The Port Times Record - November 17, 2022

Photo courtesy Bruce Miller

Photo by Carolyn Sackstein

Farmworkers protest outside Pindar wine shop

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

It would have seemed like any other day in Port Jeff village if not for the group of union farmworkers picketing on Main Street. Half-a-dozen members of Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW assembled outside the storefront of Pindar wine shop on Thursday, Nov. 10, in a call of action against the shop’s parent company, Pindar Vineyards of Peconic. The protesters carried picket signs and remained for two hours.

VILLAGE NEWS

The Port Jefferson wine store is one of Pindar’s two locations, the other a tasting room located at the Peconic winery itself. Thursday’s protest was part of the union’s ongoing efforts to negotiate with Pindar for a new contract.

“This is a call of action to let the community know what’s been going on,” said Noemi Barrera, union organizer with Local 338. Requests for comment to Pindar Vineyards have been unanswered to date.

The New York Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act took effect in 2020. Among other conditions, this law granted farm workers compensation benefits, a mandatory day of rest, set wages and overtime rates, and established a right to organize.

The controversy with Pindar centers around more than a year of back-and-forth negotiations between the union and the wine company. Those negotiations have stalled, according to a statement by Local 338 president John Durso, prompting the workers to take action.

“Despite our best efforts to avoid it, Pindar Vineyards forced us to take direct action recently to make consumers and the public fully aware of their unwillingness to come to a fair deal for our members,” Durso said. “Local 338 has been negotiating a labor contract with Pindar Vineyards for over a year, and the process has been a slow and difficult one.”

Spend Thanksgiving Day with Our Family

Pictured above, picketers gathered outside Pindar Wine Shop on Thursday, Nov. 10. Photo by Raymond Janis

Flood nears victory in Assembly District 4, outcome still not confirmed

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

A week has passed since Election Day, and the race for New York State Assembly District 4 has yet to be called. However, the Republican Party challenger Edward Flood, of Port Jefferson, appears to be on the brink of an upset.

As of press time, Flood maintains a 51-49% margin over incumbent state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket). With remaining votes outstanding and the outcome still undetermined, Englebright — who is current chair of the Assembly’s important Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation — declined to comment for this story.

In a phone interview on Tuesday evening, Flood gave an update on the remaining ballots. As of press time, Flood held a 973vote lead with tallies of 23,707-22,734, according to the Suffolk County Board of Elections. Flood said roughly 1,100 absentee and affidavit ballots remain uncounted.

“I’ve been told it’s mathematically improbable but not impossible for me to lose,” he said. “It’s unofficial, but it’s looking like I have this.”

Even so, Flood has yet to declare victory in the race. He said he would prefer to let the process play out. “I haven’t formally said I won, but I’m hoping that as of tomorrow, we have some more definitive answers,” the Republican candidate said.

Initial reports of Flood’s prospective victory surprised many within the community. Englebright has held that seat since 1992, and before entering the state Assembly, had represented the area in the Suffolk County Legislature starting in 1983. Flood said he was not necessarily surprised by the outcome.

“For my campaign team, this wasn’t a shock,” he said. “We did some polling and we knew we were right there.” He added,

“I understand why people outside my camp would call it a shock. Steve’s been there for a really long time … so I don’t discount the magnitude of what happened, but it wasn’t a shock to my team.”

If Flood is declared the victor in the coming days, he said he would like to begin the transition, starting with a discussion with his election opponent.

“I would like to have a conversation with Steve, if he would be willing to — and I think he’s a standup guy and I think he would — to kind of let me know what specific constituent problems they have,” Flood said. “We’ve reached out to a lot of the civics, and I’d like to sit with them and get some ideas … and just get a feel of what each community is looking for from me.”

He also said he plans to coordinate with the law enforcement community to understand the challenges experienced on the ground. He expressed his intent to “speak with law enforcement and get the best plan for how to address some of the issues with criminal justice reform that I think are just not working right now.”

To his possible constituency, Flood offered to maintain an open-door policy. He emphasized community outreach and maintaining close contact with community members.

“My job is to represent the people in the district, whether they voted for me or didn’t vote for me,” he said. “I’m not saying I don’t have some ideas, but I want this to be clear that I’m going to represent them and the interests of our community up in Albany.”

To follow the election results as the final ballots are counted, visit the website www. elections.ny.gov under “Suffolk County Election Night Results,” then scroll down to “New York Assembly AD#4.”

If the loss of Englebright’s seat is confirmed, TBR News Media plans to conduct an exit interview marking the end of his term.

Pictured above, state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket), left, and Edward Flood. File photos by Raymond Janis

American Legion Post 432 holds Veterans Day memorial service

BY CAROLYN SACKSTEIN DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Under gray, foreboding and misty skies, members of the Port Jefferson Station-based American Legion Wilson Ritch Post 432 gathered at the Port Jefferson Memorial Park on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, to lay a wreath in remembrance and honor of our nation’s war dead.

American Legion Auxiliary president, Linda Metcalf, presented a bouquet of flowers as part of the event. Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) also participated by laying a wreath.

The service opened with an invocation by Chaplain Mike Williams, followed by remarks from the post commander, Ed Haran.

“We gather at events like this to honor not just recent generations of veterans but every man and woman who has honorably served since the American Revolution,” Haran said. “Even with that impressive history, Veterans

Day 2022 is especially significant.”

Several members of the post participated in the remembrance in various other capacities. The honor guard consisted of James Wolf, Randy Ward, James Coyle and Kevin Powers.

Ralph Von Thaden played taps while William Kolm and Walter Curtis lowered and raised the stars and stripes. Glenn Ziomek was slated to sing the national anthem during another service, held later in the day at the post’s headquarters on Hallock Road.

Representatives of the auxiliary, which includes members’ spouses, were also in attendance, along with community members.

Post 432 was named in 1919 in honor of Wilson Ritch, a young resident of Port Jefferson who died in World War I in France as a member of the American Expeditionary Forces, or AEF.

The American Legion was formed in Paris in March 1919 by men serving in the AEF. Later that year, the legion was chartered by Congress and has been instrumental in lobbying for veteran pension benefits and health care.

The American Legion also played a pivotal role in drafting the G.I. Bill of 1944 and getting

it passed. The legion works with young people to foster an understanding of government and nurture a sense of civic responsibility.

To this end, the Wilson Ritch Post 432 sponsorships include Boy Scout Troop 377 in Setauket and North Shore Little League Team Rays. The post also supports Blue Star parents of those in active service, and conducts food drives for veterans in need.

‘We gather at events like this to honor not just recent generations of veterans but every man and woman who has honorably served since the American Revolution.’

—Ed Haran

Above, members of the American Legion Auxiliary. Below, the crowd of spectators gathered during the event.

Photos by Carolyn Sackstein

Above, Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) lays a wreath during the Veterans Day sevice on Friday, Nov. 11. Photo by Carolyn Sackstein

Suffolk County cyberattack offers a window into

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

The recent ransomware attack against the Suffolk County government has raised important questions about the relationship between citizens, governments and technologies.

A confirmed ransomware event took place in early September. The hack crippled the county’s information technology infrastructure, and recovery efforts remain ongoing.

In the wake of these events, the hack prompted critics to question the digitization of sensitive information and how governments can better secure their IT networks.

What is ransomware?

Nick Nikiforakis is an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at Stony Brook University. His research focuses on web security and privacy. In an interview, he described how ransomware works.

“Ransomware is, effectively, malicious software that infiltrates a machine, starts encrypting all sorts of private documents, spreadsheets, anything that is of value, and then leaks out to the attacker the encryption key and potentially the data that was encrypted,” he said.

Some forms of ransomware affect only a single machine, according to Nikiforakis. Other strains may spread into several devices, potentially infecting an entire network.

Ransomware is the confirmed vector of attack for Suffolk County. However, how hackers first entered the county’s system is unknown to the public.

While the details of the county hack are scanty, Nikiforakis said cyberattackers commonly use emails with malicious attachments. In other instances, they can locate vulnerable software within a network, exploit that weakness and breach that system. Once hackers gain access to the system, they hold sensitive information for ransom.

“The original idea behind ransomware is that if you don’t pay the attacker the money that they ask, then you lose access to your data,” Nikiforakis said.

Backup software was developed, in part, to mitigate this concern. Regardless, as technologies have evolved, so has cybercrime.

“Even if you have the ability to restore your data from backups, now you have to deal with the attacker having access to your data and threatening you with making that data public, which is what’s happening in this case,” Nikiforakis said.

Based on the information available, Nikiforakis said the attackers likely gained access to speeding tickets and various titles, among other sensitive materials. “This is definitely a cause for concern, and that is why, in certain cases, people decide to pay, to avoid this blowback that will come from the data being made publicly available.”

A question of payment

Ransomware raises an ethical dilemma for government officials, namely whether to use public funds to pay a ransom.

“People can take a philosophical approach and say, ‘We don’t negotiate with terrorists,’ and I understand that,” Nikiforakis said, “But then the rational thing for the attacker to do is to make that data available to the public. Because if he doesn’t, then the next victim will also not pay him.”

The profitability of the ransomware operation depends upon the victim trusting that the criminals will comply with the conditions

dangers of

and other buffers that reduce the spread of a fire.

“If a fire starts, it doesn’t take down the whole complex. It stops at the masonry wall,” he said. “Our system was not configured with those hard breaks, other than some separation of function out in Riverhead in the County Clerk’s Office.”

Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai), whose office was attacked by ransomware in 2017, has advocated for serious IT reform for some time. She followed the county’s technology closely and expressed frustration over how the initial attack occurred.

digital age

Preparing for the future

Toulon suggested the existing IT network is too centralized and interconnected. To prevent future failure of the entire network, he proposed creating separate silos for each department.

“I feel that the District Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office, the [County] Clerk’s Office and the Comptroller’s Office should be totally separate from the County Executive’s Office,” Toulon said, “So if, god forbid, this were to happen again in the future, we wouldn’t be directly impacted like everyone else.”

Anker said she and a newly formed panel of county legislators are beginning to explore ways to harden the network and apply strategies that work elsewhere.

“As we move forward, we need to see what the other municipalities and corporations are doing,” she said. “What types of programs and software do they have that prevent these attacks?”

The rate of software development, according to Anker, is outpacing the ability of governments to respond effectively. While IT departments must remain ahead of the cybercriminals to keep their digital infrastructure safe, staying out front is easier said than done.

“Technology is moving so quickly that it is incredibly challenging for government to keep up,” she said. “I would like to see more accountability in all respects and from everyone as we move forward with new technology.”

of the transaction. The ransomware business model would fail if cyberattackers generally went against their word.

For this reason, Nikiforakis said payment and compliance could sometimes be in the interests of both parties.

“I think it’s a very rational decision to say, ‘Let’s pay and accept this as a financial loss and let’s make sure that this doesn’t happen again,’” he said.

In Suffolk County, however, putting this theoretical framework into action is more complicated. Responsibility for paying ransomware payments would be vested in the Office of the Comptroller, which oversees the county’s finances.

During an election interview last month with county Comptroller John Kennedy Jr. (R), he hinted that compromising with cybercriminals is off the table.

“There is no predicate in the charter, in the New York State County Law, in the Suffolk County code, to take taxpayer money and give it to a criminal,” he said.

The effect on the county’s government operations

The ransomware attack has also aggravated concerns over securing the county’s IT apparatus. Kennedy likened the problem to a fire code, saying fire codes often include provisions for masonry walls

“I could tell, and I could feel, that there needed to be more done,” she said. “It has hampered the government, it has affected our constituents. Maybe it could have been worse, but it should have never happened.”

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. (D) explained his office’s many challenges since the hack. Though communications systems are slowly returning online, the initial attack disrupted both external and internal communications within the Sheriff’s Office.

“From a jail and police perspective, it really hindered us in the beginning,” he said. “Emails that we received from other law enforcement agencies or any communication with our community was stopped for a significant amount of time.”

New York State’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency assisted the Sheriff’s Office as Toulon’s staff worked without an operational communication network. Because of this coordination, Toulon maintained that the functions of the jails were more or less appropriately executed.

“We wanted to make sure that any individual that was supposed to be released from our custody was released on time,” the county sheriff said. “No one was incarcerated longer than they had to be.”

While the recent cyberattack focuses on the government, Anker believes ordinary citizens are also at risk from hostile online actors. The county legislator contended more work should be done to alert community members of these dangers.

“Not enough is being done regarding community outreach,” she said. “There needs to be more education on preventing an attack even on your home computer.”

Nikiforakis proposed that greater attention be given to digitizing personal records. According to him, those records in the wrong hands could unleash great harm.

“Ransomware was a big game-changer for attackers because it allows them to monetize data that would not be traditionally monetizable,” he said. “Through ransomware, suddenly everything that is of value can be monetized.”

The SBU associate professor supports software upgrades, cybersecurity protocols and other measures that protect against ransomware. But, he said, a broader conversation needs to take place about the nature of digitization and whether individuals and governments should store sensitive files online.

“More and more things that didn’t used to be online are suddenly available online,” he said. “We have to reassess the eagerness with which we put everything online and see whether the convenience that we get out of these systems being online is a good return on investment, given the risks.”

‘Technology is moving so quickly that it is incredibly challenging for government to keep up.’

— Sarah Anker

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Former aide arrested for using elderly client’s EBT food card in Smithtown Suffolk County Police arrested a former aide on Nov. 12 for fraudulently using an elderly client’s EBT card in Smithtown more than a dozen times in 2020. Shatia Parker, an aide who advertised on Care.com, allegedly used an elderly client’s EBT card to make 17 unauthorized purchases at a grocery store in Smithtown between October 2020 and December 2020. The unauthorized transactions ranged between $37 and $193. A family member contacted police after noticing a discrepancy on receipts. Following an investigation by Fourth Precinct Crime Section, Parker, 30, of Riverhead, was arrested and charged with 17 counts of Petit Larceny.

Clothing stolen from donation bin

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the men who allegedly stole donated items from a Smithtown drop bin in September.

The man pictured below, along with another man, allegedly entered a PAL clothing donation drop bin, located at 712 Route 347, and stole multiple bags of clothing and other household items, on Sept. 3 through Sept. 9, between 10:27 p.m. and 10:49 p.m.

Stony Brook attorney indicted for

stealing funds from clients

Suffolk District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced Nov. 14 the indictment of Douglas Valente who is charged with two counts of Grand Larceny for allegedly stealing from two of his clients. Valente, 56, the principal attorney at the Valente Law Group based in Stony Brook is alleged to have stolen more than $425,000 from his attorney escrow account over a 6-month period in 2020. He is charged with two counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suf

County Police Fourth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a man who allegedly stole assorted clothing from Macy’s located inside the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove at 5 p.m. on Oct. 11. The merchandise was valued at approximately $460.

According to the investigation, between April 14, 2020 through May 31, 2020, Valente is alleged to have stolen $181,201.67 from a 78-year-old client. During the time period of September 28, 2020 through October 13, 2020, he is alleged to have stolen $248,027.84 from Guaranteed Rate Inc., a mortgage lender. Valente allegedly used the funds belonging to both clients on his own personal and business expenses.

Wanted for fleeing police officer

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 fled a police officer in Medford last month. A Sixth Precinct police officer observed a male driving a vehicle at a high rate of speed and crossing a double yellow line into oncoming traffic on Granny Road on Oct. 24 at approximately 5 p.m. The officer attempted to pull over the vehicle on eastbound Granny Road, near Prospect Avenue, and the suspect drove away. The vehicle was described as a Black Hyundai SUV with a Connecticut license plate 615 ZGU.

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.

Wanted for Lake Grove Petit Larceny

folk

Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

Do you recognize this man?

Photo from SCPD

Shatia Parker

PJS/Terryville civic hosts November meeting

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association gathered at Comsewogue Public Library on Tuesday, Nov. 15, for its monthly general meeting.

Representing the Comsewogue School District, students Kylie and Max delivered a string of reports on various upcoming events within the district. Kylie referred to the high school’s recent annual Trick-or-Treat Street as “a huge success.”

Max reported parent-teacher conferences would take place on Monday, Nov. 21, from 5 to 8 p.m. and Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Community members are welcome to attend Spanish Heritage Night on Dec. 9 from 7-9 p.m. in the high school cafeteria.

Ed Garboski, president of PJSTCA, announced that the area had received a grant for streetlights along Route 112. Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) facilitated the funding, according to the civic’s leadership.

These funds, combined with money made available to the community through the new Nissan dealership, should cover lights for the entire strip. The body passed a resolution to draft a letter thanking the councilmember and his staff for their efforts to illuminate the corridor.

PJSTCA vice president Sal Pitti announced a recent “huge arrest” related to catalytic converter theft, a crime trend throughout the region.

Pitti reported that law enforcement arrested 21 individuals in a multistate initiative, charging 13, two of whom were from Suffolk County.

“This was a Department of Justice operation that was done with multiple agencies across multiple states,” he said. “Mind you, this does not mean it stops. They got a lot of people that we assume are the main people, but they might not be.” He added, “Arrests are being made on it, but we don’t know where it will go from there.”

Garboski discussed spring plans for the community garden near the middle school. “If anyone has ideas, wants to volunteer or help get it moving for the spring, please let us know,” he said.

The members also discussed a 5-acre, 40-unit planned retirement community to be developed on the corner of Terryville and Old Town roads. Civic member Lou Antoniello, who was involved in the 2008 Comsewogue Hamlet Comprehensive Plan, described the historical background behind this local development discussion.

“Back in 2008, the people who owned that [parcel] were the people who owned the shopping center adjacent to it,” he said. “During the hamlet study, they made it known that they wanted to build a shopping center next to the one they already owned.” He added, “The people who lived in that community said they didn’t want it.”

Through a series of compromises made during the time of the hamlet study, the community and the property owners agreed upon zoning that

property for a small retirement community. Since then, the Town of Brookhaven has rezoned that land to PRC Residence District.

Civic member Ira Costell suggested the community take a greater interest in that development as the process works through the Brookhaven Planning Board.

“That owner has an as-of-use right to develop that property in that fashion,” he said. “It’s going to be important that we pay attention to the site plan review process at the Planning Board level to decide if we want to influence how that development proceeds.”

Later this month, the civic’s executive team will meet with town officials and Planning Board members. Asking the members how to represent the interests of the community, Pitti offered that it would be wise if he and others pressed the town to limit all new development to residential rather than commercial.

Garboski and Pitti announced during the October meeting they had recently sold their homes, triggering a reshuffling of the civic’s top two posts. [See story, “Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville civic … shake-up at the helm,” The Port Times Record, Oct. 27, also TBR News Media website.]

Inquiring about the coming transition process for the civic leadership, Costell proposed beginning those procedures now.

“Perhaps we can start to talk about a transition group or committee that can join in on some of

these conversations and shape where things go in the next several months,” he said. “I think we really need to have a coalition that we can build here so that we can move forward given the changing tenor of the times here.”

Responding, Pitti suggested that he and Garboski intend to finish this year as usual and begin working with possible successors starting in 2023. However, he stated that bringing other members to the upcoming meeting on the Terryville Road PRC development would be unwise.

Costell’s concerns centered less around any one meeting and more around the overall transition process. “I’m trying to indicate that we don’t want to throw somebody into the deep end of the pool next year,” he said. “I’m looking for a principle, an idea, for how we can incorporate some of the people who want to shape this community beyond your time here.”

Finding some common ground, Garboski said members must decide who will fill these top positions given the demands and constraints. “Amongst yourselves, first figure out who wants to take this over,” he said.

Resolving the matter, Costell offered that the organization is working toward a resolution. “You’re making the perfect point that some sort of transition is an ideal circumstance,” he said. “If you’re comfortable with how that’s happening, and the group is as well, that’s fine by me.”

The civic will reconvene Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m.

LEGALS

NOTICEOFSALE

SUPREMECOURT

JPMorganChaseBank,N.A., COUNTYOFSUFFOLK

AGAINST Plaintiff

Tawila/k/aRajaY.Tawil; RajaiTawila/k/aRajaiY.

SuzanneO’Briena/k/aSuzanneR.O’Brien

a/k/aSuzanneR.O’BrienTawil,Defendant(s)

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Referee StephenJ.McGiff,Esq.,

(877)430-4792 Rochester,NewYork14624 Boulevard 175MileCrossing Attorney(s)forthePlaintiff LLC Shapiro,DiCaro&Barak, LOGSLegalGroupLLPf/k/a

Dated:October14,2022

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NOTICEOFSALE

SUPREMECOURTCOUNTY

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Dated:October4,2022

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State bound for Port Jefferson Royals volleyball team

The Port Jefferson Royals girls volleyball team defeated John S. Burke Catholic 3-0 to take home the regional championship on Saturday, Nov. 12.

The contest took place at James I. O’Neill High School in West Point, New York. The Royals now advance to the NYSPHSAA championships.

There are four teams competing in pool play on Nov. 19, with the top two teams advancing to the championship contest on Nov. 20. Port Jefferson will compete against Galway, Lansing and Portville.

“The team plays with energy and confidence, regardless of what is happening on the court,”

athletic director Adam Sherrard said. “Their strong senior leadership has helped propel the Royals to their best season in the school’s history. I am extremely proud of their success so far this season, and am looking forward to their performance in the championship tournament this weekend.”

The district congratulates team members Alexa Ayotte, Caroline Hayde, Erin Henry, Maggie Johnston, Anna Matvya, Maddy Matvya, Bianca Nakagawa, Mia O’Connell, Hannah Pflaster, McKayla Pollard, Ava Reilly, Chloe Sherman, Olivia Sherman, Lexi Verruto, Sophia Wennerod and Gretchen Zimmerman, head coach CJ Hafner and assistant coach Matt Dolan.

At Brightview communities, upscale apartments, amenities, and gourmet dining combine with opportunities for lifelong learning, wellness, and recreation to inspire and entertain.

Brightview Port Jefferson residents enjoy the freedom to explore new interests, unwind with daily happy hours in our pub, relax in our outdoor spaces – anything and everything that brings them joy.

Most of all, Brightview provides expert assistance and care you can count on as needs change, right here at home.

Above, the Port Jefferson Royals girls volleyball team. Photo courtesy PJSD

Rocky Point VFW Post’s veterans service recalled

BY RICH ACRITELLI

For over a century, Nov. 11 has been a day commemorating the lives and memories of those who have served the nation. World War I effectively ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 upon the Armistice with Germany. At the request of major U.S. veteran organizations, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

This past Friday, the latest Veterans Day, members of Rocky Point VFW Post 6249 kept this tradition alive.

Ridge resident Dan Guida grew up within the Five Towns community of Inwood in Nassau County. After a brief stint in college, he was drafted into the Army. During his earliest moments in uniform, Guida tested high enough to be accepted into Officer Candidate School. For a year, as a second lieutenant, he helped guide recruits through basic training. In November 1967, he was deployed to South Vietnam, where he served near Da Nang, not far from the demilitarized zone near North Vietnam.

Promoted to first lieutenant, Guida helped organize and lead armored cavalry operations and search-and-destroy missions in tanks and armored personnel carriers. For a week during the Tet Offensive, unyielding fighting occurred against the North Vietnamese army and the Vietcong. A year after his deployment to South Vietnam, Guida arrived home to Inwood, where he was welcomed by a local veterans community.

Guida was awarded the Bronze Star for leading his men in South Vietnam. He is descended from a long line of family members who served in military uniform. His mother had seven brothers who all fought during World War II. Using the G.I. Bill toward his education, Guida became an honors student at Nassau Community College and Hofstra University, and graduated with a degree in accounting. Lieutenant Dan, as he is affectionately called by the members of Post 6249, takes care of the financial affairs of the organization and he likes being around other local veterans.

A soft-spoken resident of Wading River, Kenny Messina originally grew up in Port Washington. As a young man he attended Archbishop Molloy High School in Briarwood, where he enjoyed running track and playing

baseball. He spent his training time at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Serving close to home, Messina had the opportunity to travel to Long Island before he was sent to Vietnam. A combat engineer, he was dispatched to the Mekong Delta, where he had the unique experience of building infrastructure in one of the poorest areas of the world.

As an E-4 specialist, he maintained the trucks and heavy equipment that were used in the jungle to build roads and bridges for military operations against the enemy. In this remote region, Messina observed the massive amount of spiders and snakes that were present while he was working on these building projects. Always in the field, he ate most of his meals out of a can and Messina was thankful to return to his base where he received a warm meal and shower. But the enemy was never far away, as the Vietcong often fired mortars against his position. Decades later, this positive veteran was inflicted with Agent Orange and a blood disease from his time in the jungle. He had returned home in 1967 and used the G.I. Bill, as he enrolled into New York Institute of Technology and studied business. Messina worked for several banks as a finance officer. On Veterans Day, Messina likes the camaraderie of Post 6249, and looks forward to working with its members on future endeavors.

A Brooklyn native who has lived in Rocky Point for well over 60 years, Frank Asselta was among the earliest contingent of 185,000 soldiers who were sent to the Southeast Asia nation. After he graduated with his associates degree at Suffolk County Community College, Asselta was drafted into the Army on Dec. 20, 1965. Miles away from the hills, beaches and woods of Rocky Point, Asselta was first trained at Fort Dix through the winter of 1966. After training and shoveling snow, Asselta was sent to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, to learn how to become a combat medic. He was attached to the 196th Light Infantry Reconnaissance and sent to Vietnam.

Asselta operated in the areas between the Demilitarized Zone and Saigon to aggressively pursue the Communist insurgency. He served with the infantry reconnaissance unit that carried out search-and-destroy operations in the jungle. Asselta spent numerous moments operating under fire, where he constantly provided medical care to his soldiers that were

always in harm’s way. Once, under terrible fire, Asselta took care of four wounded men, and was later awarded the Bronze Star for his valor and expertise to treat his comrades.

In 1967, Asselta arrived home after his tour ended and again enrolled in college, under the G.I. Bill, to attend both Stony Brook University and the New York Institute of Technology. Asselta also learned how to become a commercial airline pilot, before he accepted a job as director of programs for the Long Island Association for commerce and industry. He later became the superintendent of public works for the villages of Lindenhurst and East Hills.

To remember those veterans that have been inflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder, Asselta was a driving force to organize the first 5K race in the Rocky Point Conservation Area. Preparing for this race, Asselta hiked through the area where he tirelessly worked to ensure that the course was properly marked for directions and hazards. Over 100 runners ran through this challenging Sunday morning event for a worthy cause that is near to Asselta’s heart to honor combat veterans who bravely fought for this nation.

The “comic relief” of Post 6249 is provided by a noticeably different veteran who was originally from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Armed with a big smile and a Midwestern accent, Rocky Pointer Gary Suzik was in the Navy for four years. Suzik served on the USS La Salle, where it was one of his duties to help recover the Gemini space capsule in 1966. He crossed the equator several times and served during the Dominican Civil War a year earlier.

This sailor extensively traveled through the Mediterranean Sea, visiting ports in France, Greece, Italy and Spain, as his ship helped support the naval responsibilities of the 6th Fleet. He liked the team atmosphere of his vessel, where it was his job to launch its landing craft. Today, still smiling and with a dynamic personality, Suzik has worked on several functions that Post 6249 conducts annually, including its major golf outing and the PTSD 5K run. He is involved in school projects and lobbying for veterans affairs.

The leader of this productive post is longtime Rocky Point resident, Cmdr. Joe Cognitore. This former graduate of Farmingdale High School was a football and track standout who attended college in South Dakota. Once he graduated, he was drafted into the Army. As a graduate, Cognitore was older than the average draftee, and leadership positions always gravitated toward him, such as when he was made a platoon sergeant in South Vietnam. After training at Fort Polk’s Tiger Land in Louisiana, Cognitore was sent overseas.

Unlike the other Vietnam veterans from his post, he observed the end of the fighting against the Communists. President Richard M. Nixon (R) started to bring large parts of the Armed Forces home, and began transitioning the war to the South Vietnamese. Cognitore was an infantry sergeant who was transported by the air cavalry, where he landed in areas that were widely contested by the enemy. He was later ordered to follow the Vietcong into Cambodia, where the Communists had a safe passage of quickly moving soldiers and materials to fight American forces. Cognitore’s main goal was to lead his men in the field under fire and to have them return back to their families.

When the war was over, Cognitore later married his sweetheart Kathy, had two sons Joseph and Chris, and made his home in Rocky Point. For decades, he worked for Coca-Cola and enjoyed working with business owners and major food chains. By the start of the first Gulf War in 1990, Cognitore returned to Post 6249, where he greatly supported the soldiers who were sent to the Middle East. Today, he demonstrates an iron resolve to always protect and enhance the rights of Armed Forces members and causes on the local, state and the federal levels of the government and the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization.

Rich Acritelli is a history teacher at Rocky Point High School and adjunct professor at Suffolk County Community College.

Members of VFW Post 6249 gathered for at their headquarters for a Veterans Day service. Photos by Raymond Janis

School News

Port Jefferson Middle School student honored by Rotary

Port Jefferson Middle School social studies teacher Philip Giannusa had the answer right in front of him when he was looking to honor the Port Jefferson Rotary Club’s “Most Motivated Student of the Month.”

He selected one of his students, seventh grader Samuel Fabian, because of his love of social studies, strong work ethic, positive attitude toward work and his positive relationships with classmates. Samuel attended the Rotary luncheon with Giannusa and was honored with a plaque.

“Sam won the most motivated student award because of his hard work, dedication to learning and his

leadership in the classroom,” Giannusa said, adding that Sam is a well-rounded studentathlete who played football

Port Jefferson School District

in the fall and is gearing up for basketball season. “[He is,] most importantly, a great person.”

Winning performances in championship race for Port Jefferson Royals

Four members of the Port Jefferson School District varsity girls cross-country team competed in the NYSPHSAA championship from Nov. 12-13.

Sophomores Gwen Connelly and Aoife Hogan,

senior Jenna Jacobs and freshman Cayden Veit put forth some of their best performances of the season in the championship race. With a young group of runners, the team is looking forward to building upon this season’s success.

Port Jefferson students explore Navy SEALs history

Earl L. Vandermeulen High School students embarked on an interactive and educational field trip to the newly opened Lt. Michael P. Murphy Navy SEAL Museum in Sayville. The students were given a firsthand look at the history of the U.S. Navy’s primary special operations force – Navy Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs –and their involvement in warfare through the oration of retired Navy SEALs.

The high school juniors took part in an underwater simulation ride and learned through touch-screen graphics about major operations and training that goes into being a Navy SEAL. They were also taught about major concepts such as never giving up and learning from failures, aspects that the SEALs abide by. The students were joined in the educational experience by teachers Jesse Rosen, Bryan Vaccaro and Melissa Zinger.

PJSD celebrates employees for career milestone

The Port Jefferson School District awards nine employees for serving the students in the district with 25 Years of Service Awards. The group was honored at the Nov. 8 board of education meeting by assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, Robert Neidig.

Neidig reflected on several events that occurred in 1997, the year they each began their career in the district, before citing their strong connections with students, parents and colleagues and their evolution in meeting the challenges of the changing times.

They were each gifted with pins and certificates and were thanked by board vice president Tracy Zamek for their continued hard work and dedication to students.

The district congratulates Christine Bokina, Anthony Butera, Marissa Shannon, Christine Wicks and Maureen Zajac from Edna Louise Spear Elementary School; Keith Buehler from Port Jefferson Middle School; and Debra Hartmann, Michael Maletta; and Stephanie Miazga from Earl L. Vandermeulen High School.

Port Jefferson Middle School social studies teacher Philip Giannusa and student Samuel Fabian. Photo courtesy PJSD

Earl L. Vandermeulen High School students at the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Navy SEAL Museum in Sayville. Photo courtesy PJSD

Pictured left to right, Earl L. Vandermeulen High School student-athletes Cayden Veit, Gwen Connelly, Jenna Jacobs and Aoife Hogan. Photo courtesy PJSD

Pictured left to right, superintendent of schools Jessica Schmettan, Marissa Shannon, Debra Hartmann, Christine Bokina and Anthony Butera. Photo courtesy PJSD

New leaders on campus: SBU trio shares their hopes and perspective

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Stony Brook University has welcomed a trio of new leaders to its campus over the last several months. Provost Carl Lejuez, Vice President for Marketing and Communications William Warren, and Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Jed Shivers recently shared their goals for Stony Brook and their excitement at joining a flagship university for the State University of New York educational system.

Provost Lejuez

As provost, Carl Lejuez is responsible for the faculty, staff and students at Stony Brook University.

Lejuez, who has asked that people call him by his first name instead of trying to pronounce his last name — which, by the way, is Lejh way— makes a concerted effort to forge connections on campus.

“Whenever I introduce myself, I don’t say, ‘Provost,’” he said. “I say, ‘Professor in the Department of Psychology.’ I don’t believe I can be a credible leader of the faculty if there’s not a sense of sitting in their shoes and understanding the implications of the strategic and practical decisions we make.”

Lejuez, who grew up in Secaucus, New Jersey, earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Emory University and his Master of Arts and PhD in clinical psychology from the University of West Virginia.

As a first-generation college student, Lejuez feels inspired by the opportunity for students to come through a place with world-class research in an environment that cares about student success.

For first-generation students, in particular, he recognizes the need to forge connections with professors.

These close bonds help “take what’s happening in the classroom, which may be esoteric knowledge, and turn it into a passion and understanding,” providing students with the opportunity to see how what they’re learning in a textbook applies to the world.

He wants to expand the scope and reach of these hands-on experiences for students, while recognizing “how much goes into it from faculty and staff,” he said.

Lejuez believes the ability of professors to conduct extraordinary and groundbreaking research should dovetail with their commitment to being accomplished educators.

“We are setting the expectation from the start,” he said. “When you are tenured here, when you are progressing and doing well, you are excellent in both research and teaching.”

Stony Brook has a Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching that provides support for professors who may need polishing or improvement in inspiring and educating students.

Stony Brook looks closely at student evaluations, while also examining other data in assessing its teachers.

Lejuez, who recently served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Connecticut, supports strong and growing areas for the university, including clinical psychology, quantum information systems, and climate science, among others.

“These are areas that Stony Brook has a real opportunity to develop and part of my role has been thinking about how do we identify incredibly strong areas and areas that are able to emerge that way and fuse it with growing fields,” he said.

Lejuez believes in academic excellence and in diversity and equity.

He hopes to broaden the range of countries and regions from which the university is recruiting students and faculty.

Lejuez describes Stony Brook as “one of the best kept secrets of public universities,” ranking first in the state in public schools, according to the 2022-2023 US News and World Report ranking.

“Our goal is now to remove the best kept secret part,” Lejuez said.

Raising SB’s profile

This is where William Warren, vice president for Marketing and Communications, comes in. Warren has worked in numerous corporate and academic jobs, including most recently as the chief marketing and communications officer at the University of Utah.

Warren hopes to raise “the profile of Stony Brook and really claim the sort of credit and attention this institution deserves,” he said.

Previously at Coca Cola, among others, Warren welcomes the opportunity to support Stony Brook.

“You want a challenge that’s exciting and doable,” he said. “That means having a fabulous thing to market that is possibly undervalued.”

Warren divides marketing into earned and paid media. For the former, he hopes to do the hard work of building relationships with national reporters, who can spread the word about the achievements and experts available at Stony Brook.

Warner plans to continue to work with regional and local reporters, while engaging in an ongoing effort to share the Stony Brook story, including publicizing initiatives such as the Simons Stem Scholars Program that supports minority students entering the scientific fields.

As for the paid piece, Warren sees opportunities in several dimensions.

“The great thing about the paid marketing campaign is that it’s adaptable to all kinds of purposes,” he said. “Student recruitment can use the campaign to get the right students. We can use the campaign to help us recruit great faculty.” It can also be adapted to “attract more donor support.”

Any marketing effort, however, needs to remain grounded in truth.

“You want to go out there with a message that resonates and that faculty will see and say, ‘That’s what we offer,’” Warren said. “We are not blowing smoke.”

A marketing campaign includes a host of elements, such as the best execution and photography that supports the message.

An evolved campaign could include a new slogan for the school.

The “Coke is it” campaign reinforces the idea of authenticity, as consumers can be sure it is “exactly what you think it is,” Warren said. “It never disappoints. It’s always consistent and is part of the American culture.”

In developing a slogan for Stony Brook, which Warren said is less important than the message behind it, he wants to hone in on the handful of characteristics that capture the personality of the university.

In reflecting on the differences between commercial and academic marketing, Warren noticed that academics tend to be more skeptical.

“You have to work to make them allies,” he said.

Outside of his marketing role, Warren, who had initially pursued a PhD in history at Rice University, shared an interest in teaching. At the University of Utah, he taught an American economic history class and, at some point, would also consider teaching at Stony Brook.

Since arriving on Long Island, Warren has enjoyed kayaking. He is also a former violinist and enjoys the opportunity to relax with music. A return to the Northeast

After over four years as vice president for finance and operations/ chief operating officer at the University of North Dakota, Jed Shivers is returning to the Northeast, which is similar to the cultural and environmental feel of his childhood home in Storrs, Connecticut.

Shivers, who is senior vice president for finance and administration at Stony Brook, enjoys walking through the quad and in wooded areas around campus.

After living in the plains, which has “its own beauty,” Shivers appreciates the SB campus, which has “more trees,” and includes a view of the fall foliage outside his office window in the Administration Building.

Ready to embrace the opportunities and challenges of his job, Shivers said the university community is preparing a strategic plan for the next five years or so, which he will follow with a campus master plan.

In preparing for that plan, he is working with a firm that will survey all research space on campus and determine its current functional use, occupants and intensity of use.

He is also focusing on facilities that assist with the delivery of education and is hoping to conduct a similar survey of educational spaces.

To provide managers and executives with actionable financial information, the university is also engaged in a process to improve its business systems in human resources, budgeting, accounting and financial management.

With a “ high rate of system failures around campus” creating a “significant problem” for the university, the building and infrastructure at Stony Brook are all aging at the same time, Shivers said.

Campus Planning, Design and Construction and Campus Operations and Maintenance work constantly to deal with these issues and fix problems as quickly as they can, Shivers added.

The immediate need for deferred maintenance issues is over $1.5 billion, which dwarfs any campus close to comparable size in the SUNY system.

The SUNY Construction Fund and SUNY leadership has provided funds to alleviate a small but substantial part of those critical issues, he said. The university is also engaged in conversations with the Construction Fund and the Division of Budget on ways to use funds for optimal results.

Shivers was delighted for the chance to “get into a place where president [Maurie Mcinnis] was forming her team,” he said. He saw this opportunity as a chance to be a part of leadership “on a ground floor-ish kind of a way.”

He embraces the challenge of working through the SUNY system.

Consistent with mandates from McInnis since her arrival, Shivers would like to create a consolidated financial statement for Stony Brook and all its affiliated entities.

In addition to enjoying his strolls through the quad, Shivers has appreciated the opportunity to join other sports and school enthusiasts in supporting college teams and cultural life on campus. He and his wife Sandee have been married for almost 30 years.

Outside of work, Shivers said he does “everything badly,” but is enthusiastic about it. That includes golf, tennis, skiing and bike riding. To get in shape for the 100-mile North Fork ride, which he’s never done, he has started riding his indoor bike close to five days per week.

Carl Lejuez, William Warren and Jed Shivers recently joined the Stony Brook University team. Warren’s photo from Stony Brook University marketing; others from SBU

BNL gets $224M infusion as part of Inflation Reduction Act

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

National labs, including Brookhaven National Laboratory, received considerable additional funds as a part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act.

BNL, which will get an additional $224 million over a five-year period, will collect the additional funding from the Department of Energy’s Office of Science to support several projects designed

In a statement, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm called the additional funds for energyrelated research and support, which total $1.5 billion, “one of the largest ever investments in national laboratory infrastructure” and suggested that the effort would “develop advanced energy and manufacturing technologies we need to advance the frontiers of science and tackle tomorrow’s challenges.”

At BNL, the Electron-Ion Collider, an enormous project that will start construction in 2024 and should start running experiments in the early part of the next decade, will receive $105 million.

BNL is building the EIC in partnership with the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Virginia, which will also receive $33 million for work towards the new facility.

As its name suggests, the EIC will collide electrons and protons or heavier atomic nuclei and hopes to make numerous discoveries, including providing an understanding of how the energy from quarks and gluons provides the mass of a proton.

Additionally, the EIC will provide advances in health and medicine, national security, nuclear energy, radioisotope production and industrial uses in particle beams. Research on the technologies

that will become a part of the EIC will advance the development of magnets and other particle accelerator parts. These advances could lead to energy efficient accelerators, shrinking the size and costs of future accelerators, which could attack cancer cells, design solar cells and batteries and develop drugs and medical treatments.

While the additional funds will help advance the development of the EIC, the total cost is considerably higher, at an estimated $1.7 billion to $2.8 billion.

Beamlines

Additionally, the Office of Science will provide $18.5 million to speed the creation of three new beamlines at the National Synchrotron Light Source II.

The NSLS II already has a host of beamlines that enable researchers from around the world to study the structure of batteries as they are operating, catalysts that help tap into energy sources, and biologically active molecules that could play a role in understanding basic biochemistry or that could lead to the development of drugs.

The new beamlines, which, like others at the NSLS II, have three-letter abbreviations. The ARI will provide a complete picture of the electronic structure of a sample, particularly in connection with temperature, chemical, structural and atomic variation.

ARI will help understand and control the electronic structure of next generation quantum materials.

CDI, meanwhile, will explore the condensed matter macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, including the solid and liquid phases that arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms. CDI is in its final stages of its design.

The SXN will provide element access

from carbon to sulfur. The beamline will offer measurements of different signals, such as X-ray fluorescence and total electron yield absorption, which is important in catalysis, condensed matter physics and environmental science.

The DOE is also providing $20 million for five Nanoscale Science Research Centers. The Center for Functional Nanomaterials is leading the effort to revitalize the nanoscience infrastructure.

The funds will accelerate the acquisition, development and installation of five instruments, which will advance research in fuel cells, solar cells and other materials that are part of the country’s efforts to develop cleaner forms of energy.

A/C and Heating

BNL will receive $33 million to support an upgrade to the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in Europe’s CERN laboratory. The upgrades will enable a high-energy particle detector

to make use of increased particle collision rates.

The lab, which focuses on energy research, will also receive $14.5 million towards infrastructure improvements that will increase the efficiency in distributing electricity and heating and air conditioning in labs throughout the facility.

Finally, the lab will receive $1 million to develop instrumentation for a nuclear physics experiment that seeks to find neutrinoless double beta decay, which is led by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

BNL Lab Director Doon Gibbs described the funding as an investment in the nation’s innovation-based economy.

The funding will support “research with direct impact on the development of clean energy technologies as well as ground-breaking basic research in nuclear and high-energy physics — fields that could lay the foundation for future advances,” Gibbs said in a statement.

Electrons, shown as red dots above, collide with an ion. Such a collision will reveal the internal structure of the quarks and gluons that are the building blocks of the proton and neutron. Image from BNL

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Taking personal steps to prevent ransomware attacks

The recent ransomware attack against the Suffolk County government has sparked questions regarding our relationship with technology.

We often take for granted the convenience offered by our devices. Today, we can communicate at lightning speed thanks to email and text messaging. A week’s supply of groceries is just a few clicks away. And many can carry out a full day of work without leaving their homes.

The digital revolution has permeated nearly every facet of our lives, finding the quickest, simplest, most convenient solutions to almost all of our daily problems. But are there consequences to our increasingly digital way of life? If the Suffolk County cyberattack has taught us anything, the answer is an emphatic “yes.”

While our county officials work through the ransomware situation, we must take a closer look at our technologies at home. What kind of sensitive records are stored within our smartphones and personal computers? How much could someone with access to these devices learn about us?

While most give very little thought to these matters, we must take a greater interest in our personal cybersecurity. If hackers can infiltrate the county’s network, crippling the government’s entire system for over a month, they can invade your home computer, too.

The digitization of all records is not the answer to our problems. Our social security cards and birth certificates are safer in the filing cabinet than on our computers. If we refrain from uploading these sensitive records to our devices, we deny hackers the chance to use them against us.

To protect oneself against ransomware, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, an operational component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, recommends installing antivirus software, firewalls and email filters. CISA also advises upgrading all applications and operating systems, as outdated programs are frequent targets for ransomware.

Users can defend themselves, too, by verifying email senders and cautiously approaching all email attachments. One should only use a single card for all online purchases to prevent access to multiple financial accounts. Most importantly, people should stay current on cybercrime trends to remain ahead of the curve.

Remember that hackers cannot access records we do not upload. With caution and common sense, we can better protect ourselves from the growing threat of ransomware and other malicious activities online.

WRITE TO US … We welcome your letters. They should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style and good taste. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include a phone number and address for confirmation. Email letters to: editor1@tbrnewsmedia.com or mail them to TBR News Media, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733

Trump: the real threat to democracy

As I read the letter “Democracy really is in trouble” by George Altemose in last week’s TBR Newspapers [Nov. 10], there was one thing of which I was certain: This guy gets his information from that bastion of conservative misinformation, Fox News.

How else could one accuse the Democrats of taking over the FBI and Department of Justice, yet ignore what former President Donald Trump [R] did in his four years in office — four horrendously undemocratic years.

It was Trump who fired people who were not loyal to him: James Comey, director of the FBI, and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions [R] for starters. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman lost his job for telling the truth regarding Trump trying to coerce Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to find dirt on then-candidate and now President Joe Biden [D].

If the truth does not work, no problem, make it up, change the facts. Thus Trump was caught on tape asking Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger [R] that “I just want to find 11,780 votes” to flip that state’s election results.

The Democrats have rightfully respected the independence of the three branches of government and the DOJ. Trump thought of them as “my guys.” That’s how dictators think.

As Altemose was rattling off the names of the mobsters the early FBI took down, John Dillinger and more, I thought to myself none of those criminals posed more of a threat to our country and the world than that delusional pathologic narcissist who had his finger on the atomic bomb — our 45th president.

Altemose attacks Hunter Biden and, by extension, Joe Biden for alleged “shady deals” yet ignores Trump’s multiple lawsuits, his declared bankruptcy on six occasions, two impeachments, obvious nepotism — daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner — and insistence on using Trump hotels for

government business.

It was Trump who weaponized the presidential “pardon power.” And the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection really did happen. Trump’s disciples did violently storm the U.S. Capitol, five police officers died if none at the scene, other officers were maimed, former Vice President Mike Pence [R] was hunted and the Capitol was desecrated. It was a national disgrace caught on tape. That, Mr. Altemose, is not democracy. That is what dictators do.

If former President Barack Obama [D] cautions that no challenge is greater to our planet than climate change, and if Anthony Portesy, Brookhaven Town Democratic Committee chair, cautions against gerrymandering, that is because it is true. Heed their words. As Benjamin Franklin said many years ago, we live in a republic “if you can keep it.”

Our continued democracy is not guaranteed. Shame on those who distort the facts to suggest otherwise.

David Roy Hensen Miller Place

Thank you for your service, Steve Englebright

I was saddened to learn that our state Assemblyman Steve Englebright [D-Setauket] narrowly lost his reelection Tuesday, Nov. 8. The official results have not been released but it appears that there are not enough outstanding votes to change the outcome.

of open space and keep our lakes, harbors and streams pollution free, he was also the father of net metering that expanded solar power in all our neighborhoods and forced energy utilities to pay homeowners and commercial building owners for the excess energy that they produce.

When you look around the Three Village community and see all of the historic buildings that have been protected over the years and the focus on our early colonial history, you can thank Steve Englebright for his foresight and ability to bring back dollars from Albany to protect these historic treasures.

FINAL BOND TOUR

Earl L. Vandermeulen High School, Main Lobby

Losing Steve as our state representative will be a big loss to our area as well as Long Island and New York state. Over his three decades in Albany, Steve has been the key sponsor of so much environmental legislation that most of us probably take it for granted.

In addition to being the key driver for this year’s successful $4 billion environmental bond, which will help New York fight climate change, protect acres

And of course we all owe Steve a debt of gratitude for his early efforts as an up-and-coming environmentalist and county legislator to convince policymakers that the Suffolk County Pine Barrens, located in the eastern part of the county, needed to be protected from development in order to conserve our critical underground water supply.

Hopefully Steve will decide to stay involved with all of his many activities that help improve the quality of life of our area and the state of New York.

Thank you Steve for your service.

George Hoffman Setauket

Pixabay photo

Former President Donald Trump (R) launched his 2024 presidential campaign Tuesday, Nov. 15. Critics view the ex-president as a threat to American democracy. Pixabay photo

The tale of a sugar cookie that hit the floor during a tragic show

Even months after we emerged from our Covid caves, I still appreciate the wonder and joy of getting out again, of seeing people, of making plans, and of going on a date with my wife.

Recently, we went to see “Hadestown.”

he didn’t even see the movie “Rainman,” in which Dustin Hoffman’s character is addicted to the show “The People’s Court.”

D. None of the above

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF

We didn’t know much about it, except that it had won several awards. As soon as we sat down, we fell on the playbill, reading about the origins of the story, checking out the cast, and immersing ourselves in the experience.

I will admit, sheepishly, that we also used our TV app to watch a few minutes of the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions. Our son thinks our addiction to that show is laughable and

Anyway, after Jeopardy! ended, we took in the room. We studied the arrangement of the set, where it was clear the musicians would be on stage. When I was in high school, I thor oughly enjoyed playing in the pit orchestras of “West Side Story” and “The Wizard of Oz.” One of the wonders of the experience was the opportunity to dress casually, as we played in a true, recessed pit where we were heard and not seen.

As we got closer to the start of “Hadestown,” the auditorium filled with people sporting a wide range of attire, from casual to festive.

In the first few moments of the show, we were transported, as a colorful Hermes pranced around the stage, interacting with the other actors and reaching out to the audience.

The appreciative guests lapped up his over-the-top gestures and movements, as he introduced us to some of the characters and the band, who filled the stage with vitality, music and movement.

During intermission, I watched two women in the row in front of me. One was talking, while the other nodded absent-mindedly while playing solitaire. Perhaps that’s a carry over from too much time at home. Then again, who am I to complain? We watched a TV show in the moments before “Hadestown” started, so we’re also accustomed to our isolated entertainment.

To my left, two women with bright blonde hair opened a ziplock bag filled with small sugar cookies. After they each ate one, the woman holding the bag dropped a cookie on the floor. I felt it hit my shoe before it settled on the ground.

Now, I am a bit OCD with germs. Okay, fine, that’s like being a bit pregnant. I’m OCD and have been known to wash my hands so often in the winter that my skin becomes incredibly dry, cracks and bleeds.

So, what would I have done with that cookie? I would have picked it up, put it in my coat pocket, forgotten about it for about two weeks and, upon rediscovering it, would have thrown it in the garbage and, of course, washed my hands immediately afterwards.

What did she do? The woman picked it up, briefly scraped off the parts she imagined must have touched the floor and my shoe, blew on it and broke it in half. She gave her companion one half, she kept the other, and they both, gulp, ate it.

I laughed nervously and made a mental note, not that I ever need one, to wash my hands just because, well, yuck!

In the second half of “Hadestown,” the show followed a similar pattern, as one sad, longing song gave way to another.

At the critical moment of the story, the woman who had been playing solitaire in front of us objected to the tragic turn of events.“Oh no, don’t do it!” she shouted.

While I wasn’t surprised by the ending to a story filled with mournful songs and that Hermes told us was sad, I chuckled as she tried to change the script from the balcony.

Yes, it was great to be out and to appreciate the show, the music, and the other guests.

All the world, as Shakespeare suggested, is a stage, including for the appreciative members of the audience.

Thanksgiving is almost here, and many of us are bustling about, packing for a distant visit with loved ones or making sure the house is in good shape to receive those traveling to us. For most Americans, it is our favorite holiday, defined by turkey and the trimmings. What could be bad about an eating holiday? The only skunk at the party is abandoned overeating, and most of us, wise from unfortunate past experience, try to avoid that.

some of them leaders of organizations, others simply caring neighbors who go out of their way to help when help is needed.

In recognition of the many who enhance the quality of our lives, we publish a Thank You edition of the newspaper and website on the Thursday between Christmas and New Year’s. We call that issue, “People of the Year,” and we solicit suggestions for profiles from our staff, community leaders and especially from readers.

we produced a different slate for each. Recently, however, we have realized that what happens in Stony Brook can also affect Northport and vice versa, so we now publish a master list of sorts honoring those who have gone the extra mile on behalf of our communities. And by so doing, we have eased the strain on our COVID-reduced staff.

Until the year 2020, we invited the People of the Year to supper at the Three Village Inn in Stony Brook, generally on a late Sunday afternoon in March. At that venue, we gave each recipient a framed certificate, spoke for a minute about why they were selected, then gave them the mic to elaborate on their work.

We have been doing this for 47 years, since we started publishing, and we still haven’t run out of winners. In fact, the more we meet, the larger the circle grows. [Confession in the spirit of full disclosure: I used to worry that we would indeed run out of nominees.] Sometimes we get lots of suggestions for the same person. We’ve even had readers bring in petitions with many signatures to help us choose whom to profile.

Between you and me

BY LEAH S. DUNAIEF

The other thing that makes Thanksgiving special is the conscious awareness, again by most of us, of how much we have to be grateful for, including the community in which we live. It takes exceptional people to make a strong community,

Ultimately the TBR Editorial Board makes the final decisions, so if you disagree with any of the choices, blame us.

When we published only one newspaper, selection was fairly easy. As our editions grew,

TIMES BEACON RECORD NEWS MEDIA

The purpose of the profiles, in addition to offering these terrific people our thanks, is also to give them a spotlight to help them with their work, which is usually ongoing. With that goal in mind, we refrain from writing in this issue about those who have retired or are deceased. However, those stories, along with many we couldn’t fit in, may become features in future additions.

We have tried, each year, to keep their selection a secret from the winners. They seem to enjoy opening the paper in print or on the web and finding themselves and their efforts acknowledged. Of course, it’s fun to be appreciated, then with the additional kick of it being a surprise.

Many of the past awardees also attended each year. Based on how long the residents lingered over dessert after the last certificate was announced, we concluded that there was a lot of cross pollination among them, further strengthening our communities and their interactions.

We stopped those suppers with the advent of the coronavirus, fearing the possibility of a super spreader event. With each passing year, we hope to restore that tradition. It was delightful for us and, we believe, helpful for the community.

So we will wait to see what happens in 2023 and if we can resume partying. We all hope for the start of an After Times.

‘Thank You’ to community superstars

School News

Port Jefferson School District

A ‘Royal’ visit to Yankee Stadium

Port Jefferson students engage with Lt. Col. via Google Meet

Edna Louise Spear Elementary School students in Mrs. Erickson and Ms. Gandolfo’s third grade class were honored and excited to meet with Lt. Col. Travis Toole, who is stationed in Germany.

He visited the classroom via Google Meet, engaged with the curious students

and answered their questions.

“We were truly honored to meet an active-duty lieutenant colonel who for the past 17 years has been defending our rights and freedoms by fighting for our country,” Erickson said.

Perseverance and grit from Royals crosscountry team

The Port Jefferson varsity boys cross-country team competed in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship on Saturday, Nov. 12, in Verona.

The team of runners pushed through the muddy

and windy conditions to take home third place among All-State Class D schools.

Earl L. Vandermeulen High School High School senior Brendan Capodanno set the pace for the Royals, finishing 17th overall, followed by sophomore Colin Veit, who finished 20th. Brendan and Colin received All-State honors for their top-20 finishes.

“It is a great group of young men,” athletic director Adam Sherrard said. “They have a great team chemistry

that enables them to joke around and keep each other loose but also help push one another to perform at their best. I am very proud of their performance and perseverance throughout the season.”

The school district congratulates Brendan, Colin and teammates senior Teppei Fukuto, junior Andrew Schretzmayer, sophomore Ryan Sommerstad, junior Carman Stanton and eighth grader Blake Weaver.

The Port Jefferson School District cross-country team. Photo courtesy PJSD

Earl L. Vandermeulen High School’s sports history class at Yankee Stadium. Photo courtesy PJSD

Students in Earl L. Vandermeulen High School’s sports history class enjoyed an exclusive field trip to Yankee Stadium on Monday, Nov. 14.

The students got an in-depth history lesson on the New York Yankees franchise, as well as the ballpark. The students visited the field level,

the Yankees Museum and Monument Park, and enjoyed the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. Arranged by social studies teacher Bryan

Vaccaro, they were also accompanied by Taylor Forstell, Gina Fedler, Celiana Gandolfo and Debra Hartmann.

Edna Louise Spear Elementary School students, Lt. Col. Travis Toole is on the screen. Photo courtesy PJSD