The Port Times Record - February 23, 2023

BY KYLIE SCHLOSSER DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Three military daughters at three different Comsewogue schools were surprised by the early return of their father, Staff Sgt. William Flaherty, directly from Iraq.

Flaherty first stopped at Comsewogue High School to

visit his oldest daughter, Taliah. High school principal, Mike Mosca, called her to his office. Her face immediately changed from a worried look to elation upon seeing her father.

“Staff Sergeant Flaherty is a longtime member of our Comsewogue family and a former CHS graduate,” Mosca said. “We were thrilled when he reached

out to us with this request.”

Next, Flaherty went to Norwood Avenue Elementary School to see his daughter, Vienna, where he walked inside the cafeteria and greeted the excited kindergarten students. Finally, he was off to Boyle Road Elementary School to see his third daughter, Mia, and then down the hall to the universal pre-kindergarten class

where his wife works.

“We have a deep respect for the military and family here in our community,” Superintendent of Schools Jennifer Quinn said. “It was a great day for all and not a dry eye in any of the three schools he visited.”

Kylie Schlosser is a sophomore at Comsewogue High School.

Port Jeff civic elects officers

The Port Jefferson Civic Association elected officers and voted to set its priorities during a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Elected for one-year terms, Ana Hozyainova will serve as president, Holly Fils-Aime as vice president, Carol Macys Fox as secretary, Marilyn R. Damaskos as treasurer and Kathleen McLane as outreach officer. Each will be formally sworn in at the first business meeting of the civic association.

PJCA was established on Sept. 17, 1990, but it fell dormant in 2006. In 2023, the civic was reconstituted due to concerns by residents about a need for more engagement with local governing bodies. [See story, “Port Jeff civic resurrected, members set their priorities,” The Port Times Record, Jan. 12, also TBR News Media website.]

Fourteen village residents attended Tuesday evening, narrowing the civic’s focus around overseeing village-led construction projects, advocating for public referenda, facilitating green space preservation and promoting

pedestrian and public safety initiatives.

Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) attended the meeting and shared his experience as a former president of the Three Village Civic Association. He emphasized the importance of having a body that can be a compass for local governments.

All village residents are welcome to join the Port Jeff Civic Association. The civic can be reached at: portjeffcivicassociation@gmail.com.

Members of the Port Jefferson Civic Association during a meeting Tuesday, Feb. 21. Photo courtesy Ana Hozyainova

PJ village board deliberates parking, emergency repairs and youth program

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

The Village of Port Jefferson Board of Trustees met on Tuesday, Feb. 21, to discuss parking, youth services at the Village Center and emergency repairs at Port Jefferson Country Club.

Parking

At the request of parking administrator Kevin Wood, the board passed a resolution to set the same managed parking rates and daily times as last season, effective March 15. The board also approved 24/7 metering of the Perry Street resident lot at $0.50 per hour, effective April 1, with payment exceptions for village residents and Perry Street permits.

Country club

Mayor Margot Garant reported on a wellhead at the country club in need of replacement, saying that a recommendation was submitted last year to remove the turbine from the well for inspection.

“Apparently, if some basic maintenance had been done on the wellhead last year, it would have prevented the complete failure,” she said. “There’s a rubber gasket that sits on top of the pump, and the rubber gasket was completely blown, so it burned out the steel shaft below it,” adding “the whole wellhead has to be replaced.”

The mayor reported that the Farmingdalebased American Well & Pump Co. has “the significant component on their shelf available for us.” At a cost of $47,130, the board voted to approve the request, with the money taken from the PJCC fund.

Trustee Stan Loucks said that the cost to repair the wellhead “went from $10,000 to this number [$47,130] because of the lack of attention last year.”

Reports

Garant reported on an ongoing negotiation between the village and the village-based nonprofit Long Island Foundation for Education & Sports. This organization offers youth programs and rents a room in the Village Center.

Garant said LIFFES currently requests a continued rental rate of $35 per hour, reduced from the $42 per hour pre-pandemic rate. Village treasurer Denise Mordente said the village receives roughly $31,000 in

annual rent from the nonprofit.

“If they were to leave because they could not afford it, there’s not another vendor looking to come in there, to my understanding,” Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden said. “Additionally, it’s a service to our residents and our families that is absolutely necessary for some.”

Garant added that the partnership with the foundation was not motivated by profit but rather by providing a needed service for residents.

“It’s a win-win because the building is dormant during these shoulder hours — there’s nothing happening,” Garant said. “We’re servicing our residents. It’s a great program for the kids. And it’s a solid revenue line that we didn’t have before.”

Contemplating whether to comply with the request, board members agreed to schedule a meeting with LIFFES executives to work toward agreeable terms for both parties.

Snaden reported on a recent meeting with the Port Jefferson Business Improvement District. The BID agreed to contribute to spring season flowers and beautification and up to 50% on discounted LED lights for next winter.

The deputy mayor concluded her report by discussing progress with the planning board, as “Conifer II is ready to submit plans for the upcoming March meeting,” she said. “We should hopefully start seeing movement there.”

Loucks gave an update on the upcoming season at PJCC. “Today, we have 396 members, and we broke $1.3 million today,” he said. “A soft opening is going to be March 24. The hard opening is March 31.”

Trustee Rebecca Kassay reported on a recent meeting with Town of Brookhaven officials regarding the draft plans for a redesigned marina parking lot near the harbor.

“We pointed out the entrance across from Barnum, where we’ve had multiple deaths in the village,” she said, adding, “The conversation came around to, ‘Do we really need that to be open at all?’”

Responding to this suggestion, Kassay said the town would consult with the Melville-based Nelson+Pope engineering firm to determine whether the lot could be reconfigured without an entrance or exit at Barnum.

The board voted to schedule a budget work session for March 20 at 3 p.m. The next meeting of the village board will take place Monday, March 6, at 5 p.m.

Eye on the Street: Armed guards in schools

BY CAROLYN SACKSTEIN DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Given the nationwide proliferation of violence in schools, the Smithtown Central School District Board of Education recently voted to vet and hire a private security firm to patrol the exterior perimeter of all schools with armed guards. Long Island schools from Greenport to Copiague have experienced threats of violence made by students. Following the Parkland, Florida, school shootings in 2018, some districts opted to provide armed security personnel, including Hauppauge, Miller Place and Mount Sinai. With an ongoing public debate over the most effective way to protect children in schools and public spaces, TBR News Media took to the streets of Port Jefferson village Saturday, Feb. 18, asking people for their opinions on armed guards in and around schools.

Nicole Carhart, West Islip

When asked about armed guards on school campuses Carhart said, “It depends. It is good for people to keep safe. You want to make sure they are not using it against others.”

Gannon Lawley, Anchorage, Alaska

“I am against armed guards in almost all places, especially schools. It doesn’t strike me as the kind of thing that would be good for a school or a learning environment. It arises from an aversion to armed guards in general. It’s a hippy peace thing for me.”

Joseph Vergopia, Manhattan

When asked to comment on Smithtown’s decision to put armed guards on campus, he responded, “That’s the stupidest idea I ever heard, because more guns on the street are just a ridiculous way to curb gun [violence].”

Monell thought Smithtown’s decision was “a positive outcome.”

Louis Antoniello, Terryville

Jeremy Torres and Xiao Han Wu, Stony Brook

Jeremy Torres from Stony Brook village was with his wife, Xiao Han Wu, originally from Beijing, China, and young daughter. Torres said, “With today’s crazy environment, I would prefer police on the campus. As long as [private security] has proper training and qualifications and gun safety, I would trust that.

You can’t just have anybody.”

Han Wu said, “Because I see a lot of news like shootings in the schools and all that and having a kid, that definitely makes me more concerned about the safety in schools. I feel comfortable, they put armed guards [on campus]. I also prefer police.”

“There are better ways to protect the school systems. [Examples would be] electronic locks on the schools, where you have to use a pass key to get in, electronic locks on the classroom doors and gymnasiums. If there is an issue in the school, where somebody does get in, the entire school can be locked down with kids and teachers in the classroom through the main office. They can just lock it down electronically. Nobody can get into the classrooms. Would you rather have more guns where now you’re getting into a gun fight on the street? Doesn’t matter if it is someone who has been trained to use a gun or not. If you look at the statistics and the percentages of how many times you hit with your first or second shot, those percentages are very low. Where are these bullets going? They could be going into the windows of the school. They could be going into neighbors’ houses. The best thing to do is spend your money on securing the building, and electronic locks are the way to go. You can also have security cameras all around with people watching the security videos. They can see who is coming on campus. You’re stopped at the door, they ask what you’re doing there, you’re on camera, you show your ID. You sit and wait to pick up your son or daughter. You can drop something off for them at security. That’s how you secure a building. Leaving the building open without electronic locks and just having people walking the perimeter with guns is not the way to go.”

Hector Monell, West Islip

Amid positive trends, doctors address long COVID, vaccines, newborns

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

The number of people battling significant symptoms from the flu and respiratory syncytial virus has been coming down since its peak in January, as these infections have run their course.

“This year, we experienced the most severe flu and RSV waves in decades, and our COVID wave wasn’t small either,” said Sean Clouston, associate professor of Public Health at Stony Brook University.

The number of these illnesses was high as people no longer wore masks in places like schools and after people experienced lowerthan-usual illnesses in the months before the mask mandate was lifted, creating fertile ground for viruses to spread.

“The most likely reason that the current flu and RSV seasons have improved is that we have had such a bad season earlier on that we have hit a natural ceiling on the ability for these diseases to successfully infect more people,” Clouston said in an email.

As for COVID-19, the numbers of people who have developed significant illnesses has continued to decline as well, through a combination of the natural immunity people

have after their bodies successfully fought off the infection and from the protection offered by the vaccine and boosters.

Doctors added that the vaccine and natural immunity hasn’t prevented people from getting infected, but they have helped people avoid severe and potentially life-threatening symptoms.

“All these people who run around saying, ‘My vaccine isn’t working because I got reinfected,’ are missing the point,” said Dr. Bettina Fries, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Medicine. “It is working. It doesn’t protect you from infection, but [it does prevent] a bad outcome.”

Indeed, during the most recent COVID surge during the winter, Fries said the hospital continued to care for patients, most of whom recovered.

Vaccine timing

Amid discussions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health organizations throughout the state and country about the timing of future booster shots, local health care providers indicated the increasing likelihood of an annual COVID booster.

Fries said we will get to an annual

vaccination for COVID, adding, “It’s the same as we see with the flu.”

In general, people aren’t rushing off to get an updated COVID booster.

“To maximize the protective value of the vaccine while minimizing the number of vaccines you use, people should likely get the vaccine two weeks before they anticipate heavy exposure,” Clouston said.

For most people, that would mean getting the shot in early November to prepare for larger indoor gatherings, like Thanksgiving and the December holidays.

In a recent article in the journal Lancet, researchers conducted an extensive analysis of COVID reinfection rates.

The study dealt only with those people who had not had any vaccinations and addressed the effectiveness of natural immunity from preventing infections and from the worst symptoms of the disease.

Prior infections in general didn’t prevent people from getting reinfected, but it does “protect you from getting a really bad disease and dying,” Fries said.

Long COVID

Even with the number of people contracting COVID declining, the overall

population of people battling symptoms of long COVID, which can still include anything from loss of smell and taste to chronic fatigue, continues to increase.

“There’s a plethora of symptoms of long COVID,” Fries said. “We’ll have to figure out how to classify this and hopefully come up with better therapy. Right now, we can only symptomatically treat these patients.”

Dr. Sritha Rajupet, director of the Stony Brook Medicine Post-COVID Clinic, explained in an email that some patients who have lost their sense of smell or have a distorted sense of taste have tried a process called a stellate ganglion block “after several case reports and early research have shown that it could be helpful.”

In such a procedure, doctors inject a local anesthetic on either side of the voice box into the neck. Rajupet said that “additional research and clinical trials still have to be performed.”

Newborns and COVID

As for children infected with COVID soon after birth, doctors suggested that the impact has been manageable.

“The great majority of young children who contract COVID do quite well and recover COVID CONTINUED ON A9

2023-2024 Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Registration

The Port Je erson Union Free School District will open registration for the 20232024 Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten programs on Wednesday, Feb. 1. The Elementary School Registration Packet can be found under the Central Registration tab, under District, on the district website, www.portje schools.org. Registration packets can be dropped o during school hours, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., to the Edna Louise Spear Elementary School or to the District O ce. Only packets that are complete will be accepted. Registration packets must be received by 3  p.m. on Friday, March 3.

The Pre-Kindergarten Program will be a full-day program located in the Elementary School. A lottery will be implemented if necessary for the Pre-Kindergarten Program. Noti cation of acceptance will be via email.  Please be aware that transportation is not provided for prekindergarten students.

To be eligible for prekindergarten and kindergarten, children must  be 4 and 5 years old, respectively, on or before Dec. 1, 2023, and  a resident within the boundaries of the Port Je erson School  District.

Please call 631-791-4323 for more information or to request a registration packet for pickup.

The following incidents have been reported by Suffolk County Police: Teens damage fences in TikTok challenge

Suffolk County Police arrested six people on Feb. 20 for allegedly damaging fences as part of a TikTok Challenge in the Centereach and Selden areas. A homeowner on Cobblestone Court, Centereach heard loud noises on Feb. 20 at approximately 1 a.m., and noticed on surveillance cameras that six males kicked several sections of his fence down. The males, aged 12-18 returned and at 4:07 a.m. ran through the fence at the same time, as part of a TikTok challenge, sometimes referred to as “The KoolAid Man.” The homeowner called 911 and Sixth Precinct officers observed a black Hyundai sedan matching the description of a vehicle seen near the scene. The officers arrested the males on Hammond Road at 4:15 a.m.

Further investigation by Sixth Squad detectives revealed there were at least two other instances where some of the males allegedly damaged fences in Centereach and Selden. The five juveniles and one 18-year-old were charged with several counts of Criminal Mischief 3 rd Degree and Criminal Mischief 4th Degree. Detectives are asking if anyone feels they may be a victim to this challenge, to call 631-854-8652.

Merchandise stolen from Target

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police

Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole four Texas Instruments calculators and clothing from Target, located at 265 Pond Path in South Setauket, on February 11. The merchandise was valued at approximately $620.

Ronkonkoma man arrested for murder

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced Feb. 16 the indictment of Brian Cordovano, 48, of Ronkonkoma, for allegedly murdering two men in order to steal property belonging to one of the victims.

According to the investigation, Ian Saalfield, 45, of Lake Grove, was reported missing by his wife on April 26, 2022. She advised police that she last saw her husband leave their house with Brian Cordovano, Saalfied’s longtime friend, in

ON CAMERA

Wanted for 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 man who allegedly stole Sony speakers, valued at $800, from Target, located at 265 Pond Path in South Setauket, on February 7. The suspect fled in a black sedan with a silver front bumper.

Saalfield’s 2015 Lexus. Saalfield never returned home. A few days later, on May 2, 2022, police found Saalfield’s Lexus in Holtsville.

On that same day police found Saalfield’s car, police were called to the Rodeway Inn motel to assess Cordovano who was suffering from an apparent cocaine overdose. While Cordovano was being brought to the hospital, motel staff alerted police to a 2004 Toyota in the parking lot, which allegedly had been used by Cordovano. A registration check revealed that the car belonged to Robert Julian, 59, of Selden.

Police then responded to Julian’s home on Hollywood Ave. in Selden and found the bodies of Saalfield and Julian inside, each dead due to a gunshot wound to the head. Cordovano was arrested following a traffic stop in Smithtown on Feb. 15. He was charged with two counts of Murder 1st Degree, among other charges.

— 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.

CAUGHT

Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

Building confident LGBT families one storybook at a time

BY JULIANNE MOSHER DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Bella Noche, a New York City and Long Island-based drag queen, walked up to the stage inside the LGBT Network at Hauppauge in her 4-inch stiletto heels carrying a stack of children’s books. She sat in her chair, while dozens of kids and their families watched in awe as a real-life mermaid read to them “The GayBCs.”

Enamored by the queen — dressed in glitter, a purple wig and starfish accessories — the kids didn’t realize that Bella was in drag.

“The only question I usually get from them is, ‘Is your hair real?’” she said with a laugh.

Bella is the Long Island chapter president of Drag Story Hour – a worldwide nonprofit that introduces storytellers using the art of drag to read books to children in libraries, schools and bookstores.

According to Drag Story Hour’s mission statement, the organization “captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive and unabashedly queer role models. In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where everyone can be their authentic selves.”

Founded in San Francisco in 2015, Drag Story Hour has made its way internationally, having chapters across the U.S., as well as in the U.K., Japan, Germany, Sweden and Denmark.

The self-proclaimed “mermaid of New York” said that traveling from Manhattan to eastern Long Island to read to kids is a great experience. Not only does it entertain, but it teaches kids about diversity and shows them they can be creative, too.

“We inspire creativity, we inspire uniqueness, we inspire kids to think outside the box,” she said. “At its core, it’s a pure organization — we can look at things differently, but just adding that different perspective is really important to instill in kids, especially today.”

But while the turnout is usually positive, Bella said she has hosted several story hours that caused large and hate-filled protests — some in Nassau County and some in Manhattan.

In December, while hosting a Drag Story Hour in Jackson Heights, Queens, members of the far-right group Proud Boys drew attention with their signs and Proud Boys-emblemed flags lining the sidewalk.

According to The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, protest visits from Proud Boys had averaged just one or two antiLGBTQ protests per month for most of 2022. It picked up speed by the end of the year, with 13 anti-LGBTQ protests in December, more than in any other month last year.

“It’s interesting that since last summer there’s just been a lot of hate from these people,” Bella said. “It’s mostly from them not understanding why we’re doing what we’re doing, spreading rumors and creating vicious lies.”

But Drag Story Hour has been criticized locally since before she became involved with the Long Island chapter of the group. In September 2018, people protested the Port Jefferson Free Library for hosting a drag queen who reads. At the time, the library promoted the event on its online calendar as “a program that raises awareness of gender diversity, promotes self-acceptance and builds empathy through an enjoyable literary experience.”

At the event, several protesters stood outside the library holding signs and verbalizing their opposition to exposing children to the message

promoted by the event.

“It’s insane to think about, but [the protesters] are here and they’re causing calamity,” Bella said.

“But the other thing is that there has been such an

amazing turn of support from that. So, I try to find the silver linings, and the support that we’ve gotten not just from our own community, but from other families and educators has been amazing.”

LGBT Families Day

BY JULIANNE MOSHER

Bella Noche held a Drag Story Hour at the Hauppauge-based LGBT Network Families Day event on Sunday, Feb. 12.

There, hundreds of LGBTQ families were able to meet, mingle and enjoy a fun weekend in a safe, accepting space.

Robert Vitelli, LGBT Network’s COO, said this event was the nonprofit’s third year hosting, and it keeps getting bigger and better.

“Families Day is all about celebrating families and all the different ways that LGBT people start and grow their families,” he said. “It’s a chance for LGBT people to come together and feel free.’

Vitelli said that even in 2023, LGBTQ families still face a lot of stigma, discrimination

and harassment. But events like this can “allow them to take a breath of fresh air and connect with other families like their own.”

Tables with information for families looking to adopt, foster and seek legal advice were available for the grown-ups, while their kids got to enjoy an indoor bounce house, cotton candy, a s’mores station and games.

“We have been working hand in hand and organizing with families to create safer spaces — safer schools, safer and more inclusive libraries, and safer and more inclusive communities,” Vitelli said. “When people really want to come together and build community, here at the LGBT network, that’s what we’re all about, and it’s our pleasure to be able to bring an event like this to everyone here.”

Bella Noche, above, reads children’s books to children and families during the LGBT Network Families Day event on Feb. 12. Below, attendees leave reasons why the family day is so important to them. Photos by Julianne Mosher

LEGALS

NOTICEOFSALESUPREME

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BYORDEROFTHEBOARD

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DISTRICT OFTHETERRYVILLEFIRE

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Comsewogue students lend a hand to earthquake victims

BY DENIZ YILDIRIM DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Comsewogue High School is collecting donations for the earthquake victims of Turkey and Syria.

This region was hit by two devastating earthquakes — the worst in the last century — measuring at magnitudes of 7.8. Tens of thousands have died, and the death toll keeps rising. Millions are now homeless.

Comsewogue has a small but notable Turkish community, with many who still have family there. Under the guidance of social studies teacher Kalliope Gonias, students worked hard to spread the news with posters and announcements. They also volunteered during their lunch periods to manage a collection table.

“It’s heartbreaking, but it’s also endearing to see how much the kids here care,” Gonias said. She and the students choose to donate the money collected to SavetheChildren, a nonprofit organization which was started at the end of World War I. This organization is actively working to distribute tents, hygiene kits, clothing, heaters, blankets and other essential items.

The school has raised just under 1K and plans to continue the collection through February. “I’m so proud of our students,” said Comsewogue High School assistant principal Amanda Prinz. “This is what we strive to teach them — what you do matters. Despite being miles away, they are making a big difference.”

Deniz Yildirim is a librarian at Comsewogue High School.

Kallliope Gonias with volunteers. Seated Zulal Arslantas, Burcu Ak and Elanaz Kaararslan. Photo courtesy Deniz Yildirim

Suffolk County restores main website

BY RITA J. EGAN RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) and county officials announced Friday, Feb. 17, that Suffolk has made progress restoring cybersecurity.

The announcement comes after county websites, servers and networks have been offline since September last year — the results of cyberattacks that first struck at the end of 2021. The county’s main website was restored online Friday, with more services coming online this week.

Bellone thanked everyone involved, including county IT professionals and County Clerk Vincent Puleo (R), who entered office earlier this year.

“His leadership and his partnership in the brief time that he’s been on the job has allowed us to make incredible progress, and he’s responsible for the announcement that we have today,” Bellone said.

The county executive reviewed key findings from a forensic investigation of the cyberattack that began in the County Clerk’s Office in December of 2021. According to Bellone, hackers were able to enter the clerk office’s system, and for eight months were able to operate before securing additional credentials to migrate into the general county system.

Bellone added that an IT director in the clerk’s office had been placed on administrative leave after, the county

executive said, the director obstructed efforts, resulting in countless delays to restore security.

Bellone said every county office was deemed clean by Oct. 17, except for the County Clerk’s Office, and the expense of the security breach has been “extremely costly to taxpayers of this county.”

Despite hackers demanding $2.5 million from the county, Suffolk refused to pay the ransom.

He said the county had replaced the County Clerk Office’s firewall with the most updated protection.

“The clerk’s office has been deemed clean, and we are able to start to restore online services beginning with the county website,” Bellone said.

The county executive said he knows now the segregated IT environment within the various county offices was a mistake. He added it was fair to criticize him.

“I should have more quickly implemented the recommendations in the 2019 cybersecurity assessment, which I commissioned, to hire an additional executive level leader focused on cybersecurity,” Bellone said.

Puleo said the county’s IT department’s dedication has been unwavering during the process.

“Going forward, we will do everything we can in the clerk’s office to cooperate and get things where they belong and keep the protection so that the whole county IT is protected from future attacks,” the county clerk said.

COVID

Continued from A5

fully,” Dr. Susan Walker, pediatrician with Stony Brook Children’s Services, explained in an email. “The impact on their development from having actually experienced COVID illness is minimal.”

Children hospitalized with more significant illness from COVID might experience temporary developmental regression which is common in children hospitalized for any reason. The developmental impact seems more tied to

social isolation.

“Children born during the pandemic spent their first years of life rarely seeing adults or children other than those in their immediate family,” Walker said. “The result is that many of these kids became excessively stranger anxious and timid around others.”

The lost social opportunities, the pediatrician said, resulted in delays in the personal/social domain of development. She added, “The good news is that kids are resilient and, in time, with appropriate social stimulation, [these children] should be able to regroup and catch up developmentally.”

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, County Clerk Vincent Puleo and Chief Deputy County Executive Lisa Black were on hand Feb. 18 to announce the county’s progress in restoring cybersecurity. Suffolk County photo

Pictured clockwise, from top-left: Port Jeff junior Tyler Cobb scores; senior forward Luke Dickhuth floats one in; Cobb takes flight from the paint; and junior Conor Daily with a reverse layup.

Photos by Bill Landon

Pierson

Whalers beach Royals in Suffolk championship

BY BILL LANDON DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

The Pierson Whalers seemed to have the measure of Port Jefferson in the Suffolk County Class C championship round, yet the Royals made some defensive takeaways late in the third quarter, closing the gap to just one point.

lane all game, battling down low for 15 points. Jack Keegan also banked 10, but Pierson was able to weather the late-game surge and hold on for the 58-52 victory at St. Joseph’s Danzi Athletic Center on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

SPORTS

Conor Daily’s long-distance shooting kept the Royals in the game, and the junior scored a team high of 23 points, which included seven threepointers. Teammate Luke Dickhuth drove the

Pictured clockwise, from above: Port Jeff senior guard Jack Keegan drives the lane; junior Conor Daily drains a three-pointer; Port Jeff junior Tyler Cobb lays up for two; and senior forward Luke Dickhuth drives the baseline.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Wildcats defeat Comsewogue, advance to county semifinal

BY BILL LANDON DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

the undefeated Wildcats won their Suffolk Class A quarterfinal 73-39 at home.

The Shoreham-Wading River Wildcats did what they have done all season, outscoring their opponent by double digits during a Friday, Feb. 17, playoff game against Comsewogue. At 21-0,

SPORTS

It was the usual suspects for the Wildcats, with senior Sophie Costello putting up 16 points along with GraceAnn Leonard, Colleen Ohrtman and Juliana Mahan netting 12 points each. Annie Sheehan banked eight.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Comsewogue senior Danielle McGuire drains a triple.

Photo by Bill Landon

THREE.

Photo by Bill Landon

Photo by Bill Landon

Comsewogue freshman Jayla Callender grabs the rebound.

Photo by Bill Landon

Comsewogue senior Danielle McGuire pushes up the court in the Suffolk Class A quarterfinal against Shoreham-Wading River on Friday, Feb. 17.

Photo by Bill Landon

Comsewogue sophomore Jalynn Kirschenheuter boxes out.

Photo by Bill Landon

Comsewogue sophomore Jalynn Kirschenheuter shoots.

Photo by Bill Landon

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Editorial

Media responsibility in covering mass violence

Whether or not school districts should hire armed guards is complex, requiring thoughtful consideration from parents, students, community members, educators, school administrators and elected officials.

But as we work through the intricacies of this sensitive and often contentious issue, a related matter is worthy of our attention: How can we appropriately cover mass shootings when these tragic events arise?

The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed. Unfortunately, mass shootings are commonplace in this country. Already in 2023, there have been more mass shootings than days in the year. As a nation, we have failed to address this critical policy concern.

When one of these all-too-familiar violent events occurs, the press often too hastily reports on it. Helicopters circle above the crime scene as field reporters rush to the periphery, searching for immediate information.

A tragedy soon becomes a spectacle. Within days — sometimes just hours — the suspect’s name is revealed to the public. Then the shooter’s image is flashed incessantly on every newsreel and in every major newspaper in America. As the media goes to work uncovering the personal details of the shooter’s life, a depraved human being is made into a national celebrity.

And this phenomenon is not unique to the press. Hollywood capitalizes on violence; the more graphic a film’s depictions, the more revenue it will generate. Violence sells in this country, whether in motion pictures, music, video games, digital media or newsprint. And the ubiquity of these images within American popular culture has the natural effect of normalizing violent behavior nationwide.

Here at TBR News Media, we reject this dynamic entirely. Mass violence in America should not be accepted as mainstream nor should it be sensationalized or embellished. With a medium that enables us to disperse information widely both in print and on the web, we are responsible for using our platform appropriately.

Research on mass shooters indicates they are often motivated by perceived isolation or social rejection. Some commit an atrocity to achieve a mark on the world, since even playing the villain can be preferable to obscurity.

As journalists, we must deny violent offenders precisely the attention and fame they so crave. We legitimize acts of violence when we publish names or run headshots of mass shooters. By lending our platform to the least deserving, we encourage copycat offenders.

It is time that we, the members of the press and the distributors of information, end the dramatization and glorification of mass violence in America. It is time to substitute sensationalism with rigid, objective reporting when violence inevitably ensues.

This same standard applies to digital media. In this century, so much of the information available to us is circulated online. For this reason, Big Tech has a similar obligation to monitor its content and halt the spread of personal details regarding mass shooters.

While restraining our coverage is necessary, mass violence deserves our close attention. Still, we must focus on the issues: Should we hire armed guards in and around schools? How do we keep guns out of the hands of potentially violent offenders? How can we expand access to mental health services, so fewer people resort to mass violence? And more.

The focus should be policy driven and victim centric. We should create awareness of the problem while working to identify solutions. But we must not say their names or run their headshots.

By covering shootings appropriately, we can do our part to curb the spread of mass violence. By applying these methods consistently, journalists can work to change the culture, save lives and make a positive difference for the nation and humanity.

Perspective:

Village elections and Port Jeff’s rapidly changing challenges

Things are heating up fast in Port Jefferson and village elections are just around the corner. As a not-so-casual observer of the scene, I have some issues to raise and questions to pose for those who wish to lead us.

We are not feeling it yet, but we are facing a financial crisis in Port Jefferson. Our school district will be looking for yet another multimillion bond. Our village has committed us to $6.25 million for the East Beach bluff. Revenue from the Long Island Power Authority is descending as the glide path will reduce LIPA’s tax revenue by about 50%. And much of the rest of the LIPA revenue is on a hit list as we could start to see the shuttering of the plants — such as the Port Jefferson Power Station — and further declining revenue in 2027, though the LIPA contract states this could be as early as 2025.

Our public transportation is abysmal. Currently, the buses don’t have a full schedule. We contribute significant tax dollars to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, but does Albany care about us? The LIRR is driving residents off the Port Jefferson Branch line to Ronkonkoma. Diesel trains — very brown — are polluting our air and do not permit a one-

seat ride to Manhattan. Will our village leaders be able to generate enough support to get our residents their fair share?

There will be significant construction of apartment buildings on both sides of the Port Jefferson train station. The railroad crossing will become an even greater bottleneck. If the rail yards move to the Lawrence Aviation site, as pitched by the Suffolk County Landbank, we could eliminate two gradelevel crossings — Columbia Street and Main Street — plus two antiquated bridges. How will our village work with our partners at all levels of government to accomplish this?

By Bruce Miller

I have petitioned the Port Jefferson board of trustees to think about expanding the limits of the village. By this, we could possibly derive tax revenue from the Lawrence Aviation property — we have done this in the past with Highlands Boulevard and other areas. Is anyone running for trustee or mayor considering this as an option?

Some may remember the difficulty in resolving the Highlands’ Six Acre Park. The issue over scarce land resources was between a better location for the community garden and a park for present and future uptown residents. With 40 acres of open space slated for Lawrence Aviation, we would have much new land/parkland resources available to us to improve the quality of life in Port Jefferson. With this land, we could possibly create pickleball courts for residents or even contract for a pump track for our kids. Again, I have asked the board to take this over. Who in our village government will follow up on these areas and this larger project?

There are opportunities to increase tax revenue and even direct payments to village residents. Community choice aggregation and community distributed generation are solar, green energy plans supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. These programs were excluded from Long

Letter to the Editor

Equality under the law should be bipartisan

Every person deserves equality under the law. The laws of our nation must ensure that basic human rights are protected and enshrined. These views should not be partisan, as they impact all of us, regardless of political affiliation.

Given what should be a nonpartisan recognition of human dignity and equality, it is striking that every Republican legislator in the New York State Legislature from Suffolk County, including Assembly freshman Ed Flood [R-Port Jefferson] and Sen. Anthony Palumbo [R-New Suffolk] voted against the Equal Rights Amendment that will appear on our ballots in November 2024.

Our current New York State constitution does not protect historically targeted groups, and this amendment would change that by prohibiting government discrimination based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability and sex.

Thankfully, the Republican Party is irrelevant in Albany, given the Democratic supermajority in both chambers. But it is disgraceful that our state representatives would deny so many of their constituents’ basic protections. Voters across New York state will have the opportunity to vote on the Equal Rights Amendment and should vote out every legislator who voted against it. We deserve leaders who represent all of us, and we deserve the chance to vote on measures such as the ERA.

At the federal level, our freshman representative Nick LaLota [R-NY1] has also been disenfranchising his constituents. His votes have largely flown under the radar as the media feasts on the spectacle that is U.S. Rep. George Santos [R-NY3]. One of the votes ignored by the media is H.R. 26, the so-called “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” that all of Long Island’s Republican representatives voted in favor of. This piece of legislation that

Island because of LIPA’s long resistance and former taxexempt status.

I have made close contacts with leaders in this area — now permissible because of legislation by state Assemblyman Fred Thiele [D-Sag Harbor] and former state Assemblyman Steve Englebright [D-Setauket]. I have also petitioned numerous times to the mayor and board as a trustee and in more recent times. There seems to be no will to bring this revenue to Port Jefferson. Who will look to these companies for green energy and financial advantage?

To make progress, we must all be “pulling on the rope,” that is, we need to focus our collective energies to bring these causes into reality. How will things change to make this happen?

Kudos to TBR News Media for covering these issues and bringing some of them to our attention. These are questions not usually covered in candidate debates. In the forthcoming village elections, ask the candidates for their positions on these critical issues.

sought to criminalize late-term abortion ignores the basic facts that 93% of abortions occur in the first trimester of pregnancy, and 99% occur before 20 weeks of gestation.

A better use of taxpayer dollars would be to focus on issues like maternal mortality rates, given that Long Island’s maternal mortality rate is higher than the national average, with Black women disproportionately impacted. If our Republican legislators were truly “prolife,” they would be investing in prenatal, neonatal and maternal health. Thankfully, this bill will not go to a vote on the Senate floor, but we deserve better representation for ourselves and our families.

As our members of Congress and the state Legislature spend this week at home on recess, this is the perfect opportunity to ask them why they have chosen to deny so many of us our basic rights. It is an opportunity to remind them who they serve, and for each of us to remember that if our representatives refuse to listen to us, it’s time for new representation.

Shoshana Hershkowitz South Setauket

Bruce Miller is a former Port Jefferson Village trustee.

Opinion

Riding in cars with our kids after their games

ong ago, back when my son was shorter than I, and when he listened to more of what I said, I was driving him and his teammate back from a baseball game that was more than an hour away from our house.blurs into a collection of highs, lows and everything in between.

Halfway home, we were the first car to stop at a red light. When another car pulled up next to us, we recognized the father of one of my son’s teammates.

in a close game.

After our next game, my son and I got in the car, and I had a chance to look at us more closely in the metaphorical mirror.

Looking straight ahead, the father was screaming at the top of his lungs. My son and his teammate, who usually filled the car with nonstop commentary about the game, school, weekend plans and anything else that came to mind, were stunned into silence.

D. None of the above

Those were the days when such long rides were part of our weekend routine, as we packed athletic gear, food, paper towels and flip-flops into the car to enable our children to compete against other children from distant towns or neighboring states, while also taking off their cleats and running into a deli to use the bathroom.

I don’t recall the details of the game because, even then, my son played in so many of them that the entire montage of memories

The three of us shifted our heads and saw his son sitting in the front seat with his head down, absorbing the ongoing verbal blows from his father, who had started gesticulating and was so frustrated that he spit on the windshield as he shouted.

During the entire red light, the father excoriated his son. As we drove away, my son’s teammate shared his memories of the game, pointing out that the boy in the other car had made a key error and struck out late

No, I wasn’t screaming at him. No, I didn’t spit on the window. The pattern I noticed, however, was one in which my son — when he was alone with me — focused only on the things that went wrong. He lamented everything he did wrong or didn’t do right. Sometimes, I recalled, I piled on, telling him how he could or should have done something differently.

As I tried to get a few words in after that game, he cut me off. He continued to criticize his performance until he was too exhausted to speak, at which point he urged me to talk.

I didn’t want to review the game. I wanted to discuss our interactions.

After considerable back and forth, I set new ground rules not for coach/player interactions, but for father/son discussions, particularly as they pertained to sports.

Two presidential hands, one rough the other smooth

This President’s Day saw two presidents much in the news, Joe Biden for his clandestine trip to Kyiv, and our 39th president, Jimmy Carter, for entering hospice care. Carter, who at 98 years old is the oldest former chief executive of the United States, signaled the end of his repeated hospital stays.

I never wanted to discuss whatever he thought went wrong in a game first. I wanted to begin with everything he did well. That could include positioning, fouling off a tough pitch, supporting his teammates, calling for a ball — even one that he dropped — and having a long at bat.

Then, we discussed what could have gone better. He threw the ball to the right base, but the throw was too low. He was fooled on a high pitch at the end of an at bat.

The first game after our discussion, he started off by criticizing himself. But then, something remarkable happened: he remembered our last discussion, and we started with everything he did well. Those first few moments built a positive foundation around which to start making improvements.

In future games, he started to focus on ways to perform well, even after he had struck out or had made a mistake. Instead of focusing on the ways he might have let himself or the team down, he wanted the opportunity to help.

photographer stood to the side, snapping away, as I drew closer to the most powerful man in the world.

I tried hard to come up with something more to say than my name and where I was from. Then I remembered. His sister, Ruth Carter Stapleton, had recently visited Stony Brook to speak about her Baptist evangelism, and rather than telling him my name, I mentioned covering that.

Between

I had the honor of being invited to an outof-town press conference at the White House during President Carter’s one term, and of course, the memory will always remain with me. It was my first of several such invitations, and I smile when I compare my Carter and subsequent Ronald Reagan visits. The year was 1978, the country was recovering slowly from severe stagflation,

and everyone was watching their expenditures. Hence, it was not surprising that when lunch came in the middle of the event, it consisted of a boxed meal that we balanced on our laps in the Oval Office. In the box were two half sandwiches, one of cheese, the other of tuna salad. There was also a hard-boiled egg, accompanied by a small salt packet, an apple and a cookie. I confess to such high excitement that I don’t remember how the food tasted, just that I held the egg in one hand and sprinkled salt on it with the other. I do recall thinking then that I was experiencing one of the most amazing moments of my life at the same time that I was doing this most mundane action of salting my egg.

Carter talked about the economy, suggesting an optimistic view for the coming year, among other issues, and then we got up, formed a single line and moved toward him to shake hands for perhaps a three-second intro and photograph we could all carry back

TBR News Media publisher Leah Dunaief meeting the 39th U.S. president, Jimmy Carter, at the White House in 1978.

with us for the front page of our newspapers. I was toward the back of the line, and the

“Isn’t Ruth wonderful!” Carter exclaimed in his soft drawl as his Caribbean blue eyes widened with pleasure. He then proceeded to talk about her for at least two full minutes, how proud of her he was, as I noted that he was not much taller than I and that his hands were rough.

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Photo from Leah Dunaief

Royals cruise to victory in Class C/D Suffolk final

BY BILL LANDON DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Port Jefferson broke out early and never looked back in the Suffolk Class C/D final against Smithtown Christian on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at Centereach High School.

The Royals, the Class C qualifier, cruised to a 60-27 victory over their Class D opponent. Senior Lola Idir topped the scoring chart for the Royals with 23 points. Sophomore Maitreya Driscoll-Stremich netted 13, and

senior Amy Whitman banked 10.

The win lifts Port Jefferson to 17-2 on the season. The team will face Class B qualifier Center Moriches at Center Moriches High School on Saturday, Feb. 25. Gametime is at noon.

Pictured clockwise, from above: Port Jefferson sophomore Maitreya Driscoll-Stremich goes to the rim for the Royals; sophomore Siena Cipriano nails a three-pointer ; and Port Jefferson senior Lola Idir drives the lane for the Royals in the Suffolk Class C/D final against Smithtown Christian.

— Photos by Bill Landon