The Times of Middle Country - March 13, 2023

Youth Abilities Day coming to Middle Country Public Library

The Middle Country Public Library in Centereach is hosting its Youth Abilities Day: A Special Needs Resource Fair on Friday, April 28, from 4-7 p.m., at 101 Eastwood Blvd., Centereach. This event is provided in partnership with Stony Brook University’s Occupational Therapy students and Middle Country Special Education PTA. Youth Abilities Day is free and open to all. The fair features approximately 20 organizations

representing a wide array of specialties, including sports, music, baking, healthcare, therapies and more.

The Super Mario Bros. characters will be available for photos during the event, along with a space to unwind in a sensory room. The library’s Flashing Fingers Sign Language Club will perform at 6 p.m.

Youth Abilities Day is about helping individuals with disabilities and their families

find the right resources to enrich lives. MCPL strives to provide a diverse array of educational and recreational resources for patrons of different backgrounds, abilities, ages and interests to ensure that the library has something for everyone.

For more information about the fair, contact the youth services department at Middle Country Public Library at 631-585-9393 ext. 559. Preregistration is encouraged over the phone or on the library’s website, www.mcplibrary.org.

The Middle Country Public Library in Centereach is hosting its Youth Abilities Day: A Special Needs Resource Fair. Pictured above, children participating in one of the library’s family events. Photos courtesy MCPL

Hahn sponsors bill to place Narcan in all county buildings

BY DANIEL FEBRIZIO DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

A new bill sponsored by Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) has been approved by the county Legislature. Her resolution requires kits of naloxone — or Narcan, its brand name — to be supplied in close proximity to automated external defibrillators in all county facilities.

The bill was co-sponsored by county Legislator Tom Donnelly (D-Deer Park).

An April 4 press release stated that Narcan “is a lifesaving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose when administered in a timely manner.” Hahn believes this bill will help to improve the outcomes of the opioid overdoses seen in the county.

Hahn has been passionate about fighting the opioid epidemic for more than a decade

Narcan kits will be placed in close proximity to automated external defibrillators in county facilities. Stock photo

BNL names Hewett first female lab director

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

For the first time in its over 75-year history, Brookhaven National Laboratory named its first female lab director.

particle physics.

Stony Brook University Distinguished Professor and Director of the C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics George Sterman described her hire as a “wonderful turn of events.”

the Science and User Support Group, which is the first building planned for Discovery Park.

Maurie McInnis, president of SBU and cochair of the BSA Board of Directors, which is a partnership between SBU and Battelle, welcomed Hewett, who will start this summer, to BNL.

MOVER AND SHAKER

JoAnne Hewett, associate lab director for fundamental physics and chief research officer at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California, will take over the top job at BNL this summer. Hewett will also join Stony Brook University as a tenured faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Hewett “is not only incredibly qualified and talented, but will also make history as the first woman to serve in this critical role,” Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who is the first woman elected governor of the Empire State, said in a statement. “The lab has developed innovative ways to deliver on New York’s top priorities, from battling disease to acting on climate change, that are making a difference today and for the future of New York.”

Hewett, who was the first woman member at SLAC in 1994, conducts research as a theoretical physicist, exploring the fundamental nature of space, matter and energy. Her work in physics focuses on efforts beyond the Standard Model of

In an email, Sterman wrote that her work “as a theoretical physicist has earned wide admiration, and her leadership has helped shape the national program in fundamental particles.”

Sterman suggested Hewett’s research “continues to influence experiments worldwide, and her perspectives will be greatly valued by her new colleagues at Stony Brook.”

With over 2,800 scientists, engineers, technicians and professionals and an annual budget of about $700 million, the researchers at BNL tap into the site’s state-of-the-art technology, including the National Synchrotron Lightsource II. These researchers, and the many scientists from around the country and the world, work in fields including nuclear and high energy physics, clean energy and climate science, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, photon sciences, isotope production, accelerator science and technology and national security.

Hewett is coming to BNL as it prepares to begin construction on the Electron-Ion Collider, or EIC. Estimated to cost between $1.7 billion and $2.8 billion, the EIC will allow researchers to look inside the nucleus at the protons

Swallowing Disorders

By Dr. John Amato

Occasionally, we have all experienced problems swallowing. We may have gagged on food or have found it hard to get food down. Some of us may have had a liquid “go down the wrong way,” making us cough and/or feel like we were choking, or have had difficulty swallowing pills. However, a person with a swallowing disorder will have trouble like this most of the time.

A swallowing disorder known as dysphagia is typically treated by a speech pathologist with special training and experience in diagnosing and treating people with swallowing disorders. A swallowing disorder can often cause a person to experience food getting stuck when swallowing, or coughing when swallowing either liquids and/ or solid foods. Frequent coughing when swallowing can be a sign that food and/or

liquids may be seeping into the windpipe, thus increasing the person’s risk for a lung infection known as aspiration pneumonia. Swallowing problems are often experienced by people who have had a stroke, or who may have experienced head/ neck cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and other neuromuscular diseases, including children with special needs. Some swallowing disorders are also now being recognized as a disorder of aging due to age related muscle weakness, which if identified early can be readily treated before becoming a more serious problem.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a problem swallowing, it is important to know that treatment is available, and that early diagnosis can help a person begin to experience improved ease of swallowing, as well as an optimal quality of life!

and neutrons. The research will reveal the arrangement of quarks and gluons that make up the protons and neutrons of nuclei.

Discoveries from the EIC could lead to future technologies.

“I am head-over-heels excited to build the EIC in partnership with Jefferson Lab to unlock the mysteries of the force that binds Nature’s building blocks, to strengthen connections to industry and the community with Discovery Park, and to advance the multi-program missions of the lab,” Hewett said in a statement. “And I’m very much looking forward to working with everyone at Brookhaven, Stony Brook and the DOE to usher the lab into its next successful chapter.”

The lab is also building a new welcome center,

Hewett’s “capable leadership, experience and future-forward vision complements Brookhaven National Laboratory’s continued focus on scientific innovation and discovery,” McInnis said in a statement. “The University is pleased to bring her expertise to the Physics and Astronomy Department and to the C.N. Yang Institute of Theoretical Physics, both of which have had “long-standing and critical connections to many major physics achievements at BNL.”

The next few months

Hewett takes over the top job at the lab from Doon Gibbs, who had been in that position from 2013. Gibbs is retiring on April 17.

“I am grateful to [Gibbs] for his outstanding leadership of Brookhaven and his long legacy of building and strengthening the lab for advancing scientific discovery,” Hewett said in a statement.

Jack Anderson, BNL’s deputy director for operations, will serve as the interim lab director until Hewett joins the lab.

Tom Daniels, the current ALD for Facilities and Operations will serve as interim deputy director.

South Shore Speech-Language Pathology

South Shore Speech-Language Pathology would like to welcome Dr. John Amato, Speech-Language Pathologist, and a specialist in the evaluation/treatment of adults and children with swallowing disorders, to the clinical staff of South Shore Speech-Language Pathology. Dr. Amato is the former director of the Center for Speech, Swallowing, and Voice Disorders, and former Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. Dr. Amato will be heading up the adult/pediatric oral feeding, swallowing, and vocal rehabilitation division of South Shore Speech-Language Pathology, which also provides speech and language therapy for infants, children, and adults, who may be experiencing a variety of speech, language, and cognitive disorders.

For more information about swallowing disorders or to set up an appointment with Dr. Amato please call: 631-849-6499

Medicare and most other insurances accepted.

JoAnne Hewett has been named the new BNL director.

Photo from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Hundreds converge upon Port Jeff during Easter Parade

The Port Jefferson community marked yet another successful Easter Parade, with hundreds turning out for this year’s festivities.

Hosted by the Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, the parade route started at Theatre Three, working down Main and finishing at Harborfront Park. Once there, a wild frenzy ensued, with children and parents rushing to the park to collect the hidden eggs.

VILLAGE

Fun and merriment went all around, the community and chamber capping off another memorable annual Easter tradition.

Photos by Greg Catalano

The Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce

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Narcan

Continued from A2

now. In April of 2012, she sponsored a resolution which enabled police officers to administer Narcan to overdose victims. The press release for the current resolution noted, “According to SCPD statistics, patrol officers equipped with Narcan have saved thousands of lives in the 10 years since the [original] bill was enacted.”

Old Field resident Carole Trottere came up with the idea for this legislation and brought it to Hahn’s attention only a few months ago.

“It’s really a no-brainer,” Trottere said. “Put them in wherever we have AEDs. … If you save one life, it’s sparing the parents the horrible grief that I go through and giving someone a second chance to try to get into recovery.”

Trottere has been reaching out to grieving parent groups. “You cannot believe how many groups there are on Long Island alone and nationally of grieving parents who have lost children to fentanyl and overdoses,” she said.

She has also been working with the Suffolk County Police Department’s Behavioral Health Unit. Trottere lost her son, Alex Sutton, to a drug overdose in 2018, and last year planned an event in memory of him at his favorite pizza place. Police attended and

carried out Narcan training at the event. This is something they would offer to anyone else who would like to plan an event in memory of a loved one.

According to the press release, the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence also supports Hahn’s efforts.

She said this bill will be beneficial because Narcan kits need to be readily available. “What is frightening about the disease of addiction is that it can happen to anyone,” she added. “So it does need to be everywhere.”

Hahn also mentioned that street drugs are now sometimes laced with fentanyl, so someone could be taking what they think is a simple Xanax, but it’s actually unexpectedly laced with fentanyl.

“It’s probably the person who unexpectedly overdoses that will benefit the most from its placement,” she said. “If it’s ubiquitously placed, then more people will be saved.”

Hahn said she’s working with local universities to build the pipeline of clinical social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists that can help people battling mental health issues. She indicated the system is under-resourced, and she would like to work toward strengthening child, adolescent, and adult mental health in our communities.

Paper Sold Out on the New tand?

The following incidents have been reported by Suffolk County Police: Arrests made for sale of

alcohol and e-nicotine to minors

Suffolk County Police arrested four employees after they allegedly sold alcohol and liquid e-nicotine to minors at businesses in the Sixth Precinct on April 10. In response to community complaints, Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers conducted an investigation into the sale of alcohol and liquid nicotine to minors at 10 businesses, four of which had violations.

Bharat Patel, 53, of East Patchogue, an employee of Club House Café in Centereach, was charged with alleged Unlawfully Dealing with a Child in the 1st Degree for selling alcohol to a person under the age of 21.

The following people were charged with alleged Unlawfully Dealing with a Child in the 2nd Degree for selling vape products to a person under the age of 21:Enis Secgin, 24, of Amityville, an employee of Cards & Smoke Vape Shop in Farmingville; Delroy Anderson, 25, of Port Jefferson Station, an employee of Happy Daze in Ronkonkoma; and Ali Sezgin Sire, 57, of Medford, an employee of Shell gas station in Centereach.

Ronkonkoma T-Mobile burglarized

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the person who burglarized a Ronkonkoma store in March. A person broke glass and entered T-Mobile, located at 163 Ronkonkoma Ave., on March 5 at approximately 10:25 p.m. The suspect stole three cell phones. For video of this incident, go to YouTube.com/ scpdtv and click on Wanted for Ronkonkoma Burglary 23-200409.

PJS massage parlor raided

Suffolk County Police arrested a Flushing woman on April 11 for alleged unlawful practice of a profession during a massage parlor raid in Port Jefferson Station. In response to community complaints, Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives and Crime Section officers, in conjunction with the Town of Brookhaven Building Inspector, Town Fire Marshal and Town Investigator, conducted an investigation into an unnamed spa located at 10 Medical Drive, Suite D, in Port Jefferson Station at 3:17 p.m. Following an investigation, Shidi Zhang, 37, of 3508 146TH St., Flushing, was arrested and charged with alleged Unauthorized Practice of a Profession, a felony. Several violations were also issued by Brookhaven Town.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Wanted for Selden petit larceny

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a woman who allegedly stole a Ninja kitchen appliance from Target, located at 307 Independence Plaza in Selden, at 3:34 p.m. on March 10.

you recognize this man? Photo from

Wanted for Farmingville petit larceny

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a man who allegedly stole clothing from Burlington, located at 2280 North Ocean Avenue in Farmingville, on March 16 at 12:45 p.m.

— COMPILED BY HEIDI SUTTON

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS.

Do you recognize this woman? Photo from SCPD

Do

SCPD

Gamecock Cottage renovations set to begin in coming months

BY RITA J. EGAN RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

A popular landmark in the Three Village area is about to get a facelift.

Local architect John Cunniffe updated attendees at the Three Village Civic Association April 3 meeting on the renovations that are set to begin at the end of May or early June on the historic Gamecock Cottage at Shipman’s Point at the tip of the West Meadow Beach peninsula.

Renovations

Cunniffe estimated the work on the cottage would take two to three months. Once the cottage restoration is completed, the Three Village Community Trust will take over as steward. TVCT officially entered a stewardship agreement with the Town of Brookhaven in 2010.

Work on the cottage will be supervised by the town. Cunniffe said a maintenance program would be developed for Brookhaven and the trust. The architect said the allotted budget for the work is $175,000.

“From 1990 to today, there was very little maintenance and upkeep on the building, and we’re at a 30-year lifespan on material, paint,

with dilapidation. I think we’ve all seen what has happened to the Gamecock Cottage, and it seems to be getting progressively worse, exponentially by the month.”

William J. Solan Contracting, of Stony Brook, with Walter Dwan will be responsible for all decorative work. Solan and Dwan worked on the 1990 renovation, according to Cunniffe. Statewide Roofing, of Ronkonkoma, will be in charge of roofing, while the town’s Parks & Recreation Department will work on siding, painting and additional work.

Cunniffe added material will be preprimed or pre-painted, so there will be no staging or scaffolding at the site. Custommilled material will provide the full length needed so the roof and seams allow no water penetration.

Currently, the budget covers exterior renovations. While many have voiced concerns about beach erosion in the area and possibly elevating the cottage, Cunniffe said after talking to town historian, Barbara Russell, he feels it may be best to keep it at its current level for now.

Robert Reuter, a local architect, added that the building for decades flooded and dried. “It was designed essentially to do that,” he said, adding the salt water may have

helped preserve it.

Cunniffe said the current staircase on the building doesn’t belong there architecturally, but it was added for utilitarian needs. As for an ADA-compliant ramp, that would be something for a future conversation, the architect said.

Herb Mones, community trust president, added once the trust takes over as steward, part of an agreement with the town is to aim to have a seasonal caretaker living in the second-floor apartment.

History

Cunniffe said Ward Melville bought the Gamecock Cottage in the 1940s and sold it to the town. The Ward Melville Heritage Organization took stewardship over the lease in the mid-1980s and in 1990 the cottage was renovated. Cunniffe said the roof was replaced, the cupola, gingerbread trim and windows were rebuilt, and 45% of siding was removed and replaced.

For decades, Gamecock Cottage was a boat storage facility, honeymoon getaway and rental unit, according to the TVCT website. WMHO relinquished the lease after 2004, and soon afterward the trust offered to assume stewardship. While the nonprofit was in discussion with the town,

Brookhaven applied for and received the State and National Registers of Historic Places designation for the 1870s Gamecock. Cunniffe said Russell was instrumental in securing the designation for the town.

Make a Statement...

The Gamecock Cottage exterior will soon undergo renovations. File photo

Unions and protesters unite at SBU against parking changes

BY LEAH CHIAPPINO DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Unions at Stony Brook University gathered on campus Wednesday, March 29, with an estimated 300 or so protesters in a rally for fair parking regarding proposed changes to the school’s parking policy, which include increased monitoring and fees. The university said it is an attempt to cover a deficit, along with “existing repairs, maintenance and capital expenses.”

The new plan would transition into a paid tiered system for both faculty and students. Essentially, the closer the spot to campus buildings, the higher the fee. In addition, students and faculty would share the same lots.

Under the proposed rate pricing plan, according to a statement released by Andrew Solar-Greco, president of United University Professions Stony Brook Chapter, monthly parking fees on campus would be divided into tiers, ranging from $50 in the “premium” level; $40 for core parking; $25 for perimeter parking; $10 for satellite parking; and $25 for residential staff.

“We have proposed implementing a campuswide, fully paid parking model in the fall of 2023,” SBU officials said in a statement. “Our existing model is insufficient to fund routine maintenance or customer service improvements. Our proposed tiered model and payment for parking will be either by permit or via a daily parking rate. These proposed changes will align us with our university peers. Details are currently being reviewed with campus stakeholders.”

SBU officials confirmed the proposed pricing is a tiered model ranging from $10-$50 per month. The university said 66% of all employees with parking permits are paying for parking, and

rates have stayed stagnant for 30 years.

Ted Vazquez, a field representative for NYS Public Employees Federation, said the proposal would create a culture that is “tantamount to a caste system.”

“That shouldn’t be,” he said. “The previous practices have always been your seniority. If a parking space becomes available, and you’ve seniority, you get it.”

The PEF apart, other unions participating in the protest were the United University Professions, Civil Service Employees Association, Stony Brook Grad Student Employees Union, Stony Brook Research Assistants Union, Local 1102 (Food Service Workers), Police Benevolent Association of New York State (University Police) and New York State Correctional Officers & PBA. According to Solar-Greco, “We were also joined by Laborers Local 66 and other unions affiliated with the LI Federation of Labor, which had leadership present as well.”

“We have requested that management halt any continued work on this plan, and bargain in good faith with all unions,” Solar-Greco said in a statement. “We vehemently reject the notion that UUP members must be responsible for funding routine maintenance and parking services for the campus community. This is management’s responsibility, period.”

Amy Pacholk, a nurse and council leader of Public Employees Federation, said several of her medical personnel members have considered going to the cheapest lot in protest, but have reconsidered given the need to be able to enter the building quickly when patients have emergencies.

“We respond to emergencies,” she said. “A lot of my people are, like, ‘We have to respond.’ If your system fails to account for that, you really

didn’t think about what you did — you just rolled out a system that you thought was effective for students. You didn’t realize that we’re medical professionals. We have a responsibility.”

In addition, Pacholk said, several medical staff have been working extra shifts, as long as 16 hours a day, to compensate for the rising cost of living on Long Island. For them, she said, the new system would not be sustainable financially.

Parking deficit

Amanda Basinger, an SBU student, who spoke at the protest, criticized the administration for creating a deficit in the first place, and then increasing prices for students and staff.

“How much does an undergraduate student make a year?” she said. “How much does a graduate student make a year? How much does a custodial worker, a maintenance worker and cafeteria workers make here? They can’t afford that. And it is so annoying and so privileged that the administration sits in their cushy buildings, demanding we pay for their mistakes and we pay for their deficit.”

University officials did not provide a specific figure when asked about the deficit and its origins. However, they did note in an email that $11 million is the anticipated deficit by fiscal year 2026-27 with no changes to the current model.

The plan would also combine commuting faculty and students into the same lots, chosen by tier, and have separate areas for residential parking. Parking within the tiered lots, would be first come, first serve. Faculty and staff already paying for parking will be given first choice on the lot they choose. After those spots are assigned, preference will be given in order of hire date. Commuter students will be selecting parking on a first-come, first-serve basis. Enforcement hours would be expanded for all

lots from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Bureaucratically, the enforcement, permitting and customer service responsibilities would be transferred from the University Police Department and Student Financial Services to Mobility & Parking Services, which would also handle parking for the hospital.

The university said they plan to implement a variety of technological and systemic upgrades, including mobile payments, which can be charged back to departments; updated meters, which allow rates to be altered for events and holidays; and event parking, allowing departments to be charged for visitors who would not need a permit. Finally, the university would provide real-time data to users, who could see where parking is available, by fall 2024.

Solar-Greco said the proposed changes were presented to union leaders in a meeting Feb. 10, and then sent in campuswide emails a few hours later, without consulting with the unions or allowing them to contribute. The university referred to this meeting as an “informational session.”

“We recognize that the proposed changes will have an impact on our community,” the university’s email read. “However, the reality is that our current parking model is insufficient to fund routine maintenance or customer service improvements for our parking operations. Stony Brook’s parking services are self-funded, meaning that tuition, student transportation fees and SUNY funding are not allocated to support these operations.”

Pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement between the UUP and management, the proposal is subject to negotiation. Greco said the negotiations have yet to begin. The university confirmed the discussions will start in the coming weeks but have not commenced.

Above, protesters speak out against SBU’s parking proposal. Andrew Solar-Greco, below, addresses the crowd at the March 29 rally. Photos by Leah Chiappino

A Long Island man’s journey out of homelessness

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

A year ago, Devon Toney was among the countless ranks of Long Island’s homeless.

After serving out a 17-year prison sentence, Toney spent years moving from place to place, his nights often spent at bus and train stations. Unable to cohabitate with others due to years of trauma inflicted early on in life and prison, he turned away from the shelter system. [See earlier Toney story, “Homelessness: A national disgrace and a thorny issue,” TBR News Media website, July 14, 2022.]

During his prolonged period of homelessness, Toney characterized himself as “very undesirable to everybody,” his frustrations externalized in fits of rage. Now this cycle has been broken and, for once, he said he has found stability.

Thanks to the assistance of various community organizations, Toney has recently entered a stable housing arrangement, having recently joined the Rapid Re-Housing Program operated by Family Service League, which provides financial and housing assistance enabling access to private rental units.

Along with the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, which had referred him to the program, Toney’s transition was also facilitated by the Council of Thought and Action, Heartsong and the Angels of Long Island organizations, among others.

Debbie Loesch, founder of the Patchoguebased nonprofit, Angels of Long Island, was instrumental in assisting Toney during his transition from homelessness, offering him per diem employment and watching out for him as he slowly got back on his feet.

“Life dealt him a couple of curveballs, but he has overcome them,” she said. “I’m very proud at how he’s turned his life around.” Housed, he spends much of his time reading and in study. With stability, he now channels his energies into various civic aims to lift others out of homelessness.

Since entering stable living conditions, Toney described his day-to-day existence as “night and day.” “Stability just makes me a different person, a more desirable person,” he said. “I’m a lot happier.”

Despite the recent turn in Toney’s story, homelessness remains a painful reality for many other Long Islanders. For many, escape from the scourge of homelessness has become an even more significant challenge.

“It is becoming increasingly difficult for people to get out of homelessness for a number of reasons,” Mike Giuffrida, executive director of the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, said in an interview. “The housing market has become

more expensive than ever, and there’s less availability of rental units.”

Further exacerbating the lack of housing, Giuffrida added that a greater proportion of Long Island’s homeless population is turning away from the shelter system.

“More people are experiencing homelessness on the street as opposed to temporarily entering shelter situations as a result of the current shelter structures not aligning with the needs and preferences of people experiencing housing instability,” he said.

As inflation and prices continue to mount, compounded by a lack of affordable housing, the region’s homeless face even more challenges.

Possible reforms

To deal with the growing problems tied to homelessness, Giuffrida recommended policymakers consider transformational reforms to the existing shelter system.

“If the current shelter structures are not reimagined, we should expect to see more people living on the street as opposed to in shelter,” he said.

Some manageable steps toward avoiding a spike in homelessness, Giuffrida suggested, could be eliminating burdensome shelter payment standards, reforming congregate shelter arrangements and offering non-U.S. citizens year-round access.

Giuffrida also recommended reimagining the mass transit network on Long Island, describing the existing infrastructure as “inadequate.”

“Transportation is a major barrier for people at risk of homelessness, experiencing homelessness or recently housed,” the executive director said.

Along with matters of policy, Giuffrida maintained that public awareness of homelessness offers a necessary first step toward alleviating the conditions of Long

Island’s homelessness while moving them off the streets.

“People who have never experienced homelessness have the most to learn about homelessness,” he said. “It’s very often that people who are most directly impacted by homelessness have the best ideas about how to solve homelessness and are more aware of people’s needs.”

Toney’s triumph

Since Loesch first met Toney, she has observed in him a tendency to give back to others. She also noted his desire to stay informed on policy trends, attend legislative meetings and speak up for those similarly afflicted by homelessness.

“He’s always reached out to help somebody else,” she said. “He’s always willing to help somebody.”

Loesch added that others could learn from Toney’s example, particularly his perseverance. She noted that he distinguished himself in seeking knowledge and information to facilitate his upward trajectory.

“He did his own research about how to obtain housing and what was available to him, and then he stayed on it,” she said.

The nonprofit founder reminded policymakers and community members to

remember to humanize the homelessness problem, approaching this through a human and problem-solving angle.

“We’re trying to save people from drowning, but we’re not going down the river to find out why they’re falling in,” she said. “We help people all over the world, but we don’t help our own people. There’s no reason that so many people should be homeless.”

Giuffrida emphasized that Toney is just one of countless other Long Islanders and Americans experiencing a similar lot. For communities and societies to begin to address the problem effectively, he maintained that all of those afflicted by homelessness must have a voice.

“We need to hear from all of the Devons,” he said.

Toney said the next stage in his journey is to acquire reliable transportation. He remains open to finding employment, saying that his experiences may uniquely qualify him for the nonprofit sector or related philanthropic enterprises.

“I know what it’s like not to have clothes, to be homeless and to go without food,” he said. “Helping individuals obtain food, clothing, housing and information … I would love that.”

Devon Toney, above, recently entered a stable living arrangement, fleeing homelessness. Despite the turn in his story, homelessness remains a reality for many across Long Island and the United States. Photo by Heartsong, courtesy Toney

‘We’re trying to save people from drowning, but we’re not going down the river to find out why they’re falling in.’

— DEBBIE LOESCH

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Garage Sales

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Merchandise

CRAFTSMAN30INCH 13:50CCSNOWBLOWER $1100Call631-332-8287.

Miscellaneous

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BLUESMANPIANOTUNING

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Schools/Instruction/ Tutoring

PIANO-GUITAR-BASS Allages-levels-styles. Manylocalreferences. Recommendedbyallarea schools.TonyMann, 631-473-3443,631-332-6005

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INDEX

The following are someof our available categories listed in the order in which they appear.

• Garage Sales

• Announcements

• Antiques & Collectibles

• Automobiles/Trucks etc.

• Finds under $50

• Health/Fitness/Beauty

• Merchandise

• Personals

• Novenas

• Pets/Pet Services

• Professional Services

• Schools/Instruction/Tutoring

• Wanted to Buy

• Employment

• Cleaning

- $99 – all regions $389 - $689 words. $10 each additional word. Call for display ad rates.

EMPLOYMENT/CAREERS

Help Wanted

PUBLISHER’SEMPLOYMENTNOTICE:Allemploymentadvertisinginthisnewspaperissubjecttosection296 ofthehumanrightslawwhich makesitillegaltoadvertise anypreference,limitationor discriminationbasedonrace, color,creed,nationalorigin, disability,maritalstatus,sex, ageorarrestconvictionrecord oranintentiontomakeany suchpreference,limitationor discrimination.Title29,U.S. CodeChap630,excludesthe FederalGov’t.fromtheage discriminationprovisions.This newspaperwillnotknowingly acceptanyadvertisingforemploymentwhichisinviolation ofthelaw.Ourreadersareinformedthatemploymentofferingsadvertisedinthisnewspaperareavailableonanequal opportunitybasis.

SERVERS/Bar/MAINTENANCE NEEDEDp/t,weekendsapply onlineatMajesticgardens.com

SEEOURDISPLAYADFOR MOREINFORMATION

TRAINONLINETODOMEDICALBILLING!BecomeaMedicalOfficeProfessionalonlineat CTI!GetTrained,Certified& readytoworkinmonths!Call 855-543-6440.(M-F8am-6pm ET).Computerwithinternetis required.

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PROGRAM!TrainONLINEto gettheskillstobecomeaComputer&HelpDeskProfessional now!GrantsandScholarships availableforcertainprograms forqualifiedapplicants.CallCTI fordetails!844-947-0192(M-F 8am-6pmET).Computerwith internetisrequired.

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Support Staff for busy agency, returnees welcome or new to the workplace, must be self motivated and computer knowledgeable for a paperless work place, room for growth

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Insidepositionsellingadvertisingforanaward-winning communitynewsmediagroup, Faxresumeto631-751-4165or emailresumeto Class@tbrnewspapers.com. Seeourdisplayadformore information.

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CARLBONGIORNO LANDSCAPE/MASON CONTRACTOR

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JOE’SGENERAL CONTRACTING

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Painting/Spackling/ Wallpaper

ALLPROPAINTING INTERIOR/EXTERIOR

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Plumbing/Heating

HEAVYWEIGHTPLUMBING

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Tree Work

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ARBOR-VISTATREECARE ACOMPLETETREECARE SERVICEdevotedtothecare oftrees.Maintenancepruning, water-viewwork,sun-trimming, elevating,poolareas,storm thinning,largetreeremoval, stumpgrinding.Woodchips. Lic#18902HI.Freeestimates. 631-246-5377

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Blues

Piano

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Real Estate Services

SERVICES

tentiontomakeanysuchpreference,limitation,ordiscrimination.”

Wewillnotknowinglyaccept anyadvertisingforrealestate whichisinviolationofthelaw. Allpersonsareherebyinformedthatalldwellingsadvertisedareavailableonan equalopportunitybasis.

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Looking toward a brighter future

The spring holidays and weather often fill people with hope and joy. This year is no different as residents may feel more optimistic than ever.

Local egg hunts and holiday events that took place last weekend exemplify the optimism our fellow residents are experiencing. While some community events during the past two years were able to take place, many of our social gatherings were severely limited. With egg hunts, organizers asked attendees to sign up for time slots. After egg hunting, they would need to complete any additional activities during a specific period due to COVID-19 precautions. Some events experienced low attendance amid COVID fears, with many people hesitant to return to their usual social activities.

This year, organizers were able to hold events resembling those held before COVID-19. Community members embraced the opportunity to get out of the house. For our reporters who were photographing the egg hunts and Port Jefferson parade, it was a delight to see community members able to fully enjoy activities and engage with each other.

It’s no surprise that we’re getting back to life as we knew it before 2020. It’s taken a while to get here, but it feels as though we are slowly approaching normalcy. As of April 6, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services reported 1.9% tested positive in the county, and the sevenday average was 1.8%. The COVID-19 Community Level for Suffolk is low. The DOHS also reported that as of April 7, 78.9% of county residents are fully vaccinated.

The community getting out and about regularly and mingling, as well as fewer COVID infections and more vaccinated people, are positive signs for the future.

This wave of good news is beneficial for small businesses as well. After spending a day full of fun activities, consider stopping by a local restaurant for lunch or dessert or patronizing a local store on the way home. Like community gatherings, our local mom-and-pops add a sense of place and charm to our towns and villages. Frequenting local downtowns gives these areas a chance to thrive, to employ even more of our residents and to pay taxes to our municipalities.

Our readers should keep an eye out for upcoming events in our coverage areas throughout the year as listed in our Arts & Lifestyles section.

We also remind residents that April 30 to May 6 marks National Small Business Week. Started by the U.S. Small Business Administration, these seven days recognize the contributions of entrepreneurs and small business owners. While enjoying the warm weather in the months ahead, we encourage our neighbors to grab a bite to eat, buy a new ornament or a plant for their home locally.

New York State Department of Health statistics indicate that nearly 5,000 Suffolk County residents have died from COVID-19. Many more throughout our state, nation and world have not survived the last few years. While we cannot undo what has happened, we can chart a course ahead. May these COVID years make us stronger, wiser and more socially responsible citizens. May we begin to thrive again, reminded of the joy and hope life has to offer. May we continue to rejoice and celebrate right in our backyards.

Please see revised letters policy below.

Letters to the Editor

Wind power presents significant problems

According to a March 23 TBR News Media article, Sunrise Wind will soon be providing us with a wind farm which will contribute to New York state deriving 100% of its energy requirements from renewable sources by 2040. Presumably this implies that the contribution of energy provided by all hydrocarbon fuels, including coal, oil and natural gas, will be eliminated entirely.

While this may sound like a noble and virtuous goal, it does present a number of very significant problems, none of which were addressed in the aforementioned article. The production and distribution of electrical power began in the 1880s, as a direct result of the invention of the incandescent light bulb by Thomas Edison. Since that time, it has been generated by a combination of hydrocarbon fuels, supplemented by hydroelectric sources and, more recently, by nuclear reactors.

All of these power sources share a common characteristic: They reliably provide huge amounts of energy satisfying all of our needs, 100% of the time, day and night, in all kinds of weather, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, year in and year out.

If we choose to arbitrarily eliminate the vast energy contributions of hydrocarbon fuels, and if we also follow the advice of letter writer Arnold Wishnia and his friends and eliminate our nuclear power plants as well, we will thereby create a new problem. If our virtuous green power sources are only active with a very limited duty cycle, certainly much less than 50% of the time, what will provide our energy when the wind is not blowing, and the sun is not shining? Clearly, we will need some form of energy storage system, in which we will produce and store energy when it is available, i.e., when the wind blows and/ or the sun shines, and recover this stored energy during the off times.

But what form will this energy storage system take? Can it be a huge collection of lithium-ion batteries? Can we perform electrolysis of sea water to produce hydrogen, which we can store in huge tanks? Can we pump vast amounts of water into huge towers, and then use it to power hydroelectric turbines? What shall we do?

We are told in the article that the windmills to be provided by Sunrise Wind will provide enough power for about 600,000 homes. However, we are not told whether this includes only the power delivered directly to the homes when the wind is blowing, or whether it includes the extra power that must

be stored, such as in a battery, to power the homes when the wind is absent.

If Sunrise Wind, or Mr. Wishnia or anyone else, can describe an energy storage system that is compatible with achieving 100% elimination of hydrocarbon fuels and nuclear power generators in New York state by 2040, at an even remotely achievable cost, it would be most interesting and enlightening.

In my humble opinion, I believe that windmills and solar arrays can be useful supplements. We see this, for example, with a homeowner who installs solar panels on a roof, or a farmer who uses a windmill to pump water from a well. But to rely on these sources 100% of the time, for a venue the size of New York state, is, as they say, a horse of a different color.

George Altemose Setauket

Opportunities squandered

Everyone deserves to live in safe, affordable housing. We are facing a housing crisis on Long Island. State and local governments must use their power to address this problem in a thoughtful and equitable way that benefits all of us.

Unfortunately, the response from too many Long Island elected officials to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s [D] “housing compact” fails to address the issue for the public good. In his perspective piece March 30, Dan Panico [R-Manorville], Town of Brookhaven deputy supervisor and current town supervisor candidate, accuses the governor of threatening “local municipalities” and her push to increase housing availability as a “political charade.”

While I do not agree with all aspects of Hochul’s plan, I recognize that she is speaking to a need that local governments have failed to address. One example of this would be the development of the Heritage Spy Ring Golf Club senior complex in South Setauket, which is a project that Mr. Panico voted for in 2014. This project was approved despite the opposition of the community. It has not generated any affordable housing,

with monthly apartment leases priced from $2,900 per month. What we desperately need in our communities is affordable housing for both young professionals and retirees, and this was an opportunity squandered.

Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich [D-Stony Brook] has also weighed in about local control, saying that “town council members are uniquely qualified to know and be accountable to the needs of our districts” in an April 6 Village Times Herald op-ed.

However, the Brookhaven Town Board isn’t listening to constituents. This past week, the Town Board unanimously sent a statement in support of New York State legislation to alienate protected parkland to facilitate the siting of a waste transfer station not allowed by local zoning, in an environmental justice area and disadvantaged community. They did this over the objections of nearby communities of color and the state NAACP.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time we’ve seen this kind of action. In 2021, the Town Board unanimously voted to rezone 130 acres of land surrounding the Brookhaven landfill from residential to light industry, again over the objections of residents. That is not how representation should work.

This year, our local government is up for election at all levels. Too many politicians have placed their self-interest and personal ambition over the voices of those they are elected to represent.

We saw this in our town redistricting process last summer, where the Town Board unanimously approved the redistricting maps that residents spoke in opposition to at numerous public hearings.

There is too much at stake, from affordable housing to environmental protection to the democratic process itself, to allow the status quo to continue unchecked. We deserve better, and we must demand it from our elected officials.

Shoshana Hershkowitz South Setauket

WRITE TO US … AND KEEP IT LOCAL

We welcome your letters, especially those responding to our local coverage, replying to other letter writers’ comments and speaking mainly to local themes. Letters should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style, good taste and uncivil language. They will also be published on our website. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include an address and phone number for confirmation.

Email letters to:

editor1@tbrnewsmedia.com or mail them to TBR News Media, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733

Local female scientists react to BNL hiring its first female lab director

Finally!

Brookhaven National Laboratory has had nine lab directors since it was founded in 1946. Earlier this week, the Department of Energy facility, which has produced seven Nobel Prizes, has state-of-theart facilities, and employs over 2,800 scientists and technicians from around the world announced that it hired JoAnne Hewett as its first female lab director.

can and would inspire women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

“I am so delighted by the news that Dr. JoAnne Hewett has been named to be the next director of Brookhaven National Laboratory,” wrote Esther Takeuchi, William and Jane Knapp chair in Energy and the Environment and SUNY distinguished professor at Stony Brook University and chair of the Interdisciplinary Science Department at BNL. As the first female director for the lab, Hewett “is an inspiration not only for the women who are in the field, but for future female scientists who will witness first hand that success at the highest level.”

Laufer Center), Anissa Abi-Dargham [principal investigator for the Long Island Network for Clinical and Translational Science] and many other successful female faculty in leadership positions, hopefully, the message comes out loud and clear to our young women who are in science already, or aspire to be in science.”

For her part, Abi-Dargham, who is chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, described Hewett’s hire as “amazing” and suggested it was “really exciting to see an accomplished female scientist selected to head our collaborating institution at BNL!”

leadership skills and selected” to head BNL.

Leemor Joshua-Tor, professor and HHMI investigator at CSHL, called the hire “really great news” and indicated this was “especially true for the physical sciences, where there are even fewer women in senior positions than in biology.” Joshua-Tor added that the more women in senior, visible positions, “the more young women and girls see this as a normal career to have.”

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF

Successful, determined, dedicated and award-winning local female scientists lauded the hire of Hewett, who comes to BNL from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory where she was associate lab director for fundamental physics and chief research officer. SLAC is operated by Stanford University in Menlo Park, California. In email responses, local female scientists suggested that Hewett’s hiring

Stella Tsirka, SUNY distinguished professor in the Department of Pharmacological Sciences at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, suggested this hire was a part of an increasing number of women in prominent positions in science at local institutions.

Stony Brook and BNL are “becoming a hub of strong female role models for younger females, in STEM, in medicine, in leadership!” Tsirka wrote. “Between [SB President] Maurie McInnis, Hewett, Ivet Bahar (the director of the

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Professor and Cancer Center Program co-leader Mikala Egeblad added that the significance of Hewett’s hire goes “well beyond inspiring young girls. It is important to have women leaders for all sciences, also for someone at my career stage. I hope that one day, we will get to a point when we don’t think about whether a leader is a woman or a man.”

Women remain underrepresented at top leadership positions, so Egeblad finds it “very inspiring to see a woman recognized for her

this year for coronation on

This column is a re-run from 2019. Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April in Seventy-Five: Hardly a man is now alive

Who remembers that famous day and year.

So begins Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride,” about the famous midnight gallop that happened 248 years ago. The poem was first published in The Atlantic Monthly on January 1861, and I dutifully learned the first lines as a young student.

BY LEAH S. DUNAIEF

As a result, every April 18 I think of Paul Revere.

Who, exactly was Paul Revere?

I know that he was a talented silversmith because I have seen some of his work, starting with teapots and engravings, at antique shows. I

Opinion TIMES BEACON RECORD NEWS

also assumed that Revere was an ardent colonialist, hanging out with the likes of Samuel Adams and John Hancock, to whom he rode through the night in Concord to warn them of imminent capture by the British troops. That was about it until I did a little research, and here is what I found.

Revere was born in Boston on either Dec. 21, 1734, or Jan. 1, 1735, depending on different calendar conversions. That still makes him 40 years old that famous night. His father was Apollos Rivoire, a French Huguenot immigrant who had come on his own at the age of 13 to the New World and eventually married Deborah Hitchborn, the Boston-born daughter of an artisan and wharf-owning family (whose last name was also spelled Hichborn and Hitchbourn). Revere, the third of 12 children, attended school from age 7 through 13 and then learned the silversmithing trade. He was married twice, having been widowed in 1773 and remarried that same year, which means he was little more than a newlywed the night of the ride.

In addition to his work with silver, Revere did some dentistry to augment his income. He

participated in the Boston Tea Party, during which Bostonians threw tea into Boston Harbor from the holds of ships anchored there to protest against parliamentary taxation without representation.

The colonists were increasingly angered by severe taxes imposed on them by their mother country to help repay the considerable debt Britain had incurred from fighting the French and Indian War. Revere, as a rider for Boston’s Committee on Safety, had devised a system of signals with lanterns to communicate the whereabouts of the British soldiers. Hence that night, the message was, “One, if by land, two, if by sea.” In a sense, Revere was Boston’s first media man.

With others, he was aware that the British troops might shortly be on the move because on April 16, 1775, he rode out to Concord, Massachusetts, to urge the patriots there to move their military stores to a different location.

On the night of April 18, Dr. Joseph Warren told Revere and William Dawes that the king’s troops were about to embark in boats from Boston to go to Cambridge, and from there to Lexington and Concord by road that night.

Alea Mills, professor and Cancer Center member at CSHL, wrote that it is “fantastic that BNL has found the very best scientist to lead them into their next new mission of success. And it’s an extra bonus that this top scientist happens to be a woman!”

Mills added that efforts to enhance diversity are fashionable currently, but all too often fall short. Hiring Hewett makes “real traction that will undoubtedly inspire future generations of young women in STEM.”

Patricia Wright, distinguished service professor at Stony Brook in the Department of Anthropology, wrote that it was “inspiring” to see a female director of BNL and that “young female scientists can aspire to being in that role some day.”

Revere borrowed a swift mare named Brown Beauty, and waited on the far bank of the Charles River for the signal from the steeple of the Old North Church. Revere and Dawes made the ride from different locations should one of them be blocked from leaving Boston.

Revere, however, had the benefit of a distinguished publicist, Longfellow, who honored him accordingly. Also left out of the story was Dr. Samuel Prescott, who rode on to Concord after Revere was captured by a British patrol in Lexington. Revere soon escaped, while Dawes lost his horse and had to walk back to Lexington. But Prescott made it through to carry the warning.

Revere and the others surely did not yell, “The British are coming!” despite tales to the contrary. They were, in the final analysis, all British. They probably said, “The redcoats are coming!” and they surely didn’t yell since British troops were stationed throughout the countryside. Such is the mystique of history.

But “that famous day and year,” we know from ensuing battles, is true and to be celebrated this day.

D. None of the above

‘The British are coming’

May 6!