age of the East Hampton Food Pantry’s website. Working in conjunction with other pantries across the Town of East Hampton, the charitable organization, which was founded in 1989, is stepping up its efforts to feed the hungry at a time of year it normally throttles down that operation. “In March of last year, we served 1200 people. This year, 1800,” Vicki Littman, chairperson of the charity’s board of directors, said on April 7 as she helped distribute bags of groceries to the occupants in the line of cars pulling up to the tent. The food pantry sets the tent up at the East Hampton Town government’s complex at 159 Pantigo Road. To get to the distribution center, you drive past the town’s justice court and the communication tower, then make a left. The distribution center operates from 1 to 6 PM, every other Tuesday. The demand keeps growing. “Normally, in April, our numbers start decreasing. We had over 50 new families last month,” Littman said. On April 7, the bags for those in need included “bread, milk, eggs . . . and we have toilet paper today,” Littman said about that astonishingly scarce commodity. Each client also gets their fair share of bagels and flagels. “Goldberg’s donates them every Tuesday,” she said. The food pantry was also distributing whole chickens to families, in recogni-

Unfortunately, business is booming at the East Hampton Food Pantry’s distribution center. Independent/T. E. McMorrow

tion of the holiday season. Some of the food and supplies distributed are obtained through direct donations. Much of it, though, is purchased by the pantry. On alternate Tuesdays, when the East Hampton Food Pantry is closed, the Wainscott and Montauk pantries are open, allowing those in need to get food and supplies every week. “We serve all of East Hampton, from Montauk to Wainscott,” Littman said. The food the pantries provide enables those in need to marshal scarce dollars. “This pandemic has laid off so many people. If we can give two or threedays’ worth of food, that helps them pay for their rent or their light or phone bill.” Littman is a lifelong resident who has been on the East Hampton Food Pantry’s board for 12 years, the last five as its chair. She began working with the pantry when she realized there were many school children in the town who did not have enough food to eat on a daily basis. “A lot of people, second-home owners who come out for the summer, they see the glamorous side of it the Hamptons, the celebrities,” she noted. To Littman, the true celebrities are the residents of

and visitors to East Hampton who make donations to help those in need. Last March, “Ladles of Love,” which benefited the Food Pantry, raised $14,000. That event had to be cancelled this year, as did other fundraising events. Littman said donations can be made by sending a check to East Hampton Food Pantry, P.O. Box 505, East Hampton, NY, 11937, or through the pantry’s website at www.EastHamptonFoodPantry.org. The forced closing of businesses due to the pandemic has cut a wide swath across the East Hampton community. “We are having donors now who are our clients. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. We are here to help everyone. We live in a very special community. When someone is in need, we are here to help them, regardless. If you need help, please come. That is why we are here,” she said. Those in need are encouraged to call 631-324-2300 to sign up. Darius Narizzano, a member of the pantry’s board, was helping guide traffic April 7. He was asked why he volunteers. “Because I can,” he replied. “We are going to get through this together,” Littman said.

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The Independent

Feeding The Need All for the East End helps direct funds locally By Desirée Keegan desiree@indyeastend.com

Community leaders are banding together to raise funds to address food insecurity on the East End. Citing a rapidly-growing economic crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a coalition of food pantry directors has joined with local elected officials, clergy, and business leaders to launch a broad appeal for donations to food distribution agencies that are already seeing a rapid increase in the number of individuals seeking assistance. The group has named the campaign Feed the Need. All donations are taxdeductible and go directly to local food pantries according to need. The idea originated when Bridgehampton resident Dan She-

drick reached out to Southampton Supervisor Jay Schneiderman with a question about how to help the local workforce cope with the economic crisis. “There is a humanitarian crisis,” Shedrick said. “Seventy-five percent of working Americans have been financially hurt during this pandemic. People want to help, but they don’t know how best to help.” The fundamental problem, according to Schneiderman, is that the compromised workforce is spread throughout the East End region. “If our goal is to help the local workforce, we need to think regionally,” Schneiderman said. “We need

an East End fundraising appeal.” The supervisor reached out to other community leaders to get the ball rolling. State Assemblyman Fred Thiele was one of the first on board, and suggested using an existing foundation headed All for the East End as an umbrella agency to direct funds on the local level. The not-for-profit, founded in 2013 by Claudia Pilato, who was looking increase resources to nonprofits on the East End, was a perfect vehicle to launch the Feed the Need campaign. “Feed the Need expects to raise significant funds to support the escalating needs of our food pantries to alleviate food insecurity in our local community,” Pilato said. “The goal is to quickly and efficiently get money where it is needed most.” The team is assembling a board of directors consisting of local clergy, advocates of minority populations, leaders from the agriculture and fishing industries, and philanthropists. An advisory committee of food pantry representatives will help guide the group’s relief efforts. Fundraising targets are being set and a large-scale marketing plan developed. Through the organization, donors can link directly and donate to specific food pantries or give through

All for the East End, selecting the East End, South Fork, or North Fork. Hilton Crosby, director of Heart of the Hamptons, the largest food pantry in the Town of Southampton, quickly joined the effort and work began in earnest. “During this coronavirus crisis, we are seeing more and more families turning to food pantries for assistance,” Crosby said. “We are so busy distributing food that it will be helpful to have a fundraising arm like Feed the Need to help generate funds to expand our operations.” Heart of the Hamptons is working out of the basement of a church, but is looking to expand into a more permanent ground-level facility. “Food insecurity is one of our biggest concerns as we continue to experience economic disruption on the East End due to COVID-19,” Thiele said. “The impact to our service industries is particularly severe. The Feed the Need campaign marshals the resources of both our seasonal and year-round community to ensure no person goes hungry. We are all in this together. Together, we can help our food pantries do what they could not do individually.” For more information or to donate, visit www.aftee.org.

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News & Opinion

April 15, 2020

Billy Joel Donation Helps Local Pantries The Piano Man purchases freezers for Long Island Cares in Hampton Bays By Jessica Mackin-Cipro jessica@indyeastend.com

Maybe he was in “a New York state of mind.” Billy Joel’s The Joel Foundation has teamed up with Long Island Cares to help East End food pantries with recent overwhelming demand due to COVID-19. The Joel Foundation is footing the bill for new freezers and related equipment at the Long Island Cares facility in Hampton Bays that will help the flow of perishable items to the East End, where the pandemic has created significant shortages. “Due to the pandemic, there is an increase in the need for nutritious food and a lack of volunteers. Given the

risks associated with the virus, many food pantries are dealing with the loss of staff,” said a statement from the Joel family, posted on Billy Joel’s Twitter account. “Unfortunately, this coincides with an increased need for food. After hearing about this situation, we purchased freezer units and additional equipment that are being installed in their Hampton Bays facility. The new equipment will service the entire East End and will now allow for transport of perishables and frozen goods to the East End pantries and soup kitchens.” The statement also noted the number of East Enders in need of food assistance is expected to increase.

“We are hopeful this will aid the current shortage and limited availability families are currently experiencing,” the Joel family said.

Long Island Cares is a charity founded by the late singer-songwriter Harry Chapin. For more information, visit www.licares.org.

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The Independent

Health Care Heroes Fighting The Good Fight Learn what they’re doing, and ways to help amid the COVID-19 pandemic By Brittany Ineson

If you aren’t a medical professional, it’s hard to imagine what goes on behind hospital walls. What does the inside of a hospital look like amid the COVID-19 pandemic? Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s Director of Communications and Marketing, Barbara-Jo Howard, took some time out of her busy schedule to give us a peek behind the curtain, as well as let the public know ways to help.

What is the atmosphere like at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital right now? We have a highly-skilled team of professionals who are working tirelessly to combat COVID-19. Morale is very good. As more than one nurse has stated, “this is what we signed up to do.” The entire staff is very quick to adapt to ever-evolving guidelines as they occur.

How is the staff coping? They are brave, strong, committed, and compassionate. They are deeply touched by the many notes and pictures that are emailed and posted to social media.

Are you seeing the same shortage of medical supplies that the rest of this country is seeing? Yes, but we are managing. Though we are standing safely

apart, we continue to work seamlessly together. In anticipation of our patients’ needs we are building solutions and staying ahead of a rapidly-evolving public health crisis. In just a few short weeks, we have incredibly expanded bed capacity 100 percent and increased intensive care unit beds threefold. We have successfully transformed our hospital from 94 beds to 184. This is an astonishing undertaking that was being nimbly executed through collaboration, innovation, and stealthlike determination. We built in a matter of days what it would normally take months, if not years to achieve. The Cardiac Care Unit and North 2 South End have been converted into ICUs and post-anesthesia care unit stands ready to accept patients. We have completed the transformation of the Cardiac Rehab Center into a tele-unit for non-COVID/person under investigation patients. These conversions are happening only as a result of the collective hard work and tireless dedication of an amazing staff. Our clinical staff are brave, skilled, and compassionate. We cannot thank them enough for their dedication.

Are you receiving donations of masks to your hospital from local vendors or otherwise? We have received many much-welcomed donations of various personal protective equipment items, including N95 masks.

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The forward triage to Stony Brook Southampton’s emergency department. Independent/Courtesy Stony Brook Southampton Hospital

We are incredibly fortunate to be serving such a caring and engaged community that is leaving no stone unturned in their steadfast commitment to help reinforce our supplies and equipment, including ventilators, PPE, and funding. We are grateful for the outpouring of support.

Where can philanthropists donate funds? The Health Care Heroes Fund has been established to help underwrite the extraordinary expenses associated with our hospital’s efforts to care for our community during this crisis. We very much appreciate every donation.

The public has been advised to stay home and wash their hands. Is there any advice you would give? The best protection for you, your family, and all the people you care about is to stay home. If you absolutely must go out, wear a mask and wash your hands often. If you are interested in more information,

visit www.southampton.stonybrookmedicine.edu and follow us on Facebook (@stonybrooksouthamptonhospital) and Instagram (@stonybrookshh) where we answer many questions.

Every Friday at 7 PM, Southampton residents have been asked to go outside and clap, bang on cookware, and make noise, to thank health care workers and first responders. How does it make you feel? It is an inspiring expression of genuine support. Last week, to help bring some cheer to our patients, we asked our staff and the community to have their children send us drawings. Their art has been curated into a virtual art exhibition we are sharing on the in-hospital network as well as on our social media, which can be viewed at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=B46nFDG0jxo&t=10s. To support health care heroes, visit www.southampton.stonybrookmedicine.edu/giving/healthcare_heroes.

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News & Opinion

April 15, 2020

Blood Needed For Possible COVID-19 Treatment Survivors of the disease asked to help save the lives of others By T. E. McMorrow t.e@indyeastend.com

partment of Anesthesiology. As in all studies, some patients will receive the potentially lifesaving serum, while others will receive plasma without the antibodies. This is done to ensure scientists can confirm the efficacy of using a new drug or serum being tested. Given the dire need for the novel coronavirus treatment now, however, instead of a random 50-50 distribution split between serum and placebo, 80 percent of the patients participating will be given the serum. “We are fast-tracking this largescale clinical trial,” Dr. Bennett-Guerrero said, “as every second counts when seeking lifesaving treatment for these critically ill patients.” The use of serum rich with antibodies to help cure disease goes back over 100 years to the influenza pandemic of 1918, and was used most recently during the outbreak of Ebola in 2014. For the study to work, blood donations from survivors is vital. Those interested can go to www. stonybrookmedicine.edu/COVID_donateplasma. After filling out a survey, those potentially eligible will be asked to participate in a screening visit at a Stony Brook Medicine facility. The screening visit will take approximately 30 minutes, Chan said.

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Doctor Elliott Bennett-Guerrero is leading a study for Stony Brook Medicine that could save lives. Independent/Courtesy Stony Brook Medicine

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Stony Brook Medicine, the umbrella company under which Stony Brook University hospitals and clinics operate, is asking for blood donations from survivors of COVID-19, as part of a federally-approved research project to see if blood plasma from survivors can be used to treat patients with serious or immediately life-threatening COVID-19 infections. Kali Chan, a spokesperson for Stony Brook Medicine, said in a press release April 9 that “researchers are collecting the convalescent serum to use in an experimental treatment strategy for those battling the disease.” “Plasma, the liquid portion of blood, which helps with clotting and supporting immunity, contains antibodies that can potentially be used to kill the virus,” she said. On April 2, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Stony Brook University Hospital’s application to offer the treatment to its patients through a randomized, controlled study and is expected to enroll up to 500 patients from the Long Island area. The study is being run by Dr. Elliott Bennett-Guerrero, medical director of perioperative quality and patient safety and professor and vice chair of clinical research and innovation for the Renaissance School of Medicine De-

The Independent

Riverhead Inmate Tests Positive Diagnosis comes right after Sheriff Toulon takes protective precautions By Desirée Keegan desiree@indyeastend.com April 8 marked one full month since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Suffolk County. Late in the evening that Wednesday, an inmate at the Suffolk County Sherriff ’s Office Riverhead Correctional Facility became the first inmate diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. After displaying signs of illness, the inmate was sent to an area hospital for evaluation. At approximately 11 PM, hospital staff notified the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office that this individual tested positive. The sheriff ’s office had released information regarding the pandemic and its effect on the facility and deputy sheriff operations earlier that day. As of April 13, 14 people in the sheriff’s office tested positive, accord-

ing to Sgt. Paul Spinella, and two of those diagnosed already returned to work. Spinella said nine have recovered and are waiting to be cleared, and three are recovering at home with mild-to-moderate symptoms. One deputy also tested positive. And as of press time still just the one inmate tested positive. No sheriff ’s office civilian staff have had COVID-19, and of the correction officers, most were working in areas with minimal contact with county inmates. Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. began implementing stringent procedures in the first week of March to create physical distance between incoming inmates and the general jail population.

The Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverside houses the first inmate COVID-19 case. Independent/T.E. McMorrow

“I have learned in my experience how quickly an infectious disease can make its way through the correctional system,” Toulon told LI News Radio. “It is my goal to implement as many protections to keep our staff and inmates as safe as possible. Our officers are on the front lines of this pandemic and I couldn’t be more pleased with how diligent they are about following safety protocols for everyone’s protection. We have a long way to go with this pandemic, but we are doing very well under these very stressful and difficult circumstances.”

All inmates are housed in a reception area for 14 days upon entry into the jail and consistently monitored for the signs of illness. They are also given appropriate cleaning supplies. On March 17, all in-person visitation was canceled, and more stringent precautions were phased in during subsequent weeks. All correction officers are required to wear appropriate personal protection equipment and have their temperature taken before entering the facility. Deputy sheriffs are also required to wear personal protective equipment.

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April 15, 2020

News & Opinion

A watercolor by Miriam Dougenis was to be featured at a gallery opening before it disappeared. Independent/ Courtesy Miriam Dougenis

Local Painter Wins Judgment Violation of trust shakes artist in trial against art dealer By Rick Murphy rmurphy@indyeastend.com The relationship between an artist and her paintings is intense. They are her creations, conceived and nurtured, and the decision to sell one is heart rending. That said, to lose the painting to a scammer is more painful. Miriam “Molly” Dougenis said she’s felt that pain for years, and gone through it numerous times. “I almost had a nervous breakdown at the thought I’ll never see those paintings again,” she said. Dougenis has been a fixture in the Sag Harbor art scene for decades, good enough to sell a dozen paintings through the art dealer Peter Marcelle, who owned several galleries over the years and sold scored of her paintings over the course of 20 years. “I trusted him, I really did,” the artist said. When she asked that some of her stock be returned in 2016, he balked. “He kept making excuses,” Dougenis said. In one case, regarding a watercolor she was particularly fond of, Marcelle said he sent the piece out for a new frame. It never materialized again, despite numerous requests. The cards were stacked against her, but Dougenis hired an attorney, the first of three, and began the arduous process of suing her art dealer. Marcelle made it hard. He had done business under various names and entities, including Hampton Road Gallery, Peter Marcelle Gallery, and Peter Marcelle Project. He had addresses

in Southampton and Sag Harbor. Jordan Greenberger, of the Manhattan-based law firm of the same name, succeeded in bringing Marcelle to trial after three years. Previously, the art dealer had argued that legal entities were responsible for the missing artwork, but that he was not liable personally. Marcelle, in front of the honorable Judge Andrew Borrok inside Suffolk County Supreme Court, acknowledged “Whale and Vessel” and nine lithographs were among the works Dougenis had passed along to him that were unaccounted for. The jury elected to award Dougenis $27,900 for nine missing paintings plus attorney’s fees. She agreed this kind of thing happens far too often. “Our friends went to a dinner party and saw the painting of another friend on the wall,” she said. That painting, the artist was told, had been stolen from a gallery. Instead, it was apparently sold by the agent, who supposedly kept the proceeds. “There is a private trust created between the dealer and the painter,” Greenberger said. “The dealer must hold the proceeds in trust.” Dougenis and Greenberger must still recover the money Marcelle owes them, which could mean years of filing liens and going through the cumbersome system of restitution. Marcelle, who said he was in the business 41 years before retiring, said he won’t comment on the Dougenis matter.

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The Independent

LI Gardening: What Works Well Where to find good, free advice for your new ‘homestead’ By Bridget LeRoy bridget@indyeastend.com This is the second part of a series on creating edible landscapes for new gardeners interested in food security. Everyone on the East End has become starkly aware of how tenuous the food chain can be, and not the natural one of fungi, plants, small animals, and birds, but the very real food chain of trucks to supermarkets, as shoppers vie for that last chicken breast or wait longer for online deliveries.

So once again, we turn to the farms and the people who work them. Luckily, the North and South forks are filled with farmers. And, for the newbies who have a small plot of land and want to know more about homesteading and foraging, or are thinking about getting a few chickens, there is no better place to find free advice. There’s even an online resource, the Facebook page Long Island Homestead Forum, which morphed out of the Suffolk Homesteading Forum a few years back.

The page serves as a place for members to ask questions, occasionally brag, or to connect with others. One newcomer asked what seeds could be planted now. “Be gentle,” she wrote. Another member posted photos of the pesto sauce she had made by foraging purple dead nettle and garlic mustard on her property. “I was just thinking,” asked another, “what else can I eat in my yard? Dandelion, clovers, dead nettle, and that ‘plantain weed,’ and what else? I might need a salad.” Of course, at this time of year, the page is filled with pictures of baby chicks and designs for raised garden beds, along with plans for other small building and gardening projects, along with many who have been homeschooling their children for years, with lots of ideas. The group has grown since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, up to almost 5000 members. The forum was started in 2013 by Rachel Maris, an East Moriches resident. “At the time, there was no local

During wartime, Manhattanites farmed in front of the old Charles M. Schwab mansion from Riverside to West End, between 73rd and 74th streets. Independent/Library of Congress

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group on Facebook that dealt with homesteading skills,” the mother of five said. “People in my homeschool group were always asking questions about gardening and cooking, knitting, foraging food, information about local farms, so I saw the need and filled it by making the group.” Maris said she also liked the idea of getting information out on what could successfully be grown on Long Island. “The Island is filled with microclimates, so that you may see around the Pine Barrens, for example, a temperature difference of a few degrees compared to along the shore,” she said. “This affects the plants that can grow well in those areas. The leaves changing color out East before out West and the reverse in spring — the West sees leaves emerging first in spring . . . I wanted to hear about these differences and see what worked well growing on Long Island based on people’s experience.” Her goal, she said, “has always been to become as self-sufficient as possible, and when needed to rely on local farms instead of big-box stores.” “I love this community so much,” Maris said, adding, “my best friends I found through the group.” On the subject of victory gardens — which sprouted up across the country during World War I and II as a way of boosting rations for families — Maris is looking at founding a homesteading hub with free skill classes taught by members, including meetings, meals, and more. “It’s an evolving idea, but I’ve got a place I think I’m going to move on,” she said, adding it requires a bit of fundraising. “I’m really excited. And I need to garden again.” Easy-to-grow crops on Long Island year-round, Maris said, include garlic, onion, lettuces, parsley, chives, scallions, carrots, leeks, and kale, among others. “I think people see that we need to be concerned with food security, and so they are turning to the group for information,” Maris said. “People who have never grown anything are trying to grow now. It’s a really amazing, positive outcome of all this — I hope it will be a lasting one.”

News & Opinion

April 15, 2020

Deepwater Hearings Shelved Until August Wind energy company loses delay plea By Rick Murphy rmurphy@indyeastend.com

Ørsted/Eversource Energy’s quest to bring electric power to East Hampton was dealt a blow on April 8 when the state’s review of its application was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ørsted, which acquired Deepwater Wind, a leading offshore wind developer, and then sold 50 percent of its share to Eversource Energy, is racing the clock to meet a self-imposed deadline to be online by the end of 2022. The project, known as the South Fork Wind Farm, still needs town, state, and federal approvals. Federal tax credits to help fund the project are also expiring at a time when congressional support for wind power may be waning, especially in light of the recent massive outlay to combat the novel coronavirus.

In September 2018, Deepwater Wind South Fork, LLC filed an application with the New York Public Service Commission to construct, operate, and maintain the South Fork Export Cable project, which would connect the proposed South Fork Wind Farm, located in federal jurisdictional waters east of Montauk Point, to the existing mainland electric transmission and distribution system off Route 114 in Wainscott. Ever since, the Public Service Commission has weighed the request while taking input from dozens of interveners who sought comment along the way, both for and against. The most adamant opposition comes from Wainscott residents and the commercial fishing industry. Members of The Citizens for the

East Hampton Town officials are negotiating a benefit package of over $20 million to allow Deepwater Wind to land its cable in Wainscott, two sources said. Independent/File

Protection of Wainscott asked the commission to postpone the hearings 90 days due to complications resulting from the coronavirus shutdown. Ørsted countered, saying a 30-day postponement was sufficient, but the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, which opposes the project because of the deleterious effects the wind turbines could have on some fish species, blasted the suggestion. Win With Wind, a pro-Deepwater group closely aligned with the town’s ruling Democratic Party, sided with Ørsted that a 30-day adjustment of the litigation schedule will allow the parties needed flexibility. The East Hampton Town Trustees, which may ultimately have to

greenlight the project for the work needed to be done on the beach, finally made their stand public, siding with the wind company. “Like the other parties to this proceeding, [we] are experiencing an upset in daily life brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mila Buckner wrote in a letter on behalf of the trustees to presiding administrative law judge Anthony Belsito. “We believe the DWSF’s request for a 30-day extension is reasonable, and one that balances the challenges of this unique time in accordance with the need to continue conducting business.” Buckner acknowledged further delay might be needed depending on the Continued On Page 31.

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The Independent

Police How Are South Fork Police Dealing With COVID-19? From sanitizing to mental health, local chiefs speak out By T.E. McMorrow and Bridget LeRoy t.e@indyeastend.com

FR EE

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The Town of East Hampton Police Department has seen a 10 percent increase in activity from this time last year, according to call logs. This has been attributed to a population swelled by the number of summer and weekend homes that have become full-time residences to those seeking refuge from COVID-19. According to weekly records, from 8 AM March 25 to 8 AM April 5, 2019, 346 events were logged, compared to 382 over the same time period this year. This increased activity is coming at a time when the department is coping with an unprecedented change in procedures, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. According to Chief Michael Sarlo, two officers have tested positive for COVID-19. One was treated and has since recovered, while the other remains in quarantine. Five officers who had symptoms tested negative for the disease.

“We are encouraging officers to be extra mindful of any potential symptoms, for themselves or any household members,” he said Friday. “There is obviously a lot of anxiety over bringing the virus home from work.” Over in the Town of Southampton, police Chief Steven Skrynecki said crime hasn’t exactly gone down, but it has changed. “There aren’t as many burglaries, of course, because everyone is home,” he said, adding this leads to officers needing to keep a closer eye on unattended businesses. For the public, Southampton Lieutenant Susan Ralph has instigated a driveway chalk challenge for residents through April 16, offering locals a chance to thank first responders and medical personnel. Artwork can be submitted to Sralph@southamptontownny.gov. “People have been bringing casseroles and other food for us and leaving

Southampton Town Police Chief Steven Skrynecki, shown here at a 2019 press conference, said last week that he appreciates the strong support the community is showing for his department. Independent/T. E. McMorrow

it at the station,” Skrynecki said. “It’s been a time of reconnection and it’s been nice to feel appreciation from the community.” On a personal note, both Skrynecki and Ralph are taking care of their own mental health, as well as offering aid to members of the department. “I’ve taken up running again,” Skrynecki said, adding physical activity helps with mental clarity and keeping focused. Ralph, who has long practiced yoga and has horses which she said are very therapeutic, recently ad-

opted a vegan diet. She also continues the Young Explorers online program for teens who may be interested in a career in law enforcement. Sarlo said he also makes sure to spend the few hours of downtime he has with his family, trying to find a few minutes to help his daughter, who is missing her varsity lacrosse season, with some drills and skills, or shooting hoops at home. “Having two school-aged kids who are adjusting to the distance learnContinued On Next Page.

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Police

April 15, 2020

Three Arrests Made In East Hampton

weeks ago as a nonessential business. Suspicious about why it was in the lot, an officer ran the car’s license plate number, learned it was reported stolen several hours earlier in New York City. Love was placed under arrest and was taken to police headquarters, where he was eventually released, to be arraigned at a future date. In other police news, Brian Rivera-Aguirre, 24, of Montauk, was charged with petty larceny the morning of April 4. The arrest was made by an officer who had investigated the theft of a John Varvados jacket from the bar area of The Clubhouse on Daniels Hole Road the night of March 14. The officer reviewed surveillance video from the establishment which showed Rivera-Aguirre, who was al-

Police: Car, jacket stolen, another DWI reported this month By T. E. McMorrow t.e@indyeastend.com

A homeless man originally from Virginia Beach was arrested by Town of East Hampton police around midnight Friday, April 10, and was charged with possession of a stolen car, a felony.

According to Captain Chris Anderson, Matthias Love, 37, was in a 2004 Honda CRV suburban in the parking lot of Rum Runner on Main Street in Wainscott, a store that was shuttered several

South Fork Police

before, during, and after shifts,” Sarlo said. All surfaces, including doors and handles, are constantly being cleaned. The dispatch officers now work alone, and also wear masks, with their equipment constantly being sanitized. Vehicles are too, before, during, and after shifts. It is important, the chief believes, to communicate to the entire department how appreciative members of the public are to their efforts. “The support has been excellent,” Sarlo said, with the department receiving donations including pizzas, Girl Scout cookies, and protective masks and gear. “We are a community-oriented police department, and in times like these, that mutual respect and cooperation certainly bears out.” Sarlo, currently the president of the East End Chiefs Association, conferences via phone and video with heads of departments, including Skrynecki, focusing on, among other things, enforcement of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s PAUSE order — a 10-point policy that includes the shutdown of nonessential businesses — in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Continued From Previous Page.

ing and missing out on so much, is the same parenting challenge for my wife and I that we are all going through,” he said. “My son turns 17 and had his driver’s test cancelled. We’re dealing with all the same challenges and realities everyone else is as well. There’s so much uncertainty for the kids during this time, it’s tough on everyone.” As in Southampton, changes in protocol for the East Hampton Police Department are many, according to Sarlo. “We shut down walk-in complaints, and limit the types of calls we are going on, taking [complaints] over the phone when possible,” he said. Officers maintain social distancing when responding to calls, and “do not to enter any residences or buildings unless absolutely necessary,” the chief said. When doing so, a mask and gloves are required. Both departments acknowledged they have also upped their cleaning practices. “We are sanitizing our vehicles

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ready wearing a jacket, pick up the stolen article of clothing and put it over his shoulders before exiting the bar. John Farrell, 31, of Yonkers, was charged with misdemeanor aggravated driving while intoxicated the afternoon of April 1. Police said he was standing outside a 2018 Nissan Frontier pickup with two flat tires, parked on the westbound side of Pantigo Road, about halfway up on a grassy shoulder. The police said that Farrell told the arresting officer he had been driving the car. Failing sobriety tests, he was arrested and taken to police headquarters. There, a breath test indicated that the amount of alcohol in Farrell’s system was high enough to trigger a raised aggravated driving while intoxicated charge.

Census Missing Much Of South Fork

Which neighborhoods, from Southampton to Montauk, are being undercounted currently in the 2020 Census? As of April 10, it’s not looking good. In Montauk, the response rate from neighborhoods south of Montauk Highway is almost nonexistent. From U.S. Census Bureau tract 2010.07, which includes Camp Hero and all of Ditch Plains and Hither Hills, the response rate is 7.1 percent, more than six times less than the national average — 47.5 percent. Continuing west along Montauk Highway, tract 2010.06 is comprised of all of Napeague and Beach Hampton, as well as a large chunk of Amagansett, running from the ocean north all the way to Red Dirt Road. The response rate for that entire area currently sits at 3.1 percent. Almost all of this tract is being covered by the Update Leave program, an operation which was suspended before it began, because it requires personal visits from Census workers, which is impossible due to current COVID-19 restrictions. In East Hampton, south of Pantigo Road, this area is supposedly being contacted by the Census Bureau via the United States Postal Service. This tract, 2009.01, has a response rate of 14.2 percent, much better than tracts east, but still woefully low. East Hampton’s western hamlet, Wainscott, on tract 2009.03, has come in at a response rate of 11.8 percent. Almost the entire hamlet, running north to Sag Harbor, responds through Update Leave. Moving west, Sagaponack and Bridgehampton, part of the Town of Southampton, are also almost entirely under the Update Leave program. Tract 1907.14, which is mostly Sagaponack, has a return rate of 7.2 percent. Tract 1907.12, Bridgehampton, from its border with Sagaponack west to Hayground School, has a return rate of 7.8 percent. Tract 1803, Shelter Island, entirely under Update Leave, sits at 3.9 percent. The Shinnecock Indian Nation has similar response numbers. TEM

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The Independent

Editorial Answering The Call

It almost seems like pandering to write anything more about the people on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. But no matter how much praise is heaped on them, it becomes apparent with every death it was not nearly enough; that words can’t ever express the gratitude we feel and the debt we owe. The stories are coming out now, but they are coaxed — the first nurse who flung himself or herself into the disease-filled room to try and get the ventilator to work properly; the cop or EMT called into a late-night crisis who enters a room of coughing people who should be quarantined. The Good Samaritan rushing to save a citizen in distress knowing he or she is risking his or her own health to do so. These are really no different than the heroes of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks — those who ran into a canyon of flames to answer the cries of those trapped. Heroes exhibit the rarest of attributes; courage in the face of death. They are doing the kind of work most of us are afraid to do, because there is something inside them only the rarest of us possess. In the backdrop, their families wait by the phone or gather around the table, knowing that the dreaded novel coronavirus is everywhere outside of that front door, the door mom or dad ran through a few hours ago because they got the call — someone, probably a stranger, needed them. Hopefully, we, as a society, will be able to reward them some day when we finally realize those who wear the scrubs, carry the badges, and answer the call aren’t the stereotypes painted by a few disgruntled in our community. They are the very best in our community, and someday we will be able to go out on the street again — together — and thank them for what they have done during this nightmare.

Is it just me?

JUST ASKING

By Karen Fredericks

Who taught you to drive? Joe Crowley My father taught me to drive. He was a teacher by profession so he was good at showing me how to do it. It went well, he was calm, so I was calm. That’s a good thing because learning to drive is important and it can be a little scary at first.

Miranda Stafford My father taught me to drive. It was easy because he was very laid-back so I wasn't nervous. I was pretty young. We lived on a farm. I might have been as young as 12. But the roads are so uncrowded out in the country, so I think a lot of kids start learning to drive at a very early age.

Cleo McCarty I drove a golf cart when I was in Antigua but just for a little bit. It was fun. It made me think about what it might be like to drive a car. I also used to sit in my dad’s lap while he drove a tractor.

Leila Arantes My father was a farmer so the first time he took me driving we went out onto the very edge of town. It wasn't on the street or a highway. But I have to say even though I learned when I was young it took me many years to feel confident about driving.

Neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night nor coronavirus . . .

Karen was chosen Best Cartoonist by the New York Press Association in 2017. She’s also the recipient of multiple awards for her illustration of the international bestseller gratitude andAward. a huge youof to postal workers! How To Build Your Own Country, including theWith prestigious Silver Birch Her thank work is part theour permanent artist’s book collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

April 15, 2020

Arts & Entertainment Andrea Grover A sharp stop and a look ahead By Bridget LeRoy bridget@indyeastend.com

Andrea Grover with her husband, Carlos Lama, and their daughters, Gigi and Lola. Independent/Lindsay Morris

“The good thing is we’re all in this together, figuring it out together.” — Andrea Grover

The Independent

Piazza del Duomo, Florence, Italy, early March 2020. Independent/Kevin Berlin

in Italy at Bar Perseo, and the best cioccolata calda (hot chocolate) on planet Earth at Rivoire, chocolatier to the King of Italy during the reign of Victor Emmanuel. I really like this square. It has always been crowded. Until now, it was impossible to imagine the square not packed with a sea of international tourists and local residents.

Scene from Moonwalk performance art video, Florence, Italy, 2020. Visit YouTube to watch. Independent/Kevin Berlin

Artist’s Perspective From Florence Southampton’s Kevin Berlin tells a story from Italy By Nicole Teitler nicole@indyeastend.com He’s recognized for his top hats, known for his artwork, and adored for his lighthearted personality. Southampton’s Kevin Berlin is an undeniable force of creativity, both in craft and spirit. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread, Berlin was enjoying time in Florence, Italy. Little did the artist know, at the time, that he’d be part of a country-wide lockdown, confined to his living quarters. As the rest of the world quarantines in isolation, Italy has inspired us through song and solidarity, and Berlin is at the heart of it all.

How did you end up in a lockdown in Italy during the COVID-19 health crisis? I came to Florence to study the Italian language, visit the museums, and get a taste of la dolce vita. Of course, Florence is also a nice place to wake up in the morning. When the quarantine started, I didn’t feel safe traveling

back to America, and I never would have guessed how serious the situation would become. So here I am. Just like Kevin McCallister in the movie, I find myself home alone.

Describe the historical significance to the area you’re in. Almost every building in the historic center of the Renaissance capital is an art historian’s dream. Palazzi, with high ceilings, carved wood, and covered in paintings; ancient terracotta floors and stone walls as thick as your arm. My bedroom, for example, is more than 700 years old.

That must be inspiring. As an artist, I’m always searching for inspiration. Sometimes the most challenging situations are also the most inspiring. More than 600 years ago in

my very bedroom, in the mid 1300s, Florence was ravished by the plague. During that period Boccaccio was inspired to write his most famous book, a Renaissance masterpiece called “The Decameron.” He created over 100 marvelous stories told by a group of young men and women hiding in a villa outside of Florence, quarantined just like us, waiting for things to get better.

That must give you a strong sense of the city that has seen centuries of human history. It’s true. During this time, I often feel that the stone streets of Florence still belong to Galileo and Machiavelli. Sometimes I think we’re just visiting here.

What inspired your new performance art video? The video was shot in Piazza della Signoria, one of the most beautiful squares in the world, and I live nearby. I have been in this square a thousand times, attracted by the beauty of the outdoor sculptures in Loggia dei Lanzi. It is always a moving experience to stand in front of the marble and bronze figures of Giambologna, Cellini, and Donatello. The enormous Fountain of Neptune was just re-lit and restored to its original beauty by the Ferragamo family. The square has the best cappuccino

How did you come up with the title Moonwalk for the video? The first time I went grocery shopping during the quarantine, I saw the square and I felt like I was on another planet. “Magnificent desolation,” as Buzz Aldrin would say. It was empty. I have never seen the square empty in my entire life. It was surreal. It was shocking. I felt like I was walking on the moon.

What does performance art mean to you? It’s a way to communicate feelings and ideas that cannot be expressed any other way. I use performance art as a platform to open a conversation about important social issues. Past performance art pieces of mine have focused on the global financial crisis, the use and misuse of cellphones, and saving the tigers from extinction. Of course, the artist has a limited role, to start a conversation. The artist is not responsible to solve the problem or to tell anybody what to think, who’s right or wrong, or how to feel.

What’s unique about the video? This is the first video where you can’t see my face. I did that on purpose because this is a time for “we,” not “I.” I hope everyone finds strength and healing during this challenging period.

Arts & Entertainment

April 15, 2020

Podcasts For Quarantine

We all could use a boost in morale right now. Retired Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell chats with guests about their never quit stories in the podcast Team Never Quit. It’s inspiring moments about continuing on in the face of resistance. Perfect motivation for our time. Listen to it at www.teamneverquit.com.

We picked a few of our favorites By Nicole Teitler nicole@indyeastend.com

Feel immediately smarter with NPR’s TED Radio Hour. It’s hosted by journalist Manoush Zomorodi and welcomes some of the world’s greatest thinkers of our time as it explores topics around the world that play a unique position in our very own lives. Learn all about it at www.npr.org/programs/ ted-radio-hour.

Podcasting from Estia’s Little Kitchen, Bridget LeRoy and Alec Sokolow talked ticks with Brian Kelly of East End Mosquito and Tick Control and April “The Tick Lady” Boitano. Independent/Kyle Lynch

There’s a podcast for every person and every interest, so narrowing down this list took some deep consideration. Somehow, some way, we’ve managed to highlight five unique podcasts worth a listen right now. For everything East End there’s Sun-

days On The East End, produced by The Independent’s award-winning journalist Bridget LeRoy and Oscarnominated screenwriter Alec Sokolow. They host conversations with East Enders from artists to astrologers and creatives of all types. Take a listen at www.anchor.fm/sundaysontheeastend.

Needing a laugh? The Joe Rogan Experience is everything. It’s funny, entertaining, informative, and invites every personality type including comedians, designers, inventors, lawyers, you name it. For those unfamiliar with the podcast that began in 2009, Rogan is best known as a comedian who hosted “Fear Factor.” Take a listen at www.joerogan.com.

Sweet Charities By Jessica Mackin-Cipro

BH Child Care Center Director of the Bridgehampton Child Care Center has released a call to action for the kids and families they serve. “As you know, the families we serve are economically fragile. Over half our families have lost income,” a letter emailed from executive director Bonnie Michelle Cannon stated. The center is looking for donations to help with meals, computers, and internet service for students. Visit www.bhccrc.org for more info.

$5 For Food

For those who can’t get enough of true crime stories, the podcast Crime Junkie is a thrilling nightmare of episodes — including the Long Island Serial Killer. There are plenty of gory details available for a chilling conversation at www.crimejunkiepodcast.com.

The Clamshell Foundation and East End Cares have come together to raise critically-needed funds for emergency food supplies for local food pantries during the COVID-19 crisis — including East Hampton, Springs, Sag Harbor, and Montauk. Christopher Barry, an East End Cares member, is spearheading the community-wide effort with Kori Peters, the president of the Clamshell Foundation, asking community members to donate as part of their “$5 For Food” campaign. Donations can be made by visiting www.clamshellfoundation.org.

Eating take-out food at home can go one of two ways. There are the civilized types, who re-plate, re-heat, and even add additional garnishes to their fare. Then there are the heathens, including me, who aren’t above eating straight from the disposable container (you’ve done it, don’t lie!).

But under this newly quarantined era, I have made it a point to switch sides and enjoy both the taste and presentation of my meal while eating at home. With that in mind, we’ve selected some of our favorite dishware to present the ideal mise en place that will surely outlast our isolation.

Nimerology “I’m Off To Join The Circus” dinner plate, $48

John Derian Green Yellow & Red Marble dinner plate, $164

MARKET PAGE By Zachary Weiss

Entertain Yourself Up your tableware presentation, even when it’s takeout for one

Tory Burch Lettuce Wear dinner plate, $49

H&M Home “Leaves” porcelain plate, $9.99

The Independent

RICK’S SPACE By Rick Murphy

Ant Misbehavin’ My little friends are here rmurphy@indyeastend.com

I’m not the squeamish type. Bugs annoy me, but as a general rule, I let them do their thing in the house. Oddly, the smaller the bug, the higher my concern. When we were little kids, wood ticks were all over, and even though they sucked blood, they were an accepted part of having a dog. It’s the tiny lone star tick larvae that freak me out now, because one fiendish side effect of a bite makes you allergic to meat. Me: What’s good? Waitress: The burgers are the best in

town. Me: No, Amblyomma americanum al has cursed me with alpha-gal, a delayed response to non-primate mammalian meat. Waitress: “Big Bang Theory” is over, Sheldon. You’re getting a freakin’ burger. It’s the same with the ants — the smaller they are, the better chance they have of slipping through the cracks. I’ve gotten them at every house I’ve ever lived in. It’s a rite of spring, a harbinger of the summer.

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“Oh look, dear. The blue lilac in the backyard blooms! Smell the pleasant blossoms!” “Oh look, girl, I see the scurrying black ant in your peanut butter sandwich! ‘Tis Spring indeed!” Our Sag Harbor house, built in the 1770s, had every insect and vermin known to man. Papa dealt with them the same way: ruthless efficiency. He killed everything that moved. I lost a couple cousins that way — hey, casualties of war. In Northwest Woods, we get the common ants that come in three sizes. This year we have the little ones; I like the big ones the best, because you can see one if it gets in your underwear. With the little ones you can never be sure. As a family they are known as “social insects,” which means you should offer them tea and trumpets when they drop by. They appear out of nowhere, they run in packs of thousands, and they get into everything. They can also carry 2748 times their weight. Sometimes when you see a car going real slow up your block, it’s not being driven; one of the juvenile-delinquent ants from the neighbor’s house is carrying it. They show up en masse. The entire kitchen counter will be covered. You can spray it with bleach until it is spotless. Stand there for an hour and it will be spotless. But turn away for a moment and the entire counter will be packed with ants. They move in one direction. I don’t know where they are coming from, but they march in single file and are very well behaved. Sometimes I think I hear them whistling “Bridge over River Kwai.” There is one other color ant besides black: red, the dreaded Cow Killer. You don’t see one often, but they are out there. When we were kids it was understood if one got a hold of you, it would tear you apart. Legend has it one

lurks in every house, waiting for the right time to pounce — like when you are quietly reading a newspaper. Me: Can it really kill a cow? Papa: I don’t see any live cows in the house, do you? Try this: clean the counter thoroughly of ants. Spray the hell out of it. Cover a spot in the center with plastic wrap. Make a tuna sandwich and leave an anvil or iron on top of the plastic wrap. Put the sandwich in a lunch bag in your cooler. Go to the beach. Three hours later, open the sandwich. You will find an ant hiding in it. Now go home, remove the anvil, and slowly pick up the plastic wrap. There will be an ant. He’s like the Jesus of ants — he can turn water into wine and do other parlor tricks. (If you kill him, he comes back as a red ant who thinks you are a cow.) Here is the miracle of anthood: Like so many good things in spring, they go their merry way. Yes, they will inundate the kitchen for a week or two and, I’ve read, they secrete pheromones, which can’t possibly be a good thing unless it’s meat tenderizer. They are our ants. We have an uneasy truce and that’s enough. They come back every year to us because they smell the pheromones. At my brother’s burial a few years back, the priest asked each of the attendees to tell a story about my brother. My mother related that once he was hired at St. Andrews rectory but he got fired because he used to take a can of lighter fluid to the armies of black ants on the stairwell and torch them. “God forgive his soul,” the priest said. “It kept them out of his lunch,” I pointed out. We probably should have said a prayer for Papa, too, who was in the ground right next to us, because unlike the ants, my cousins aren’t ever coming back.

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April 15, 2020

Arts & Entertainment

KISS & TELL By Heather Buchanan

The Selkie Sliding into a new skin kissandtellhb@gmail.com

I conjured him. On the night of the high tide, I donned my robes and walked down to the shoreline of the ocean, digging my stilettos into the sand. I nodded to the moon, my friend and my foe, who moved the water inside my body and my soul. I could feel those internal waves crashing on the shores of my eroded heart. It was not hard to shed the prescribed seven tears into the sea. They say we Scotts are swayed by romance and legends, preferring mysteries to realities, and why wouldn’t we? Experiments which are repeatable bore me. I spread out my robes in the sand. I brought tequila, so I was prepared to wait. I am not afraid to break a mirror,

have a black cat cross my path, or be third on a match. We create our own luck, good or bad. I will risk taking fate into my own hands, though I will hold it quite gently. I closed my eyes and covered my ears, listening through my inner knowing, a place centered in my solar plexus. The gulls were silent. Watching. Waiting. Just happy to be away from the ambulance sirens. The waves even tiptoed to the shore. I saw movement, a sleek gray skin reflected in the moon light. Then the whiskers, I would recognize them anywhere. His two orbital dark eyes looked at me as he slid out of the water, scooting rather ignominiously on his belly, his flippers pulling his dappled body

to where I sat. “I know you,” he said. “Yes,” I replied. I watched incredulously as he sensuously slid out of his animal coat and emerged standing in flesh and blood as a man. He looked down at his discarded seal skin for a minute with concern. “I am not the type who would lock it in a chest and hide the key,” I said. “I’ve never tricked a man to stay.” And with his slightly webbed fingers, he brushed my hair behind my ear and said, “You wouldn’t have to.” Celtic myth has it that the shapeshifting selkies are the most irresistible, having lured many young maidens and old wives. I was neither and had no intention to resist. He lay beside me and asked the stories of a small scar here, a tattoo there, and mostly the invisible scars only he could see on my soul. He could not change them, as scar tissue is actually stronger than skin, but he could see the strength of character which developed as their result. We are so rarely seen, truly seen without judgment. An aphrodisiac. Intertwined energy. I did not want the night to end. I did not want him to leave. I wanted only to bring him into my world. “But my love,” he said, “This is not the time to be of the Earth realm. She is sick and trying to heal.” He gently held

me and kissed my forehead. The moon slid behind a cloud so I only could see his dim outline as he walked back to put on his seal skin. A flick of tail as he submerged back into the waves. It was only as I was putting back on my robes that I saw it there, lying by the shore. Another silky seal skin. Waiting for me. I thought about what I might be leaving behind on land and without a moment’s hesitation or without throwing salt over my shoulder, I slid into it, admiring my sleek and dappled skin. I headed into the sea and into my future.

We are so rarely seen, truly seen without judgment.

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The Independent

READING OUR REGION By Joan Baum

Poetic Fiction ‘The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls’ challenges readers

For lovers of good literature, Ursula Hegi, a German-born American citizen who lives in Sag Harbor and an awardwinning writer heralded by Oprah, among others, may be an acquired taste. A faculty member in the Stony Brook Southampton MFA program, Hegi has a dedicated following with those who value her for what she herself once said about her style: “I write fiction as if I were writing poetry.” In her latest novel, “The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls,” Hegi continues to challenge readers with prose that is elliptical, sensual in detail and often syntactically fragmentary, as

in the occasional italicized stream of consciousness that breaks dialogue, one character interrupting the other but both completing the thought. There’s also the oddity of point of view: an omniscient third-person narrator describes what happens at the start, but belatedly a first-person narrator, Sabine, takes over, one of three main women who dominate the story. It’s not always easy to follow. The book’s structure can also flout expectations. Composed as nine sections that run (not always chronologically) from 1842-1880, some section chapters have titles that become the chapters’ opening line, others not.

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Some sections have season headings (Fall 1878), others not. Scenes can go on about local lore — sheep, goats, bees, items of dress, food. Most of the characters are women who seem like figures from old Nordic myths or medieval folk tales; women who revere and respect the North Sea archipelago where they live; women subject to constant childbearing (and its attendant deaths), restrictive religious traditions and a culture that tolerates menfolk who often just abandon them. Set all this proto-feminist courage in a setting that features a travelling local Zirkus, and you may sense a world that Federico Fellini would have loved. (Why do I see the recently deceased Max von Sydow everywhere?) Although Hegi does not invoke the woman behind the book’s title, there once was a Margaret of Cortona (1247-1297), canonized in 1728, who devoted her life to helping the poor, the homeless, the mentally ill and, like her, the unwed young mother. The St. Margaret Home, the sanctuary for the unwed girls in the novel, is a mansion established by a well-off nun who insists on providing her girls with education, art, skills, and compassion. Hegi distinguishes among a handful of the sisters and daringly gives their 19th Century world a contemporary feel (as in the use of the word “pregnant”). The sisters are a remarkable lot, expressing and acting on sexual desire. They are intelligent, skeptical, tolerant, a living sisterhood as opposed to the black-clad gaggle of Old Women who haunt the village, Nordlund Fates, who gossip, hover, and comment like a Greek Chorus throughout the tale. “The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls” begins and ends with tragedy — a sudden 100-year Wave that pulls to death the three older children of Lotte and Kalle, leaving only baby Wilhelm, whose distraught mother tries

to throw him into the sea, if only it would give her back her other children. Lotte’s husband, a toymaker for the local Zirkus, runs off, but he would have left regardless of the tragedy. In this Nordsee world, for men to stay in domesticity is to risk becoming a statue, a stone. Young Wilhelm winds up with the St. Margaret sisters, who give him into the loving care of 12-year-old, Tilli, who has just delivered a baby that’s been taken away for adoption. So many deaths of young girls after child birth, so many deaths of newborns. Young Tilli is another of the novel’s three main female characters, along with Lotte and Sabine, not quite up to the academic tasks the sisters lay before her but surprisingly talented on the cello. Characters, especially the men who work with the Zirkus, tend to have nicknames, such as The Sensational Sebastian, a trapeze artist who loves and leaves young Sabine. The story embraces myths sacred and profane. Biblical tableaux define the scenes of the various Zirkus wagons, and all is superintended by kindly Herr Ludwig, who runs the enterprise with “dignity” and a dedication to provide audiences with a sense of “magic and exhilaration.” The girls, the village, the generations of those who make their living from the land and sea — all love the Zirkus. In different ways, the girls and women of this hardscrabble world overcome illusion, disappointment, and fantasies, none more powerful than that of the legendary island of Rungholt, which once really existed before disappearing in a storm tide in the 14th Century. Rungholt rules as the theme of Hegi’s book — disaster, resurrection. If arguably not universally engaging, “The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls” nonetheless impresses with its scope and depth of feeling.

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Arts & Entertainment

April 15, 2020

Hamptons Doc Fest Presents Film Favorites

Hamptons Doc Fest is sharing Fest Favorite documentary films on its website. Director Jacqui Lofaro hopes that during these difficult days, these films will serve as a treat for fans to enjoy. The first film became available on Wednesday, March 18 — “Penny and Red: The Life of Secretariat’s Owner,” about the life of Penny Chenery Tweedy, the first lady of horse racing. The documentary is still being offered at no charge, courtesy of Penny’s son and filmmaker John Tweedy, along with the introductory remarks and post-film Q&A with Tweedy and celebrated horse racing sports writer Bill Nack. You can also find, in tribute to

Highlights Q&As with John Tweedy, Harris Yulin, Terrence McNally, and more By Jessica Mackin-Cipro jessica@indyeastend.com

Virtual Entertainment Guide By Nicole Teitler & Jessica Mackin-Cipro nicole@indyeastend.com, jessica@indyeastend.com

pre-recorded programs of talks and tours. Head to www.parrishart.org.

Ailey On Stage Alvin Ailey Company is offering fulllength videos of stage performances online. The full-length ballet video for Thursday, April 16, through Sunday, April 19, is Rennie Harris’s “Lazarus.” Watch it at www.alvinailey.org.

Sip And Sing Cat Cam Feeling feline? Southampton Animal Shelter has a live, 24/7 cat camera in the shelter. The life of animals is always more amusing when they think no one’s watching. Visit www.southamptonanimalshelter.com.

Sip & Watch The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center is hosting a Virtual Viewing Club every Thursday through April 23 at 7 PM. Join podcast hosts Kate Schumacher and Carinn from Pop Fiction Women as they delve into Hulu’s most recent hit “Little Fires Everywhere,” starting Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. On April 16, view episodes four through six. Participants must RSVP to Kristen Poulakis at Kristenp@whbpac.org and the link will be emailed 24 hours before start time. Free, but donation encouraged.

Friday Flashback Every Friday, HamptonsFilm will have a new film you can find on online streaming platforms, and at the same time share a YouTube video of one of its conversations related to the film. Visit www.hamptonsfilmfest.org.

Live From Guild Hall Guild Hall in East Hampton will be posting new content every day taking a look back at some of the great moments in its history of arts and education programming. Go to www.guildhall.org.

Now Showing HamptonsFilm will have links to its

Now Showing film series available every Monday online. Go to www.hamptonsfilmfest.org for the link.

Fest Favorites Hamptons Doc Fest will recommend a new film every Wednesday with a link, in addition to a Q&A. Visit www.hamptonsdocfest.com.

Perspective On PAUSE The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center will host virtual sessions of its The Moment series. Diana Harris will talk on a Spiritual Perspective on PAUSE at 4 PM on Wednesday, April 15. On April 21 will be Dr. Shridharani on Skin Care and Self Care. Sessions are limited to 20 guests. RSVP to kristenp@whbpac.org.

Vernal Ponds

Every Friday at 5 PM, Bay Street Theater will host a virtual sing-along broadcasting via Zoom right to the comfort of your own home. To receive the Zoom link, go to www.baystreet. org and sign up for the newsletter.

At Home MM Fine Art in Southampton presents “At Home,” an online viewing room and digital catalog. Artists include Rainer Andreesen, Bo Bartlett, Cara Deangelis, Joey Farrell, Cornelia Foss, David Gamble, Zhen Huan Lu, Christopher Makos, Mary McCormick, Louis Peabody, Paul Solberg, Daniel Sprick, Andrew Wyeth, and Jamie Wyet. Visit www.mmfineart.com.

Guild Hall Members Currently the Guild Hall Museum is exhibiting 435 works of art by 435 artists

On Wednesday, April 15, from 4 to 4:30 PM, join SoFo’s executive director Frank Quevedo in a Zoom program on Vernal Ponds and Their Ecosystems. Visit www.sofo.org for upcoming programs and how to get the links.

in its 82nd Artist Members Exhibition. While the doors to Guild Hall may be closed, all works in the exhibition are now published online and available for view and for sale at shop.guildhall.org. The exhibition can be seen virtually and the sale of these works supports the artists and Guild Hall.

BCK Fine Arts BCK Fine Arts Gallery @ Montauk is welcoming you to its online gallery with the exhibit “SCAPES.” The show will include waterscapes, landscapes, and cityscapes of two artists, Bruce Lieberman and Chris Semergieff. Visit www.artsy.net and type BCK Fine Arts Gallery at Montauk in the search box. The show will be on display through April 24.

Shades Of Light The RJD Gallery in Bridgehampton presents “Shades of Light,” a virtual show to benefit The Retreat. The exhibit is a juried exhibition that received over 300 entries from which the best 25 were chosen. The artists’ works showcase beauty in all its forms, to inspire and delight. The gallery invites viewers to see all of the works in a virtual exhibition that opens Saturday, April 18. Visit www.artsy.net.

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Southampton History Museum presents remote lectures every Thursday for the month of April via Zoom. Join the museum staff on local history topics at 11 AM. On April 16 will be 100+ Years of Healing. Visit www.southamptonhistory.org. Friday nights Parrish Art Museum presents new live-streamed, partially

the recent passing of four-time Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally, the film “Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life.” The film was directed and produced by Jeff Kaufman, and served as the opening night film at Hamptons Doc Fest in December 2018. This also includes a post-film Q&A led by actor Harris Yulin, with McNally and his husband Tom Kirdahy. There’s also a Q&A with director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, on the film “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am,” about the life of the Nobel Prize-winning author. Visit www.hamptonsdocfest.com for more.

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The Independent

Dining Organic Krush Reopens Amagansett Location New look, new initiatives By Nicole Teitler nicole@indyeastend.com As the world turns to its health care workers to save it from a spreading pandemic, there’s never been a better time for individuals to take a look inward — at what we consume. Personalized wellness begins with the very basics of what we eat and drink. Our bodies are similar to cars; the better we nourish ourselves the further we will go. If food is our fuel, Organic Krush is a one-stop-shop for superfood needs. Organic Krush began in 2014 with a single location in Woodbury and has since expanded to five Long Island storefronts. After shutting its doors for the season at the end of November last year, Organic Krush reopened its restaurant in Amagansett on Thursday, April 2, with a brand-new look. The cosmetic makeover includes new graffiti, and there are also new kitchen efficiencies. “As long as the staff felt comfortable going back to their home base, there was no issue,” co-founder Michelle Walrath said of the opening. She and co-founder Fran Paniccia have all five locations open for business right

now, adhering to tight protocols. “The reason we started Organic Krush was to support people’s health,” Walrath explained. “One of the things with viruses is that the more people who can learn about immunity and take care of their own health, the better off we all are.” That’s why Organic Krush is offering no-contact pickup and delivery options, free through DoorDash. OK organic selection includes customizable “survival kits” that are curated to provide immune boosting foods and beverages. The Classic, priced at $150, comes with a one-pound bag of coffee, two quarts of soup, four quarts of bone broth, three green juices, three wellness shots, a six pack of gluten free baked goods, and four protein bars. Other options may also include portions of marinated grass-fed steak, grilled chicken breasts, detox kale salads, roasted vegetables, and so much more. Each item is guaranteed fresh, with a packaged and sell-by date listed. All menu items act as natural ways to nourish the body and boost the immune system with no additives, preser-

Independent/Courtesy Organic Krush

vatives, or chemicals. “This isn’t just a short-term thing. More than ever, people need to understand the connection between their choices and the big impact,” said Walrath. Beyond simply supplying consumers with necessary nutrients, OK offers up tips and recipes on its Instagram account (@OrganicKrush) with a “Krush in the Kitchen” video series. The series is equal parts informative and fun, and is a means for Organic Krush to connect to its customers virtually. While its Amagansett location is just reemerging, the managerial staff has been working at the other locations and is already familiar with the new day-to-day operations, an existing monthlong process. In early March, when news of the COVID-19 spread hit especially hard, the OK team began social distancing by banning the crossover between locations. Prior to the outbreak, staff would oftentimes work at a location that needed help, but that quickly halted. “Everyone ate healthy and learned

to rely on their team,” Walrath said. Masks, hand sanitizers, cleaning, and other precautionary steps were also implemented. With many staff members having family and friends working on the frontlines as health care workers, there’s an Organic Krush Gives Back initiative that brings lunches to different hospitals across Long Island. It started as an altruistic way to keep staffers busy, making 50 to 75 lunches a day during a time there’d otherwise be little to do. Now, it has turned into a fundraising effort that raised over $10,000 in a single week, with an overarching goal of $50,000. “It’s a testament to the customer base that we have,” Walrath noted. On average, a lunch costs $20. Thanks to the generous donations of others, nurses and doctors at local hospitals are eating healthy meals that keep their stomachs full and immune system in check. Visit www.organickrush.com for more. For a customizable survival kit, email cateringOK@organickrush.com.

Dining

April 15, 2020

Fresno, The Bell & Anchor Are Bright Beacons One certainty: Restaurants offer luxurious take-out meals By Hannah Selinger David Loewenberg is known for his trio of restaurants: Fresno (in East Hampton), Beacon (in Sag Harbor), and The Bell & Anchor (also in Sag Harbor). Of the three, Beacon, which faces the water and is known for its superlative sunsets, is the only restaurant that is seasonal. It opens each year right before Memorial Day, the opening itself a bright reminder that summer is finally here. That restaurant is not yet open, and it’s hard to know what the start to our season will look like this year, since restaurants — and everything else — sit under a haze of uncertainty. Don’t let that last part get you down. Loewenberg, like so many other restaurateurs, is determined to keep you well fed for as long as he can, and so The Bell & Anchor and Fresno have been soldiering on, beacons, if you will, in a storm. During the last week of March, The Bell & Anchor launched Anchor’s Away, a take-out menu that is available Tuesdays through Sundays. Orders can be placed until 7 PM and pickup hours are from 5 to 7:30. Orders can be placed by phone, at 631-7253400, or by email, earlier in the day: order@bellandanchor.com. If you’ve read my articles in years past, you already know that I’m an enthusiastic proponent of The Bell & Anchor’s Sunday oyster night (Fresno has it, too), where Montauk Pearls are $1 apiece. The restaurant would, no

Restaurant Raffle A raffle to help the restaurant community is available at https://rafflecreator.com/pages/36919/helpthose-unemployed-due-to-covid-19. Prizes include a private eightcourse Greek tasting menu for four, cooked by Bridgehampton’s Elaia chef Radu Grigore; a private dinner for four by Chef Jeremy Blutstein; a paella for four delivered by chef and caterer Peter Ambrose; a private farm-to-table dinner for four cooked by Chef Robyn Diederiks; and a build-your-own ceviche cooking class for four with private chef Dyanne Iandoli.

doubt, be out of business if it offered this deal for takeout, but it is still offering Pearls on the half-shell, along with its delicious mignonette and cocktail sauce. It also has 1.5-pound lobsters, steamed alongside fingerling potatoes and haricots verts. For appetizers, the list is incredibly long. It includes (and isn’t even limited to) clam and fish chowder with bacon and cream; steamed mussels with coconut milk and Thai chiles; tuna poké with avocado, shiso, and ponzu; and shrimp and grits with crispy pork belly. The bouillabaisse, made with white fish, lobster, mussels, clams, and shrimp, is one of the entrees on offer. So is a pan-roasted Scottish salmon ramen, a lobster rigatoni with roasted corn, a vegan plate with pineapplecashew quinoa, guava baby-back ribs with mashed potatoes, a Milanesestyle pork chop with a frisée salad, a grilled flat-iron steak with Béarnaise sauce, and a traditional burger. There is a slight dessert menu, too. Down the road, at Fresno, takeout can be placed Thursdays through Mondays. Call 631-324-8700 from 3:30 to 7 PM or email info@fresnorestaurant.com. Each day, the restaurant posts additional specials, a fun respite to a world that feels anything but special right now. Recent specials have included an appetizer of sautéed wild mushrooms over creamy polenta and crispy Buffalostyle Montauk Pearl oysters. Other Fresno favorites, like appetizers of salmon tartare with jalapeño and potato chips, or green garbanzo hummus, persist. So, too, do entrees of orecchiette with hot and sweet Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, and roast garlic; pan-seared Atlantic salmon over Moroccan cous-cous; a grilled Duroc pork chop with butternut squash farotto; and a flat-iron steak with an arugula salad and pommes frites. You can finish your meal, happily, with a dark chocolate pot de crème, or, more happily, with a batched cocktail. Fresno offers a choice of a Meyer Lemon Cosmo, Beacon Ruby Rita, and Quarantini (Tito’s Vodka, lemon, local

Bell & Anchor vegan plate. Independent/Jason Penney

honey, and rosemary), all for between $25 and $30. They’re 16 ounces. At home, add ice, and split them between three people, or, uh, don’t. Not everyone will survive this crisis. That’s an unfortunate reality. We just don’t know how long restaurants

can survive on takeout alone, and we also don’t know how long this new brand of reality will last. If you can help keep local businesses alive, takeout is the new dining out, at least for now. There’s no better place to start than with these two restaurants.

Still serving the best Italian food and garlic rolls since 1973

Open for Curbside Take Out 4pm to 8pm

Limited but Delicious Menu with All Your Favorites Closed Mondays

Check with us on line www.IlCaps.com Well Wishes to All 30 MADISON STREET, SAG HARBOR, NY • 631-725-2747

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The Independent

RECIPE OF THE WEEK Chef Joe Cipro

Simple Sips At Home Campaign Shaking it up to help Feeding America

This week I have joined the Simple Sips at Home campaign with Simple Vodka. The mission is to fight hunger by raising funds and awareness for Feeding America. Many Americans suffer from food insecurity, a household’s inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active, healthy life. In the United States currently, 1 in 7 people struggle with hunger. That’s more than 37 million Americans. Many households that experience food insecurity do not qualify for federal nutrition programs and need to rely on local food

banks and other hunger relief organizations for support. Because of the crisis caused by COVID-19, more Americans are affected than ever before. People who never experienced food insecurity or hunger are looking to resources such as Feeding America and local food banks for aid, food, and meals. By creating this cocktail recipe, Simple will donate 1250 meals to Feeding America in The Independent’s name. We’ll also be posting the making of this recipe to our Instagram page on Wednesday.

Simple Brown Butter Lemon Cocktail Ingredients 6 oz Simple Vodka 1 lemon (juiced and zest removed) 1/2 c water 1/3 c granulated sugar 1 Tbsp agave syrup 1 egg white (room temperature) 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 c sparkling water 1/2 stick of unsalted butter Plenty of ice

Directions In a small sauce pot, make the simple syrup by combining water, sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Bring to a simmer and stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved, let the syrup sit and steep for five minutes, then remove the lemon zest and add half the lemon juice and the agave syrup. Stir the mixture to incorporate these ingredients, then put your simple syrup in the fridge to cool. Now, place the butter in a small sauté pan or sauce pot over medium heat. Continue to stir the butter with a small rubber spatula throughout this process. Once you see the butter start to foam and you can smell the nutty aroma of the milk solids browning, you are close. DO NOT overcook; you’ll have to start over if you do. Once you see the butter turning a light brown, take it off the heat and continue stirring about another 30 seconds. Pass the melted browned butter through a mesh strainer, or better yet, a cheese cloth if you have it. You’ll be

left with little brown bits of milk solids. Place them on a paper towel and set them aside until you’re ready to assemble your cocktail. Okay, cocktail time. Set up four rocks glasses loaded with ice. Grab a cocktail shaker or some sort of container with a lid if you do not have a cocktail shaker. Now whisk the egg whites in a metal bowl until they are foamy and aerated. Fill your cocktail shaker two-thirds of the way with ice, in with the rest of the lemon juice, in with the Simple Vodka, in with the lemon simple syrup, and finally in with half of the whisked egg white. Then shake vigorously. Distribute the crisp, delicious, frothy libation evenly throughout the four rocks glasses, filling each about three-quarters of the way up. Top each off with a splash of sparkling water. Finally, dust the foamy top of the cocktail with the brown butter bits and garnish with a lemon peel. Hope you enjoy! Simple Vodka’s mission has always been to fight hunger in America. Since Simple launched, it has donated over one million meals to those in need through local and national hunger relief organizations. As long as non-essential businesses are closed, Simple is doubling its usual contribution of 20 meals donated per bottle produced to 40 meals per bottle sold. That’s 1 drink = 2 meals (the usual motto is 1 drink = 1 meal). Simple also launched an online shopping experience at www.simplevodka.co/buy-online. You can use the code 1DRINK2MEALS, for 20 percent off the order.

Dining

April 15, 2020

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Soup Kitchen Stories Proceeds from Henderson’s book benefit NYC food bank By Zachary Weiss Running a household kitchen is no small feat, and as our quarantine confines continue, parents far and wide are starting to feel as if their own homes have converted into full-on soup kitchens that could feed a small army at any hour of the day. Writer Stephen Henderson is here to help, and offer some perspective. After spending a week volunteering at

Clam Bar Pantry

The Clam Bar at Napeague has launched Clam Bar Pantry, a delivery service that is currently available. The boxes, which each cost $100, will include set items that can provide meals for a family of four for a week or more. Items include one loaf of bread, four beef burger patties, one whole chicken, one head of lettuce, two pounds of potatoes, one box of oatmeal, one pound of pasta, four apples, one pound of baby spinach, four cereal box packs, and more. Note that the items in the box will not be Clam Bar menu items. Customers are able to buy a box for themselves or someone in need, and delivery is available to Wainscott, Sag Harbor, East Hampton, Springs, Amagansett, and Montauk. Place orders before 8 PM on Tuesday for a Friday delivery. All transactions must be done online, as no cash will be accepted. To purchase the pantry box, visit www. clambarhamptons.com and click “products.” JM

a soup kitchen in Delhi, India, he was inspired to dive into the world of, what he calls, “gastrophilanthropy.” “Gastrophilanthropy is generosity devoted to nourishing the needy,” he explained. “Like too many people in America perhaps, I tended to forget soup kitchens exist until Thanksgiving Day, which is really the only time charitable volunteers are needed. Seeing how spontaneously people arrived to help cook or donate food all day, every day at this charitable kitchen in India was a shock.” Following his stint in Delhi, he volunteered in soup kitchens in Iran, Israel, South Korea, Austin, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles, where he captured a fascinating series of recipes, field reports, and humbling musings. The result is “The 24-Hour Soup Kitchen: Soul-Stirring Lessons in Gastrophilanthropy,” out this week from Radius Book Group and available online from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Inside, readers can discover Henderson’s first-hand feats of mass cookery, ranging from a Sikh temple where he helped feed 20,000 people a day, to the “ocean” of chicken curry he prepared at a homeless shelter in Pittsburgh. There’s even a chapter devoted to an especially wild dinner he cooked for several hundred transgender prostitutes in Guadalajara, Mexico. “David Kalke, a socially liberal Catholic priest, runs a mission in Guadalajara, to help homeless young men who are turning tricks in Mexico’s second largest city, as well as a surprisingly large group of transgender, male-to-fe-

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Independent/ Courtesy Stephen Henderson

male prostitutes,” Henderson recalled. “Kalke is a friend of mine, and I volunteered to come down to cook a ‘Day of the Dead’ dinner, which was held at a local gay bar called Doña Diabla or Madam Devil. About 150 sex workers showed up, and I served them a lavish meal of meatballs, roast pork, and rice and beans. Three different drag queens performed at a party that ran very late.” Once-in-a-lifetime true tales are

in no short supply with Henderson and his new tome, but perhaps best of all, this piece of heart-warming literature benefits a good cause, with 100 percent of proceeds from the book’s sales going directly to Food Bank for New York City. “You don’t have to be a trained chef to volunteer at a soup kitchen,” said Henderson. “Anyone with two hands can chop onions or peel carrots.”

18 Park Place East Hampton 324-5400 Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner Take Out Orders

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The Independent

Guest-Worthy Recipe: Chef Adam Byatt Brown’s Hotel London Signature Salad By Zachary Weiss

Who Chef Adam Byatt

Instagram @AdamByatt

Chef Byatt’s Guest-Worthy Recipe Brown’s Hotel London Signature Salad

Why? This vibrant salad makes the perfect healthy but hearty lunch or as a side dish to enjoy during dinner. It consists of taste popping ingredients, from gorgonzola to grapefruit and walnuts.

Ingredients One Comice pear One red endive One yellow endive 1/2 bunch watercress

1 c Gorgonzola 1/2 c milk One pink grapefruit 1/2 c walnuts 1/2 c sugar 2 c water

Directions Cut the base from both endive and remove the outside leaves. Peel down the inside layers, trim the bottoms, and place into ice water to keep them crisp. Pick through the watercress and reserve in the ice water. Peel and segment the grapefruit and cut the segments into three pieces each. Reserve the grapefruit juice. Quarter and finely slice the pear. Reserve. Place the Gorgonzola into a pan with the milk and bring to a simmer. Remove and allow to cool slightly.

Independent/Courtesy Brown's Hotel London

Place the cheese mix into a processor add 30ml (about two tablespoons) olive oil, three spoons of the grapefruit juice, and blend to a smooth emulsion. Reserve. Place the sugar and water in a pan and bring to a boil. Add the walnuts and cook for two minutes. Remove the nuts and deep fry at 180c

(356 F) for two minutes, reserve, and cool them before chopping roughly for the salad. To dress the salad — place the drained endive, the grapefruit, pear slices, watercress, walnuts, and spoonful of the blue cheese dressing into a bowl and carefully toss together. Build the salad on the plate and serve.

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Real Realty

April 15, 2020

Real Realty Douglas Ellimanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Denise Wilder: From concierge travel services for celebrities to luxury real estate

p. 24

Denise Wilder. Independent/Courtesy Douglas Elliman

C-2 22

The Independent

Deeds

Min Date =3/14/2020 Max Date = 3/20/2020

Source: Suffolk Research Service, Inc., Hampton Bays, NY 11946

Featured For Sale 22 Dewey Place Montauk $899,000 Web ID: H344900

Susan Ceslow

Lic. Assoc. R.E. Broker

631.668.6565 631.335.0777 susan.ceslow@ elliman.com

Jan Nelson

Lic. R.E. Salesperson

631.668.6565 631.905.4617 jan.nelson@ elliman.com

Area

Buy

Sell

AQUEBOGUE

Yanes, J

Belbey, K

360,000

132 Broad Ave

Doohan, B & S

Bogdan Family Trust

385,000

44 Meetinghouse Creek Rd

Dominquez, N & Giordano

Willi, K

367,000

150 Oak Dr

Dalton Studios LLC

Vittore, M

384,700

9 Baiting Dr

Bernal Yupa, A

HSBC Bank USA, NA

628,000

16 Bay View Ave

Kleinrock,K &Lloyd,B

Kessler, S & C

682,500

202 Treescape Dr, #12D

Van Driesen, J

47 Old Orchard Group

4,375,000

47 Old Orchard Ln

Equity Trust,Breslin

Rosner, J

776,100

60 Huckleberry Ln

Fruchter, L & R

AEJJ Associates LLC

985,000

3 Candice Dr

Dunkirk, J

Dunkirk, M & Hickson, K

583,000

20 Kennedy Dr

Contreras, C

MT Colmbine LLC

515,000

7 Columbine Ave

BBJ LLC

R&T Realtors LLC

349,990

9 Hubbard St

MATTITUCK

Lang, A

Romano, L & M

678,000

1165 Theresa Dr

REMSENBURG

Donohue, N & A

Grossman, A & C

705,000

178 South Country Rd

RIVERHEAD

Rodezno, I

Peshawar LLC

310,000

84 Vail Ave

Detmer, B

Long Island Invstmnts

404,790

13 Dolphin Way

Loncar, T

Browngardt, C & L

760,000

54 Valley Rd

Campoverde Rojas, J

McCarthy, K

670,000

44 Bay View Dr W

Jensen, J

49-50 Robertson Drive

6,450,000

49 Robertson Dr

Needham, S & L

Cronin, J & A

755,000

12 Dogwood Ln

Sticesen, N

Farrar, P

399,000*

25 Osprey Rd

Doxapatre LLC

Sabalja, P & L

560,000*

6 Dering Woods Rd

CALVERTON

EAST HAMPTON

EAST QUOGUE

HAMPTON BAYS

SAG HARBOR

SHELTER ISLAND

Price

Location

Real Realty

April 15, 2020

C-3 23

Deeds Featured For Sale 127 Second House Road Montauk $675,000 Web ID: H46222

Mary Lappin Marmorowski

Lic. Assoc. R.E. Broker

631.668.6565 631.433.4412 mary.lappinmarmorowski@ elliman.com

Area

Buy

Sell

SOUTHAMPTON

Hill, A

Machtinger & Adkins

590,000

50 Hubbard Ln, #32

52 First Neck Lane

Caw Family LP

11,150,000*

52 First Neck Ln

Magna Carta Trusts I & II

11 ChristopherStreet

18,400,000

11 Christopher St

Guaman Alvarez, D

Taplin, C

415,000

1650 Boisseau Ave

Beam Reach Partners

Werner, K

446,000

1575 Seawood Dr

SPEONK

Wells, A

Manuele, P

470,000

183 Old Country Rd

WATER MILL

Porco Jr, A

Bourie, T

2,050,000

220 Little Noyack Path

WESTHAMPTON

12 Sophia Ct Corp

Mohrmann, C

364,000*

14 Sophia Ct

Mensch, G

DiBenedetto, L

1,565,000

12 Plume Grass Way

SOUTHOLD

*Vacant Land

Price

Location

24 C-4

The Independent

Douglas Elliman’s Denise Wilder From concierge travel services for celebrities to luxury real estate By Ty Wenzel ty@indyeastend.com

o many of us dream about working in glamorous industries and meeting our favorite celebrities that when we talk to someone who actually experienced it and left it, it can get us wondering why. This is the case with Elliman agent, Denise Wilder, who for over a decade coordinated the travel of many eye-popping celebrities including Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ronson, Baz Luhrman, and many others. We were curious why and how she pivoted from getting vacation packages for the A-list to selling homes on the East End. We caught up with Wilder remotely during the COVID-19 quarantine to learn more about her and also how she’s managing during these turbulent times for Hamptons real estate.

You started out in Manhattan as a travel coordinator for celebrities for 17 years? Yes. I built up a business coordinating travel for touring rock bands, celebrities, and film productions.

Can you tell us how and why you pivoted from that to Hamptons real estate? It wasn’t automatic. I was getting burnt out from the crazy hours that were part of the touring world, with managers calling up at all hours of the day and night (not to mention the late nights hanging out with the bands when they performed in NYC). Initially I went into the mortgage business, as I had a friend that needed assistance during a refi boom. That led me to taking a job in Douglas Elliman’s mortgage arm in New York City. I soon realized that I preferred the real estate side of the business and eventually made the switch. I had always spent time in the Hamptons and knew I already loved it, so when the opportunity arose, I happily moved to Sag Harbor.

Do you have a favorite celebrity to have worked with? That’s hard, as there are a few I espe-

cially enjoyed working with. That said, my personal favorites are Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of the Talking Heads/Tom Tom Club. They are the nicest people on the planet. I am still in touch with them. Then there’s Mark Ronson and his family. He is one of the most gracious, lovely people I have worked with. Very unassuming. And I absolutely love his mom, Ann Dexter-Jones! So happy for Mark’s successes; they are very well deserved. The same can also be said for Joaquin Phoenix and his family.

How do you think that has helped your career in luxury real estate? My past experience working with celebrities has helped me stay calm and focused no matter how stressful the situation. I am always able to put the needs of my clients first, as I did in my former career, and this is invaluable when emotions run high. I am comfortable working with high-profile, discerning clientele, and I work hard to build trust in each and every relationship.

You have mortgage expertise as well? Yes, I do. I worked in the mortgage industry for several years. That also gave me some wonderful, direct experience that I was able to bring to my real estate career. It helps to have an understanding of what buyers go through with the mortgage process and what issues might come up.

How did you find yourself in the Hamptons? My love affair with the Hamptons is a long one. I spent several years renting with friends, mostly in Amagansett and Sag Harbor. Then, I rented year-round for about a year while I also had a place in Manhattan. I was thrilled that I was able to make the transition to living here full time in 2015.

Your inventory of homes for sale is impressive, in East

Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club drummer, Chris Frantz and Wilder.

Wilder, her brother-in-law and Little Steven (aka Stevie Van Zandt). Independent/Courtesy Denise Wilder

Hampton, in particular. I love so much about the Hamptons, but East Hampton and Sag Harbor are my personal favorites. I live in Sag Harbor and work out of the Douglas Elliman East Hampton office. As this is where most of my time is spent, I have learned so much about each location over the last five years. I am also very fortunate to be able to work with a group of extremely knowledgeable and seasoned professionals. Any time I have a question or need to learn about a specific area or property, I turn to them for help. I love learning and discovering new things. In this business, I am never bored!

How have the COVID-19 restrictions affected your work? The rental market started heating up a little earlier this year, and I feel that it’s going to be a busy summer. We are currently not showing properties due to the statewide restrictions. But we have embraced creativity and technology. I have one new listing I put on at the beginning of March. I shot a video on my iPhone just prior to the restrictions being put in place, so I send that to anyone who is inquiring. I also have high-grade professional videos on my other listings. Other than that, I am staying in touch with my buyers and sellers by checking in to see how they’re doing and giving them updates on any activity on their properties.

What kind of marketing are you working with? Have digital and remote technologies figured prominently? Absolutely. Elliman is WAY ahead of the curve on these things, thanks to our thought leadership in corporate and regional management, marketing and public relations. Our organizational operations in each and every department are bar none.

Additionally, I’m posting my listings regularly on social media and sending out e-blasts to the real estate community reminding everyone there about all of my listings. I am also advertising on Instagram and Facebook, as it seems there’s been a large uptick in activity across all social media platforms.

Are you seeing any trends of which we should be aware? Up and coming neighborhoods, styles of homes, etc.? I’m seeing more interest in properties that are more like compounds, those that have more lifestyle amenities to offer and those on larger lots. Specifically, to that point, I see activity picking up in the Clearwater section of East Hampton, where there’s plenty of space and access to a private beach community. There’s a lot of value there. While no one can predict the future, looking forward, I think once things open up here, you will see buyers looking to create an oasis for their families. Places that have it all and where people can feel safe in our beautiful villages and hamlets.

What do you do for fun? I love the beach! That’s one of the main reasons I live here. Even if I’m able to just go for a quick walk or to sit and enjoy the waves or a sunset, the ocean calms me. I also enjoy cooking, yoga, and sailing. And I still love to see live music. My favorite thing to do when I’m not working is to spend time with close friends and family.

Any parting thoughts? There is such a real sense of community here. I see and hear of people every day helping each other through this crisis. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else when times get tough. To reach Wilder or inquire about her properties, call 917-636-2546 or email denise.wilder@elliman.com.

News & Opinion

April 15, 2020

Crackdown On Short-Term Rentals

significantly increased risk.” The supervisor has already deemed the ordinance enforcement division essential in order to impose state directives on nonessential business operation and social distancing. Now, it will gear up for a crackdown on short-term rentals, too. Fines for violations can be up to two times the rental revenues collected, and could include revocation of a rental permit. Schneiderman said he would like to see all fines used to support local food pantries that have already seen a fourfold increase in service demand. He said he is working closely with Public Safety Director Ryan Murphy, who also directs the ordinance enforcement division. “We are launching this crackdown on flagrant abusers of our rental law beginning immediately,” Murphy said. “Anyone we find engaging in short-term rental activities, including the posting of a shortterm rental listings for this period, will be subject to significant financial penalties.” On March 27, citing concerns about the area’s limited health care system and infrastructure, Schneiderman sent a letter, co-signed by many East End elected officials, to Governor Andrew Cuomo asking him to consider restrictions on nonessential travel from New York City, “including daily sightseeing visits and leisure travel to vacation homes.” “We are all trying to flatten the

Southampton Town enforcing ordinance code By Desirée Keegan desiree@indyeastend.com

The Town of Southampton’s ordinance enforcement division is cracking down on April short-term rentals. Many properties, according to the town, are being rented by the night or just the weekend at a time when the community is growing increasingly concerned about new people entering from the Metropolitan area, at the nation’s epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Southampton requires all rental property owners obtain a permit and adhere to a minimum two-week rental period, but properties listed on online platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, and HomeAway are still securing short-term tenants. On March 28, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory, urging residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to refrain

from nonessential travel. According to Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, these short-term rentals “not only violate the law, they violate the spirit of the travel advisory.” On March 24, members of The White House Coronavirus Task Force, including Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 Dr. Anthony Fauci and American physician and diplomat Dr. Deborah Birx, recommended travelers from New York self-quarantine for 14 days. “How can that be achieved if people are coming out here for only a few days?” Schneiderman said. “It’s one thing if a family comes to a property for several weeks — yes, there is an increased risk — but when a property turns over several times in the same period, there is a

On March 28, the CDC issued an advisory, urging residents of NY, NJ, and CT to refrain from nonessential travel. curve as quickly as possible,” Schneiderman said. “It is made much more difficult when new people are constantly entering your community, particularly from a known coronavirus hotspot.” Although the governor has not issued any of the requested travel restrictions, the supervisor said that “strictly enforcing our existing restrictions on short-term rentals will achieve a similar end and help protect our community.” Schneiderman said the town would make a full exemption from the rental law if the rental is for health care workers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Independent

Technology Aids Labor Department Unemployment insurance process simplified, expanded, and upgraded By T. E. McMorrow t.e@indyeastend.com

In reaction to the breakdown at the New York State Department of Labor in handling the blizzard of new unemployment claims caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire application system was shut down at 5 PM on April 9, to allow for the installation of a revamped, reworked operation. The changeover was done as a result of the department partnering with Google, Deloitte, and Verizon. The state’s Department of Labor has experienced a 16,000-percent increase in phone calls and web traffic in recent weeks. Massive changes to accommo-

date this include an increase of servers, from four to 60, and simplifying and streamlining the application process, according an April 9 press release, which called the changes a “tech surge.” Key was the ability to leverage Google Cloud’s infrastructure to “increase reliability and allow the application to scale, so it can handle a high volume of users,” the release sated. The system now allows claimants to fill out the department’s easier-tounderstand application using a multitude of devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops. After creating a user ID, an applicant can

stop mid-form, save the results, and come back later to finish. Deloitte, an accounting organization and the largest professional services network in the world by revenue and number of professionals with headquarters in London, United Kingdom, is opening an additional unemployment insurance call center for the department, staffed by hundreds of customer service professionals, which the department said will “dramatically increase the number of calls that can be handled.” Deloitte said it is adding 1200 customer service professionals, on top of the 1000 now in place. At the same time, Verizon is expanding the number of phone ports for the call center from 1750 to over 10,000. The Department of Labor is instituting a call-back feature, which allows state representatives to call New Yorkers with incomplete unemployment insurance applications to finish them by phone. The department assures it will reach out to applicants who use the feature. New applicants file claims based on the first letter of their last name. The system works as follows: last names beginning with A through F apply on Monday, G through N on

Tuesday, and O through Z Wednesday. Thursday through Sunday is open to all new applicants. All these changes do not affect those currently receiving unemployment benefits. Because of the financial carnage caused by the novel coronavirus-forced statewide shutdown of all nonessential businesses, Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered the state’s Department of Labor to begin the distribution of $600 weekly federal payments last week to all those who were in the system and unemployed as of April 5, despite the fact that the state had not yet technically received the funding from the $2.2 trillion federal CARES Act. The number of weeks an unemployed worker can collect has been increased from 26 to 39 weeks as a result of the pandemic. That applies to anyone on the unemployment rolls, including those whose claims predate COVID-19. The additional weekly federal payment of $600 is on top of whatever a claimant is receiving from the state, and is currently scheduled to continue through the end of July. The state Department of Labor can be reached by calling 1-888-2098124 or logging in at labor.ny.gov/unemploymentassistance.shtm.

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News & Opinion

April 15, 2020

LVIS Members Not Just Standing By East Hampton group looks at widening the definition of essential worker By Karen Fredericks karen@karenfredericks.com

Ilissa Loewenstein Meyer, a member of the Ladies’ Village Improvement Society of East Hampton, has lived in East Hampton for almost two decades. For the past 12 years, she has managed her husband’s equine veterinary business. Like so many, she spent the first few weeks as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded feeling helpless. But Meyer is not the type to stand idly by. “Ilissa is a force of nature,” said Kathy Walsh, a fellow LVIS member. “I worked with her when she took over the chance booth at the fair about nine years ago, and that year it brought in the most money it ever

made. We’ve also worked together on the food booth and she worked harder than I could imagine anyone else doing.” Meyer’s friend, Bonnie Brady, of Montauk, told her about how she and a group of volunteers, working with East End Cares, had gathered to make protective masks for frontline health care workers. Masks were in such short supply, yet in such desperate demand. The group used inner linings made from pieces of industrial air filters, designed by Montauk resident Donna Matlock, who had made her first mask to protect her husband, a

lung cancer survivor. The masks the group made are almost as effective as the N95 masks hospitals medical staff use. The group learned how to make them by watching a step-by-step in-

structional video Matlock made and posted on YouTube. Hearing Brady’s updates and progress reports and developments Continued On Page 29.

V I N TA G E R A D I O LIVE & LOCAL

The Independent

North Fork THE

1826

Winery Owner Donates $100,000 To ELIH Randy Frankel of Shinn Estate Vineyards gives to COVID-19 Action Fund By Desirée Keegan desiree@indyeastend.com Local business owner Randy Frankel donated $100,000 to the Eastern Long Island Hospital Foundation’s COVID-19 Action Fund to aid the Greenport hospital in its fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic. Frankel became enamored with the North Fork four years ago when he visited for the first time. “I bought Shinn Estate Vineyards and Farmhouse the first day I was there; that’s how much I fell in love with the North Fork and the East End,” said Frankel, who owns property on both forks. “Once I heard of the first COVID-19 case and then a few other cases, I realized this was going to inundate the health care system out there. That’s when I realized that they were going to need my help.” Growing up in New Jersey, Frankel was previously unfamiliar with the East End’s health care resources. It was

a news article about the first positive case of COVID-19 on the North Fork that caught his attention. Frankel has become a significant member of the North Fork business community, also owning Croteaux Vineyards in Southold and Schreiber Farm in Connecticut on top of the vineyard in Mattituck. After working on Wall Street for many years, Frankel experienced the tragedy of September 11, 2001 firsthand and retired shortly thereafter. In 2004, he and his partners purchased the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team. A philanthropist at heart, he and his wife run the Randy and Barbara Frankel Foundation, which supports education for students at two different New Jersey academic institutions. They are also involved with Homeless Solutions of Morristown, NJ, and Camp Happy Times

Greenport Brewery Delivers Face Shields Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital receives donation By Nicole Teitler nicole@indyeastend.com

Greenport Harbor Brewing Company delivered 500 face shields to Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital April 8. The delivery was made by Greenport Harbor co-founder and president of the Village of Greenport Business Improvement District, Richard Vandenburgh. Vandenburgh and John Leigey, the

brewery’s other co-founder, teamed up with Jamie, Bob, and William Mills of William J. Mills & Co. sailmakers to develop and produce face shields for local hospitals, first responders, and community outreach volunteers. William J. Mills “has the ability to crank out all the pieces in their shop,

in Maplewood, which was founded by Frankel’s father. In light of the pandemic, Frankel started researching and came across Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital’s website. Intrigued by the hospital’s unique history and its location in a community he has grown to love, he decided to make the donation. “As the community knows, our patients are often our neighbors, our friends, our family members — it’s personal,” Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital Chief Administrative Officer Paul J. Connor III said. “We are proud to call Mr. Frankel a member of our community, and we can’t thank him enough for this contribution that will provide tremendous support for our hospital.” “I’ve met so many nice local people that have made a difference in my life and added value,” Frankel added. “I wanted to do something to help the community where I spend a lot of my time now.” Frankel is also aiding Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City by donating 1000 bottles of wine to its frontline staff so they “can grab a bottle of wine, go home, have something to drink and just relax.” “When I hear what the nurses and frontline doctors have to endure risking their lives and their families, I don’t know how they have the strength to get up daily and go right back in again,” Frankel said.

“This was going to inundate the health care system out there. That’s when I realized that they were going to need my help.”

and we have the space to assemble,” Vandenburgh said, discussing what he saw as a perfect mashup. Each shield is assembled, cleaned, and individually packed at the brewery under social distancing guidelines. Mark Miller, former owner of Miller Environmental, and Bob Gammon, co-owner of Woodside Orchards in Jamesport, joined in and the businesses started a GoFundMe with the hope the community would contribute. It worked — $28,000 was raised in three days. The amount is estimated to fund approximately 5000 units with any excess money to be donated directly to the hospital. This act adds to Greenport Harbor Brewing Company’s continuous support of the hospital, as the company donates beer to the annual summer gala. William J. Mills and Co. are also generous supporters of the hospital’s annual golf classic. Right now, the team aims

to assemble approximately 1400 shields daily, as long as they have the volunteer power. “With each new call to action in response to the COVID-19 crisis, our community has answered,” said Paul Connor, chief administrative officer at SBELIH. “We are so grateful to the brewery, the Mills family, Mr. Miller, Mr. Gammon, the volunteers, and the donors who have all contributed to this extraordinary display of teamwork and philanthropy.” Anyone interested in volunteering can email Vandenburgh at rich@greenportbrew.com or by calling 631-5139019. Requirements to be a volunteer include being free from any illness, at least 16 years old, able to wear face mask, and stand for three hours. For more information about how you can aid the hospital and its foundation, call 631-477-5164 or email elih_donations@stonybrookmedicine.edu.

“I just felt like there was something I had to do to help put them in a better position to cope with this.” For more information about how to support Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital and its foundation, call 631-477-5164 or email elih_donations@ stonybrookmedicine.edu. Visit elih. stonybrookmedicine.edu/Coronavirus/ ActionFund/Donate to contribute to the COVID-19 Action Fund. For more information about Eastern Long Island Hospital’s efforts to combat COVID-19, visit elih.stonybrookmedicine.edu/coronavirus.

April 15, 2020

COVID-19 Testing Equipment Donated

Eastern Long Island Hospital Foundation board members Peter and Erica Harold have donated a diagnostic system to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. “North Fork residents Peter and Erica Harold are longtime friends of Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital and the Eastern Long Island Hospital Foundation, and their contribution will serve as a powerful weapon in this war,” the hospital said in a statement. The couple purchased a GeneXpert, currently in the Greenport hospital’s laboratory, which delivers a rapid flu diagnosis in 30 minutes. Cepheid,

the manufacturer, has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to test for the novel coronavirus on this same equipment with a 45-minute turnaround time for results. Adapting to the new normal has been the hospital’s mission, caring for patients while protecting staff and the local community from the highlycontagious virus. Information surrounding COVID-19 is ever-evolving, with new updates from state and local governments every day. Hospitals need to adapt just as quickly, predicting the need for supplies, staff, and additional resources to safely forge on. “Our entire hospital staff is work-

ing tirelessly to ensure the safety of their patients, their families, their community, and themselves,” said Paul J. Connor III, chief administrative officer for Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital. “This generous donation from Peter and Erica is going to play an enormous role in aiding our staff to win the fight against this virus.” The GeneXpert system has a higher test capacity that will allow the hospital perform six tests every 45 minutes, as opposed to the current two-chamber equipment that performs two tests at once. “Having the extra capacity and quick turnaround time will be significantly beneficial to Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital’s medical staff, the community, and the Department of Health,” the hospital said. “It will also better prepare the hospital for future outbreaks, which is possible from what literature has indicated.” The 70-bed hospital said it has received an “overwhelming amount of support” from the local community in response to the pandemic. Last week, Shari Hymes, a respiratory therapist, purchased a $10,000 high-velocity nasal insufflation system, a mask-free treatment used on COVID-19 patients

LVIS Members

lation can’t get food, basic supplies, and basic services,” Meyer said. Brady gave her a donation wish list, which included cotton fabric, and that provided the “aha!” moment for Meyer. At the LVIS shop, she had worked measuring and pricing fabric sold, and remembered the endless supplies stored away in the nowclosed building. Energized and seeing an opportunity to contribute, Meyer sprang into action. She reached out to LVIS President Ann Davis, who agreed to donate the cotton fabric to the maskmaking effort. Meyer, Davis, and several other organization members strategized and implemented ways

of getting the fabric, and convinced LVIS’s board of directors to reach out to its hundreds of members through an email blast requesting volunteers. Within days, Meyer had responses from several skilled sewers who owned machines, as well as from cutters and transport volunteers. More members were volunteering daily. With advice from the Montauk group, she quickly ordered enough of the MERV 13 filter material to block out the novel coronavirus to make 800 masks. She and the volunteers begin constructing the masks this week. Meyer also created a Facebook page, found at www.facebook.com/

ELIH Foundation board members purchase fast diagnostic system By Desirée Keegan desiree@indyeastend.com

Continued From Page 27.

inspired her. “I thought of all the people in East Hampton who are at risk as they go about their daily jobs, not only in hospitals and frontline situations, but all those people working in East Hampton’s stores and essential businesses,” Meyer said. “These people are a crucial part of keeping our daily lives going.” She realized in a way, the mask makers are essential, too. “They’re an enormous part of what stands between us and an apocalyptic scenario in which the popu-

Peter and Erica Harold. Independent/Courtesy Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital

who are having difficulty breathing. For more information about how to support Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital and its foundation, call 631-477-5164 or email elih_donations@stonybrookmedicine.edu. EHCovid19Masks/, where information will be posted for those who wish to volunteer, or who know of anyone in need of the masks, including health care workers, food pantry workers and volunteers, school food distribution centers, and anyone working with the public, especially those working in stores that sell food. Residents can also reach out to help through the email EHCovid19Masks@gmail.com. “I have lived in East Hampton with my husband for almost 20 years now, which, in Bonac terms, is about two minutes,” Meyer said. “I love and respect our town and believe that local residents must take care of each other.”

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The Independent

Sports Section XI Still Hopeful For Spring Season Announcement comes after school closure extended to April 29 By Desirée Keegan desiree@indyeastend.com Section XI is following the recommendation of President Donald Trump and Governor Andrew Cuomo and telling spring sport athletes to remain home until April 29, but the governing body of Suffolk County athletics is still hopeful for a spring season. “If we can come back in the beginning of May, we are fine,” Section XI Executive Director Tom Combs told Newsday. “Even the middle of May is OK. I don’t know all the answers, but I’d say if we come back June 1, we’re done.” Combs said Section XI has plans for four different start dates, beginning April 29, which is the day to which the governor’s school closure has been extended. The only stipulation is spring sports require at least six practices before competition begins. Ten practices are mandatory for baseball teams. Combs said the rules were made considering the health of student-athletes. “We are optimistic that if we do come back to school this year that our student athletes will have an opportunity to participate in an abbreviated season,” Section XI said in a statement April 9. “Let’s do our part to flatten the curve and

stay home and stay safe.” To keep active and distracted, some teams, like members of the ShorehamWading River girls soccer team, have created practice videos where the teammates can be seen virtually passing the ball to one another. The Center Moriches softball team started a challenge on TikTok, and displayed similar simulated hitting and fielding. In an effort to build a championship culture during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rochester-based Gates Chili Central School District Athletic Director Patrick Irving shared an open letter with advice. To advance his programs, the athletic director is celebrating and connecting student-athletes currently missing their spring season, refocusing the budget, continuing education through National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association webinars and other local professional development opportunities, and starting to complete tasks on his district’s to-do list he hadn’t previously had time for. “To start, it is important to have coaches continue to connect with their student-athletes,” Irving said. “Second, this unfortunate situation has created an

opportunity. With school closures, my budget is not currently being spent on transportation, athletic training, strength and conditioning services, officials, game supervisors, and more. Once reports are run and athletic administrators know what funds they will have at their disposal, they should begin gathering quotes for purchases that will advance their program and celebrate the student-athletes of the district. It is important that when we do return to normalcy, we do it with a bang.” He’s looked into buying windscreens on fencing with his school’s logo, banners for his gymnasiums, window decals for families, shirts for three-sport athletes, fitness center updates, new uniforms, light pole banners, scoring tables, and floor mats. “Educators should always consider students first,” Irving said. “Personal understanding and continued education are great ways to improve your programming in the immediate.” He said items that can be checked off a to-do list include creating a wall of fame, organizing stakeholders, rereading athletic handbooks, improving student voice, establishing a coach’s corner workshop so they can learn from one another, adding a club, updating record books, and reviewing the athletic department’s website. “Not all these suggestions will be a possibility for every athletic administrator, especially because there are funds tied to many of them,” Irving said. “But simply checking in with your studentathletes will remind them and their families that your athletic department is about community and their overall edu-

cation. Lead by example and start sharing different posts and emails that simply recognize those student-athletes and their families. In times like these, challenge yourself to think differently.” When it comes to the future of our spring championships, the New York Public High School Athletic Association will have more information on or before April 27. “At this incredibly difficult and unprecedented time, the focus has to be on your health and keeping your family safe,” the New York Public High School Athletic Association said in a statement. “We continue to follow the guidance to health care officials and Governor Andrew Cuomo when it comes to social distancing, returning to the workplace, and what this means to school districts. Until then, please be safe and practice social distancing. Stay home and stop the spread.”

as well as Nassau and Suffolk County town courses and private clubs, were allowed to open because golf can be played while social distancing. On April 7, Montauk Downs had 110 players, which was considered “an

extraordinary amount” for April. Courses were extending tee times from eight minutes to 15, players were advised not to touch flagsticks or ball washContinued On Page 32.

Section XI Executive Director Tom Combs presenting a school of distinction award to Westhampton Beach Union Free School District Athletic Director Kathy Masterson. Independent/Courtesy Section XI

Golf Courses Ordered To Close President Trump’s hunting plan gets mixed reviews By Desirée Keegan desiree@indyeastend.com As quickly as golf courses opened, they were ordered to close. The mandatory shutter followed New York adding golf courses to the list of

nonessential businesses April 9. The state had announced earlier in the month Bethpage State Park, Sunken Meadow State Park, and Montauk Downs,

Sports

April 15, 2020

After taking a long, hard look in the mirror, I have to admit that in my mind, beyond any question, I’m officially goin stir-crazy. So, I’ve decided to continue my journey deep into my memory vault of experiences from the many years I traveled the Tour. Let’s start with the time I asked Tiger Woods and David Duval what they knew about underwater hockey. In December of 2000, the World Golf Championships World Cup was held at the Juan B. Segura Golf Course in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was a partnership format, where each qualifying country sent a team of two players. Representing the United States were David Duval and Tiger Woods.

It was my first trip to this part of the globe and it turned out to be quite an experience. I arrived a day early to give me some time to explore. Little did I know it would be a lot more than I bargained for. It was a Sunday, the streets were not too crowded, and only a few shops were open, primarily for the tourist trade. I started the day as a windowshopper, not looking to purchase anything, but then I discovered a men’s shop. In the display window was a fulllength purple fur coat. Back then I had purple lenses in my glasses, and wore a lot of purple golf shirts, so I couldn’t resist trying this thing on. Guess what? It was a perfect fit, and despite many solid reasons not to make the purchase,

I just couldn’t resist. The clerk said he would prefer cash, and I was pointed towards an ATM machine at the bank across the street. I completed my transaction with no problem, but couldn’t find a way out. Nothing I did seemed to open the secure door, and, of course, none of the instruction signage was in English. No matter what I did, I just couldn’t figure out how to open the door. Passersby on the street just stared at me and moved on like I was an animal on display. A good 20 minutes went by before another customer showed up, and opened the door to set me free. After all that, I decided not to buy the fulllength purple coat, but did have my photo taken, and used it for my U.S. Open press credential badge. The next day, Monday, it was time to head to the tournament and the PGA Tour provided us with a car and driver. It turned out the gentleman I was driving with had quite a tale to tell. As we struck up a conversation — he wanted to practice his English — he told me that he was the second most popular athlete in Argentina, only to Diego Maradona, one of the greatest soccer

Deepwater

pause until such a time where the case can again be a main focus of our working lives. Right now, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association members are working around the clock with local residents to try to produce machine-sewn masks capable of protecting essential workers throughout the Town of East Hampton.” As for the subtle shift by the trustees — one mirrored by the East Hampton Town Board — two sources said Ørsted has sweetened the pot considerably for East Hampton — to the tune of over $20 million. In 2017, Deepwater offered $1 million to the town for water infrastructure improvements in Wainscott, $500,000 to the town trustees, $100,000 for a fisheries fund, and $200,000 more to East Hampton for sustainable energy projects. Deepwater

also pointed out jobs would be created, though Clint Plummer, a vice president at the time, declined to say how many. “Given the work we have done already, the town and trustees should not start counting their money because it will be a long time coming if Ørsted continues to target our community,” said the spokesman for the Wainscott Citizen’s Group. Ørsted lobbied Washington, unsuccessfully, through the American Wind Energy Association for an extension of tax credits because COVID-19 is “creating schedule problems.” Thomas Brostrøm, president of Ørsted Wind Power North America, LLC, sits on the American Wind Energy Association’s board. In 2015, the wind industry agreed to a multiyear phaseout of the federal subsidy. Belsito dealt Ørsted a major blow by

CHIP SHOTS By Bob Bubka

Stir-Crazy Proof bobvoiceofgolf@gmail.com

Continued From Page 17. virus’s trajectory. “The town and the trustees continue to ignore their fiduciary duty to protect the beach and water, and instead would auction off our beach for the last dollar,” a spokesman for the Wainscott Citizen’s Group said April 13. “[We] will continue to work with environmental experts to hold Ørsted accountable and save Wainscott Beach.” Bonnie Brady, representing the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, said the short delay was insulting given the crisis at hand. “A delay of only 30 days considering the COVID-19 issue we believe is folly,” she said. “This case should be put on

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players of all time. You can imagine my surprise when he said he was also one of the world’s best underwater hockey players. I bet you’ve never heard of underwater hockey. For sure, I hadn’t, but evidently it’s played in 36 different countries including the U.S., and holds a world championship every other year. So, later in the week as the tournament progressed, I was set to interview David Duval and Tiger Woods, who were in the lead. I knew that Tiger and David had been asked just about every question under the sun, so I thought for sure this question would be a first. “Gentlemen, what do you know about underwater hockey?” I asked. Tiger quickly replied he had never heard of it, but David’s response was priceless: “What do they do? Melt the ice?” I suppose if I’m prepared to wear a purple fur coat, then there could be no surprise I’d ask that question. By the way, they went on to win that 2000 World Golf Championships World Cup, and we’ve had many laughs over that question and answer in the years that followed. Now, do I get your vote that I am indeed certifiably stir-crazy? siding with those seeking a longer delay. “Upon consideration of the parties’ submissions and conflicts with other proceedings, I adopt the procedural schedule listed below,” he wrote in his ruling, which stated staff and intervener testimony and exhibits will be conducted August 7, rebuttal testimony and exhibits August 28, and evidentiary hearings begun on September 30 and continued as necessary. “We don’t anticipate this extension will alter our project schedule, but we continue to closely monitor what, if any, impact the continuing crisis will have on South Fork Wind’s timeline,” said Meaghan Wims, a spokeswoman for Ørsted. As for the benefits package being dangled in front of East Hampton officials, Wims said, “We do not comment on ongoing negotiations.”

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The Independent

INDY FIT By Nicole Teitler

The Power Of Connection A lesson learned from Andrea Bocelli nicole@indyeastend.com No one is immune to the effects of a global pandemic. It afflicts us all. For the first time in a century, people worldwide are simultaneously experiencing the same confinement and the same sense of loss. But for 25 minutes on Easter Sunday, 22 million viewers united, confined in their homes, and the world felt a little less lonely. Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli took center stage at the Duomo Cathedral in Milan for a live-streamed concert titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Music For Hope.â&#x20AC;? On any other occasion, the cathedral would have been filled with more than 40,000 people. Amid a countrywide lockdown, Bocelli sang to empty pews in order to deliver one very powerful message.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the day in which we celebrate the trust in a life that triumphs . . . I believe in the strength of praying together. I believe in the Christian Easter, a universal symbol of rebirth that everyone â&#x20AC;&#x201D; whether they are believers or not â&#x20AC;&#x201D; truly needs right now. Thanks to music . . . we will hug this wounded Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pulsing heart, this wonderful international forge. It will be a joy to witness it . . . which evokes the mystery of birth and rebirth,â&#x20AC;? stated Bocelli on his YouTube channel. The famed blind performerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music resonated beautifully â&#x20AC;&#x201D; four Italian hymns followed by his breathtaking version of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Amazing Grace.â&#x20AC;? Without even knowing the lyrics or speaking Italian, the visuals and concept of what he did

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proved cross-cultural: abandoned streets across major cities throughout the world, a sign of the undeniable reality we all live in, paired with lyrics about togetherness. Through song, Bocelli created the power of connection. Oxford defines the word â&#x20AC;&#x153;humanityâ&#x20AC;? as the human race or human beings collectively. So, a world of isolation, where social distancing is a means for survival (both our own and our societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s), goes against human nature. We are beings meant to succeed in the presence of others, meant to communicate, to move, and to gather. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening in the world right now is anything but natural. American sociologist and director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University Eric Klinenberg studies social connection. In a New York Times op-ed piece, dated March 14, 2020, he notes â&#x20AC;&#x153;social solidarity . . . the

interdependence between individuals and across groups,â&#x20AC;? as a motivation for â&#x20AC;&#x153;public health, not just our own personal security.â&#x20AC;? Klinenberg goes on to describe that a common mindset, and goal, of the collective ensures the safety of individuals. This ties into the very meaning behind â&#x20AC;&#x153;Music For Hope,â&#x20AC;? that in unification of a common goal, a common mindset, the world can heal. As we continue to stay home and stop the spread, loneliness is bound to come knocking on our doors. In partnership with Governor Andrew Cuomo, Headspace (www.headspace.com) is offering a free collection of meditation, sleep, and movement exercises to help with mental health during this stressful time. And remember it is okay to feel alone, as long as it comes with the understanding that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all alone together.

Funds To Fight Tick-Borne Illnesses

State Assemblyman Fred Thiele announced the 2020 enacted state budget contains provisions to ensure Environmental Protection Funds can be used to address Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. This funding is included as part of the allocation for the EPF available for environmental health for assessments, testing, and actions including vector control. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have long been supportive of efforts to prevent, diagnose, and treat Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, as well as those that promote public awareness of the issue,â&#x20AC;? Thiele said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lyme disease is a significant public health threat that requires a concerted state effort to expand our research, prevention, and treatment efforts. The increased incidence of tick-borne disease makes this funding critically important, and I am encouraged that it was included in the final budget.â&#x20AC;? Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that ticks contract from biting an infected animal, usually mice or deer. The tick can then pass the disease to humans when biting skin. Ticks are usually found on the tips of grass blades or brush. Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses pose a significant threat on the East End and state at large, which has become an epicenter of Lyme disease, with thousands of confirmed cases annually. DK

Golf Courses Closed Continued From Page 30.

ers, and bunker rakes had been removed. Although many golfers were seen walking, carts were limited to a single rider and were being disinfected after each use. Under the Empire State Development Corporationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new guidance announced Thursday afternoon, parks can remain open, with the exception of playgrounds, and golf clubs are currently allowed to keep kitchens open. The use of boat launches and marinas for recreational vessels is not considered essential. Any related businesses must remain closed through April 29. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone also announced all campgrounds at county parks are closed through May 1. Playgrounds at parks have already been closed for several weeks. Any reservations made at a camp site are cancelled and refunds will be issued.

Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hunting Plan Gets Mixed Review

President Donald Trump and his administration unveiled a plan last Wednesday to open 2.3 million acres of land for hunting and fishing at more than 100 national wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries. The proposal was aimed at giving Americans more recreational access. The plan earned applause from several hunting and fishing groups, but one conservation organization called it â&#x20AC;&#x153;tone deafâ&#x20AC;? to needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, where social distancing remains a major objective to stop the spread. There were no New York sanctuaries on the initial list of refuges being considered, but the proposal would allow fishing for the first time at several wildlife refuges. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hunters and anglers now have something significant to look forward to in the fall as we plan to open and expand hunting and fishing opportunities across more acreage nationwide than the entire state of Delaware,â&#x20AC;? Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said in a statement. Rick Murphy contributed reporting.

News & Opinion

April 15, 2020

Jerry Larsen Raises $83K For Charity

man, Diane Curland, Thomas Lee, and the companies Warby Parker and Blade, among others who wished to remain anonymous. “This all started when we had a standstill in our campaigning due to the pandemic,” said Melendez, a village board candidate. “We figured that we had a great following, and we could use it to do something good for the community. Jerry spoke to the pantries and we reached out to our supporters that were so generous helping those who need it the most.” “As a business owner and mother of four, I know how stressful this pandemic is, and being able to help others brings hope to all of us,” Melendez continued. “If anyone else wishes to donate, we can always help them get their donations to any of the three recipients.” To do so, contact Larsen at jlarsen@ mafgrp.com. Editor’s note: Jerry Larsen is currently head of security for Ronald Perelman, who owns The Independent.

East Hampton Village mayoral candidate gives to child center, food pantry By Karen Fredericks karen@karenfredericks.com East Hampton Village mayoral candidate Jerry Larsen and running mate Sandra Melendez raised over $83,000 for two local food pantries. In a press release, the pair announced the funds will be equally split among East Hampton Food Pantry, the Springs Food Pantry, and toward providing free daycare to children of essential workers through East Hampton’s Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center. “The demand and surge that our

food pantries are seeing is nothing they’ve ever experienced,” Larsen said. “We will continue to raise as much as we can for these wonderful organizations, as they support our community. This is not about the village or town of East Hampton. We are one community.” He thanked those who donated, including The Independent owner Ronald Perelman, Dr. Anna Chapman, Marc and Diane Spilker, Andy Sabin, Bruce and Wendy Mosler, Christy Ferer, Ami Schul-

Classiﬁeds

Christopher Minardi Enters Race For East Hampton Village Trustee

Christopher Minardi, a member of the Village Zoning Board for the last 12 years will be joining Jerry Larsen and Sandra Melendez on the NewTown Party ticket for the election in June. Speaking of his decision, Minardi said, “Jerry’s campaign has momentum with residents who haven’t voted in a village election in over 20 years. Jerry has effectively communicated his vision of a modern village that respects our past. Jerry wants to make this a community again, and revitalize the downtown so local families come back to the village. Too many are leaving.” KF To Advertise In This Directory, Call The Independent at 631 324 2500 www.indyeastend.com Classiﬁed Deadline: Monday at Noon

Help Wanted LOOKING FOR A POOL SERVICE TECHNICIAN / Experience preferred but not required / DL required / Competitive pay. Contact Rob 631-495-2484 or info@elitepoolsny.com. UFN

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We are looking for Advertising and Special Events Sales Representatives who enjoy meeting with local businesses and helping their businesses grow. If you have Sales Experience, energy and are looking to be a part of an exciting and fun team – we’re looking for you. You will handle all aspects of advertising for local businesses: print, digital, sponsorships and events. Previous media sales is a plus. If you’re interested in learning more please send your information to Dan Schock, Head of Sales at dan@indyeastend.com.

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The Independent

Bock Auto Gives To Kids And Local Businesses Daily contests show community support By Brittany Ineson

Erick Bock and his wife, Meghan, are coming up with creative ways to give back to their community at a time when help is needed the most. The pair, owners of the family-operated Bock Auto full-service repair shop on Montauk Highway in Amagansett, are running different daily contests for kids in surrounding townships. Past contests include making blanket forts, drawing cars and motorcycles, and building LEGO masterpieces.

“The word ‘amazing,’ I think, describes our community very accurately,” Erick Bock said in a video posted on Bock Auto’s Facebook page. “This is a community that my family is proud to call home for the last 13 generations. This community has always come together to help one another during their time of need.” In a time where local businesses have needed residents most, the Bock family has risen to the occasion to aid both.

Letters

every time a patient recovers and goes home as a victory for all of us. In just a few short weeks, we have gone from our relatively quiet “winter mode” to being on the front lines of a raging war. We have doubled our bed capacity, tripled our ICUs, brought in huge quantities of supplies, redeployed from usual work environments to new and different areas, rapidly adapted new policies and guidelines, transformed facilities, reassured and comforted the sick and their families, and changed daily work patterns and habits to protect ourselves, our colleagues, and our patients. The level of creativity, teamwork, and adaptability has been nothing short of spectacular. From the day Suffolk County’s first COVID-19 patient was admitted to our ICU to now, I have never been more proud to be a member of this team. I am not ashamed to admit that at times I have actually been choked up by the courage and compassion I have seen in our ICU, emergency room, patient care floors, and throughout the hospital. From our brave environmental services workers cleaning patient rooms, to our nurses and respiratory care therapists at the bedside, from our facilities and security staffs transforming our facilities to our residents, hospitalists, and intensivists making care decisions, I have had the immense honor to witness the work of real heroes. Add to this the support, teamwork, and overwhelming collaboration we have enjoyed from our great

Continued From Page 4.

Flags At Half Staff Dear Editor, The pandemic is taking a heavy toll on the lives of people in the world, including our wonderful country. In memory of the thousands of U.S. citizens who have died and will die due to the coronavirus, and in tribute to all of the brave hospital workers and first responders battling the pandemic, and in accordance with the powers vested in me and with the concurrence of my wife of 53 years, I hereby will keep my U.S. flag and Navy flag at half-staff during the remainder of the pandemic. Donald Allen Moskowitz Elizabeth (Jones) Moskowitz

Raging War Dear Friends, As I write this, a Code Blue was just paged on the overhead speaker for one of our intensive care unit patients. For me, it was a vivid and immediate reminder of the life-and-death struggles of our patients during this pandemic. In my mind, I have a clear vision of the scene unfolding with nurses, attending and resident physicians, respiratory therapists, and others all engaged in trying to save a life. It also reminds me of how much our work matters and how well we as an organization have risen to the challenge. We celebrate

“We were initially trying to find something to help the small businesses in the community,” Bock said. “Obviously, everybody’s been affected by this, whether it be the restaurants or the stores, everybody’s being hit. So, we thought, ‘How can we buy from these small businesses to help?’” The most recent contest asked kids in the community to create videos thanking those fighting the COVID-19 pandemic at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. For every kid that submitted a video, Bock Auto donated one pizza from Pepperoni’s in East Hampton, which was writing the children’s names on the box. “We received some really good videos from the kids,” Bock said. “Some of them make you tear up a little, and cry a little bit. Others are, you know, just funny. These kids do a great job.” Meghan Bock can be seen announcing the rules in the company’s daily video posts, bringing a much-needed enthusiastic and playful energy to an otherwise dreary situation. Having three children of their own — Tucker, Kix, and Tess — the Bock family knows how important it is to keep spirits up. “We thought, ‘Are the kids bored

while stuck home? Does the family like contests?’” Erick Bock said. “We wanted to help provide some activities that can be done at home together as a family — something to help keep them occupied, give them some direction, and something to focus on for a little while and keep their minds off of not being in school and all that.” The winner of each contest, following the contest’s announcement the day prior, is made public at 10 AM each morning. The winners this time around receive a $25 gift card, and all runners-up are rewarded with a free small ice cream cone from John’s Drive-In in Montauk. Bock Auto is also still open for business. If you visit the company Facebook page, 10 restaurants the family likes to visit within the Town of East Hampton are listed. If a resident purchases a meal from one of them and brings in his or her receipt, that amount spent will be deducted from his or her next auto service. To learn about upcoming contests, visit www.facebook.com/bockauto. To reach Bock Auto or learn more about the company, call 631-267-5631 or visit www. bockauto.com.

colleagues at Stony Brook University Hospital and Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital. Stony Brook Medicine is a system is truly proving its value and strength. I am so thankful for the support of our colleagues and the fact that during the crisis, we are part of Long Island’s newest health care system. We are deeply grateful for the amazing demonstration of support provided by you, our East End community. Your generous donations help fortify our supplies and brighten our days. It is our privilege to serve you. It is my sincere hope the coming months will bring a return to our normal lives and an end to this pandemic. When that day will be, none of us knows. So, for now, please accept my heartfelt appreciation, along with my fervent wish for you and your families to stay safe and healthy. I also urge you to find time to eat, laugh, and relax with your loved ones. Today’s realities certainly drive home the message of how precious life really is! Warmest regards, Robert Chaloner Chief Administrative Officer at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital

tion scheduled to take place is hereby postponed until at least June 1 as per the state, the county executive said. For consumers who have complains about essential businesses violating COVID-19 protocols, call 311 from 9 AM to 4:30 PM.

Worst Is Over Continued From Page 6.

one that qualifies that is interested in speaking to a medical professional to call 516-874-0411. Any school board, library board, or village elec-

A Treatment Or Vaccine? U.S. drug maker Pfizer Inc. announced April 9 it may be onto something — a treatment for COVID-19. The company stressed early data has helped identify a drug candidate with the potential to help treat infected patients. Pfizer also finalized a plan to develop a novel coronavirus vaccine in partnership with German drug maker BioNTech. Trials could begin this month, although U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval typically takes a considerable amount of time. Pfizer’s Chief Scientific Officer and President of Worldwide Research, Development, and Medical Mikael Dolsten said in a Reuters interview the treatment came from 2003 research when SARS-CoV-2 struck.

Unemployment Over 16.8 million American workers filed for unemployment insurance in the past three weeks, a record. This week, the number of people filing, 6.8 million, was the highest weekly total in the country’s history. The U.S. unemployment rate in April could hit 15 percent — a number last seen at the end of the Great Depression.

April 15, 2020

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The Independent

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April 15, 2020

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The Independent

Aboff's Gives More Than 4000 Masks And More “The donation was a lifesaver” By Rick Murphy rmurphy@indyeastend.com Commercial painters have long used N95 respirator masks so they don’t breathe in aerosolized paint fumes and sanding particles. Now, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, health workers are in desperate need for these face protectors to keep them safe. The Long Island State Veterans Home at Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, both on the front lines of fighting the novel coronavirus, will benefit from the generosity of the Aboff family, owners of Aboff’s paint stores, who after combing their stores for these supplies, are helping to meet the need

donation needs at both institutions. “The donation was a lifesaver,” said Long Island State Veterans Home Executive Director Fred Sganga. “Securing personal protective equipment for my staff has been our number one priority. We refuse to send our staff into battle without the proper protection. Aboff’s stepped up to the plate when we needed it the most.” Sganga is a neighbor of Rod Aboff, who after the two spoke, offered to send personal protective equipment materials to the veterans home. Aboff's paint stores donated 1040

Independent/T.E. McMorrow

masks and 133 Tyvek suits and pairs of painters' booties. An additional 3200 masks were given to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. “We’ve been part of the community since 1929 and we wanted to give back to the community that’s been supporting us over the past 90 years,” said Matthew Aboff. “Aboff’s paint stores and the Aboff

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family are the quintessential community-minded business for which Long Island is known,” said Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Chief Development Officer Steven M. Bernstein. “They are a strong presence in the Village of Southampton and our hospital is thrilled to have their generous support of personal protection equipment at this critical time.”

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April 15, 2020

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