The Times of Huntington-Northport - March 30, 2023

PHOTO BY Angela

A SELECTION OF SANDWICHES FROM OUR COMPLETE SANDWICH LIST

ARIZONA: Cheddar, Mashed Avocado, Cherry Tomatoes, Red Onion, Sprouts. (Wrap or Sandwich)

COUNTRY CLUB: Grilled Chicken, Virginia Ham, Lettuce, Tomato and Russian Mustard. (Sandwich, Wrap or Tuscan)

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: Ham, Turkey, Monterey Jack Cheese, Roasted Red Pepper, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Creamy BBQ Sauce. (Sandwich, Wrap, Tuscan or Panini)

JOANIE: Breaded Chicken Cutlet, Swiss Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Bacon and Creamy BBQ Sauce. (Sandwich, Wrap, Tuscan)

LITTLE ITALY: Prosciutto (meats may vary), Provolone, Ham, Roasted Red Peppers and Italian Vinaigrette. (Sandwich, Wrap, Tuscan or Panini)

MONTEREY: Assorted Grilled Vegetables, Guacamole, Monterey Jack Cheese and Seasoned Olive Oil. (Sandwich, Wrap, Tuscan or Panini)

NORTHWELL: Smoked Turkey, Brie, Caramelized Pears, and Honey Mustard. (Sandwich, Tuscan or Panini)

RUSTIC EGGPLANT: Breaded Eggplant Cutlets, Provolone, Mozzarella, Roasted Red Pepper, Basil Pesto Cream. (Sandwich, Wrap, Tuscan or Panini)

SO FRENCH: Ham, Brie, Blue Cheese, Field Greens – Peach, Fig spread or Apricot Preserves (Sandwich, Wrap or Tuscan)

STONY BROOK: Turkey, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato with Creamy BBQ Sauce. (Sandwich, Wrap, Tuscan or Panini)

VALERIE: Tomatoes, Sundried Tomatoes, Roasted Red Peppers, Mozzarella and Balsamic Dressing. (Sandwich, Wrap, Tuscan or Panini)

JAM’IN TURKEY: Sliced Turkey Breast, Sliced Pear, Arugula, Fig Jam (wrap, sandwich or panini)

Advocates rally for free school meals for all state students

BY RITA J. EGAN RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Long Island advocates received support from elected officials and school administrators last week to call on New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to include a program that will save all families money regarding school meals in the 2024 state budget.

Proponents gathered at Jefferson Primary School in Huntington Friday, March 24, to make their plea to the governor at a press conference. The call comes after federal waivers that provided free breakfast and lunch for all students during the COVID-19 pandemic ended last June.

Speakers asked for the governor to provide fully funded school meals for all students in the 2024 state budget. The move could potentially help nearly a quarter million students on Long Island alone.

The Healthy School Meals for All New York Kids program has received bipartisan support in both the state Senate and Assembly. Senators and Assembly members have allocated $280 million in funding in their budget proposals. Supporters say such a program that would provide free lunch and breakfast to students can have a broader effect, taking pressure off food banks and positively impacting the community as a whole. Speakers at the press conference said that many families whose children are eligible for free meals at school are too embarrassed to apply, while others, who are not eligible due to strict income thresholds to qualify, still experience financial stress.

Rebecca Sanin, president and CEO of

the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island, said while universally free meals at school was something families could count on during the pandemic, once the federal program ended, 243,000 children in Suffolk and Nassau counties lost their access to free school meals. She added HWCLI is part of a broader statewide coalition of more than 250 organizations asking the governor to include the Healthy School Meals for All program in the budget.

“We know that throughout history we get these moments in time where our actions can really magnificently transform future generations to come,” Sanin said at the press conference. “Today is one of those moments.”

She added that many on Long Island suffer from hunger, poverty, and economic and family stresses that prevent them from receiving proper nourishment.

“When every child in New York can access meals at school, we will be actively reducing hunger,” Sanin said. “We will be actively reducing underachievement. We will be actively reducing poor health outcomes. We will be actively reducing behavioral challenges.”

Jim Polansky, superintendent of Huntington school district and president of the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association, said the economic crisis that has followed the pandemic has made the “universal free meal programs more important than ever.”

“Many people in our community, throughout the region and across the state are struggling to put food on the table, and it may take years for those struggling to recover financially,” he said. “Food insecurity has unfortunately become commonplace.”

He added some districts in the state are

able to continue providing free meals through the Community Eligibility Provision program, yet there are also districts that do not meet the CEP criteria. CEP provides a federal nonpricing meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas.

“No child should go hungry, and no child or family should be stigmatized because they qualify for benefits resulting from family

income status,” Polansky said. “Furthermore, there is considerable evidence that children who arrive to school hungry can develop significant mental health issues, including depression and anxiety as well as physical health issues, which lead to difficulties in focusing on academics and other school activities.”

The New York State 2024 budget is due April 1.

On hand for the March 24 press conference were Bob Vecchio, Nassau Suffolk School Boards Association executive director; Jim Polansky, superintendent of Huntington school district; Rebecca Sanin, president and CEO of the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island; state Assemblyman Doug Smith (back); and state Senators Monica Martinez and Kevin Thomas. Photo by Angela Porwick/Health and Welfare Council of Long Island

Suffolk County hosts inaugural Irish American Heritage Celebration

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

In a sea of orange and green, Suffolk County officials, community groups and Irish Americans converged upon the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge on Friday, March 24, commemorating the firstever Irish American Heritage Celebration in county history.

In 2019, the Suffolk County Legislature unanimously approved a resolution designating March as Irish American

Heritage Month. Friday’s event marked the first such celebration sponsored by the county government.

“We’re celebrating the incredible contributions that the Irish have made to the United States of America and to the world,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D).

The county executive also used the occasion to acknowledge the Ancient Order of the Hibernians, an Irish American heritage group with nine divisions across the county, including Port Jefferson, Selden, Smithtown and Huntington. Bellone said the AOH enriches Suffolk communities by celebrating Irish culture while giving back through various charitable endeavors.

Legislators from each of the county’s 18 districts had an opportunity to recognize an Irish American making an impact within their communities. Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) read off the biographical descriptions of each honoree.

Choral and bagpipe arrangements from several Irish American folk groups were performed, along with Irish historian Mike McCormack detailing the historical contributions of the Irish in Suffolk County.

— Photos from Steve Bellone’s Flickr page

Above, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, third from left, joins Suffolk County Legislator Stephane Bontempi, left, who chose the Rev. Msgr. Steven Camp for Legislative District 18. Left, Legislator Leslie Kennedy with District 12’s pick, Matthew Kelly.

Teacher-pupil pair inspire hope for those with multiple sclerosis

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

One of TBR News Media’s very own recently embarked on a life-changing collaboration with a former educator.

Kyle Horne, a local artist and frequent contributor of political cartoons and editorial illustrations to our newspapers, has partnered with his former teacher, Janet Werner, to create a book about multiple sclerosis. Together, they tell a moving story of overcoming adversity, revealing a powerful, enduring bond between a student and teacher.

A journey with MS

Werner was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, commonly known as MS, in 1986. At the onset of her symptoms, she recalled a feeling of numbness in her legs and overwhelming fatigue.

“I actually took off for two weeks from work that first year and just slept,” she said. “I got an MRI at the time, and it showed plaque in the brain, which is white lesions. Depending upon where these white lesions are seen in the brain, it could affect your mobility, cognition and eyesight.”

As the years advanced, Werner’s symptoms gradually progressed. During a startling incident one morning, she temporarily lost her eyesight and hearing completely. “What seemed like hours was about 20 minutes,” she said. “I was terrified because it had never happened before.”

Nearly four decades after her initial diagnosis, Werner explained she is “doing pretty well” despite the heightening symptoms with each passing year. She said managing the symptoms requires plenty of rest and an upbeat mentality.

With husband Ernest, “we try to get some exercise, eat correctly and just keep a positive frame of mind,” she said. “Of course, life is very stressful but we try to be positive.”

‘A Pear in an Apple Tree’

Over several years, Werner wrote “A Pear in an Apple Tree: A Journey with Multiple Sclerosis,” saying she was motivated to write the book for various reasons.

Among them, she noted a lack of public understanding surrounding MS and its symptoms. She also wanted to share her story with those experiencing MS, preparing them for the path ahead and informing them that they are not alone.

“Sometimes with any challenge in your life, you feel like you’re the only one who has this specific condition or challenge, whether it’s MS or cancer and you kind of hide away from the rest of the world,” she said. “That’s not good to do that. I wanted the ‘MSers’ to feel that we’re in this together.”

Werner recalled the moment that gave the book its name. She said she was eating dinner with her husband, struggling with her symptoms that day, when she blurted out, “I feel like a pear in an apple tree, kind of out of place.”

Despite the numerous challenges through the years, Werner said she wrote the book to let others

know they have a place with an MS community that also understands their struggles.

A dynamic team

The collaboration between Werner and Horne has been decades in the making. A graduate of Deer Park High School, Horne was her student and a member of the school’s Students Against Destructive Decisions Club, which Werner had advised.

“He would invite me to some of his book signings and art shows, and we kept in close contact over the years,” she said. “When I was doing this book, I immediately thought of him because I loved his artwork.”

Horne described the early stages of preparing the book with his former teacher. He was eager to sign onto the project.

“She came to me with this idea for a book dealing with MS and how it affects her,” Horne said. Although managing symptoms “can be difficult, those challenges have been very helpful in developing her into the person she is today.”

Along with the cover and back cover, Horne prepared several illustrations throughout the book, tying into the themes of each of its chapters. Together, Werner and Horne developed the characters of Ned and Nancy Neuron.

Through the illustrations he prepared for the book, Horne said he learned much about Werner and her experiences with MS, describing a sense of growth and mutual understanding forged throughout their creative journey together.

“I don’t have MS, but I’m able to sympathize more with Janet and the struggles that she’s had,” the artist said. “She has a very strong spirit when it comes to this.”

An optimistic future

Following the success of their first collaboration, Werner and Horne are already working on the next project, a coloring book that adds an interactive component to the story of Ned and Nancy Neuron.

Werner said she remains “very hopeful” that researchers will soon discover a cure for MS. Analyzing the scope of scientific investigation into the condition, she said there is considerable

overlap between ongoing MS research and similar autoimmune diseases.

“Research that’s being conducted for, say, AIDS or lupus is also being conducted for MS,” she said. “Stony Brook [University] has an MS center, and their research is going on at a rapid rate. So I am so hopeful.”

Despite the decades she has spent with MS, Werner shares a message of resolve in the face of hardship.

“I think you have to keep fighting,” she said. “You cannot give up. If you’re faced with a challenge, you have to educate yourself about the disease and how it affects your body. And then learn to adapt.”

Horne said the collaboration with Werner has been a personal experience as well. Learning about MS, he said, has informed his outlook on his own life.

“I have a condition known as ulcerative colitis, also known as Crohn’s disease,” Horne said. “Understanding the perspective of another chronic illness, and from a different person, has come to help with my own process and working through my own things.”

He added, “When it comes to something like this it can be very scary at times, but it also can be very rewarding knowing the perseverance of getting through a struggle like that.”

To learn more about MS, visit www. nationalmssociety.org. To purchase “A Pear in an Apple Tree,” visit www.allbook-books.com.

“If you’re faced with a challenge, you have to educate yourself about the disease and how it affects your body. And then learn to adapt.”

— JANET WERNER

Author Janet Werner, left, and artist Kyle Horne display their finished book, ‘A Pear in an Apple Tree: A Journey with Multiple Sclerosis.’ Photo courtesy Kyle Horne

SCPD commits to 30x30 initiative aimed at increasing number of women in policing

SUBMITTED BY SUFFOLK COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison announced on March 28 he signed a pledge, on behalf of the department, for the 30x30 initiative that aims at increasing the number of women in policing.

Women have been significantly underrepresented in policing since the profession’s founding.

Currently, women comprise only 12% of sworn officers nationwide. This initiative aims at increasing women in law enforcement to 30% by 2030.

Research shows women officers are perceived by communities as being honest and compassionate, and they see positive outcomes for crime victims, especially in sexual assault cases. The 30×30 initiative works with law enforcement agencies to improve recruiting practices and establish community partnerships to enable agencies to become truly representative of the jurisdictions they serve. While 30×30 is focused on advancing women in policing, these principles are applicable to all demographic diversity, not just gender.

The Suffolk County Police Department is currently recruiting for its upcoming police exam. The deadline to register for the exam is April 19 and the exam will be held on June 17.

Suffolk County Police officers have attended hundreds of outreach events to educate individuals about the upcoming test. Officers have visited colleges, fitness centers, and career fairs, and also offered recruitment presentations at houses of worship, military installations, and various community organizations throughout the tristate area. The department is also utilizing advertisements, including moving billboards, signs on buses, radio and

television spots.

Additionally, the department will be hosting an informational session, Women In Law Enforcement at The Quintyne Community Center, located at 1 Commerce Blvd. in Amityville, on March 29 at 6 p.m.

The SCPD will be joined by Nassau County Police and New York State Police to discuss the numerous opportunities for women and the impact they can have on the community as members of law enforcement.

“Ensuring women are represented in law enforcement is critical to the future of the Suffolk County Police Department,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D).

“I commend Police Commissioner Harrison for taking the steps to bring an increased awareness to the number of women in policing and for doing what is needed to make that goal possible.”

“After spending more than 30 years in law enforcement, I have seen firsthand the valuable contributions women bring to the job,” Harrison said. “There is no question that signing up for this initiative will raise awareness about the opportunities available for women in policing and the powerful difference they can make in the lives of the people we serve.”

Agencies who sign the 30x30 Pledge have agreed to:

• Take measures to increase the representation of women in all ranks of law enforcement

• Ensure that policies and procedures are free of all bias

• Promote equitable hiring, retention and promotion of female officers

• Ensure culture is inclusive, respective and supportive of women in all ranks and roles of law enforcement

For more information, visit www.30x30initiative.org

The following incidents have been reported by Suffolk County Police: Brentwood woman pleads guilty in hit-and-run of Commack mom of 5

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on March 22 that Madeline Henriquez, 22, of Brentwood, pleaded guilty to running over a woman and killing her, fleeing the scene, and attempting to hide her vehicle which had sustained extensive damage from the crash.

According to the investigation and the defendant’s admissions during her guilty plea allocution, on May 23, 2022 at approximately 10:08 p.m., Henriquez was driving a 2012 Hyundai Elantra eastbound on Motor Parkway at a high rate of speed when she swerved into the northbound lane of Wicks Road, striking a vehicle and subsequently striking 28-year-old Cherokee Fletcher, who was standing on the corner of Motor Parkway and Wicks Road.

Fletcher, who had five children between the ages of one to seven years old, was killed as a result of being struck by Henriquez. Henriquez did not slow down or stop at the scene and proceeded eastbound on Motor Parkway until she returned to her home in Brentwood.

Henriquez admitted she later had a tow truck pick up the Hyundai and bring it to another residence in Brentwood for repairs related to the damage from the crash. The windshield and passenger side of Henriquez’s vehicle had extensive damage consistent with being involved in a crash with both a vehicle and pedestrian. She is due back in court on May 19 for sentencing, and is expected to be sentenced to 3 1⁄2 to 10 1⁄2 years in prison.

Farmingdale teen arrested for criminal mischief in social media challenge

Suffolk County Police have arrested a Farmingdale teen who allegedly damaged an Oakdale building as part of a social media challenge. A Fifth Precinct police officer was patrolling the former Dowling College property, located at 150 Idle Hour Blvd., on March 21 when he observed three males walking on the property at approximately 6 p.m. It was determined that one of the teens broke a window with a rock. The male, 18, claimed he caused the damage as part of a social media challenge targeting historic buildings.

ON CAMERA

Do you recognize this man?

Wanted for petit larceny

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole approximately $900 worth of calculators at Target, located at 98 Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack, on March 13 at approximately 1:30 p.m.

Stolen credit cards used in Farmingdale

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Second Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly used a credit card stolen from a parked vehicle in Melville.

A man allegedly stole keys from a locker at Planet Fitness, located at 25 Ruland Road in Melville, and then used the keys to enter a vehicle and steal a wallet on February 20 at approximately 6 p.m. The man, who fled the fitness center parking lot in a dark-colored fourdoor sedan, later used a credit card from inside the wallet to make a purchase of $620 at Target in Farmingdale.

Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

— 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

Photo from SCPD

Madeline Henriquez

Tigers get ready for opener

BY STEVEN ZAITZ DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

The Northport Tigers baseball team scrimmaged against the Walt Whitman Wildcats on Friday, March 24, at the John DeMartini Baseball Complex at Northport High School.

Sports

The game was unscored as the Tigers continued to tune up their pitchers as they steam toward Opening Day for league play, which will be at home against West Islip on April 3.

Aiden Bisson, a senior and the ace of the staff in 2022,

pitched three innings and gave up four runs but they were unearned. Senior pitchers Jayden Paranandi and Tyler Mulligan also got work in and were effective.

Senior outfielder Stephen Blazevich smacked a three-run homer over the left-center field fence in the fourth inning, when the Tiger scored four runs.

The Tigers played to a 0-0 tie in their final tune-up against St. John’s the Baptist High School in West Islip on Tuesday. Max Donecea and Bisson held the Cougars scoreless. The Tiger starting pitcher for the opener is yet to be determined.

— Photos by Steven Zaitz

Clockwise from upper right, Max Brewer takes a hack; Tyler Mulligan; Jayden Paranandi; and Ty D’amico attempts to steal second base.

Couple from Pakistan improve daughter’s life by uprooting their own

BY MALLIE KIM DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

When baby Insha didn’t support her neck or roll over on time, new parents Sarah Sajjad and Muhammad Qasim Akhtar were concerned.

AMERICAN DREAM

Labor in their Lahore, Pakistan, hospital had been long and exhausting, with forceps and a vacuum, Sajjad said, and Insha hadn’t cried at birth. As a new mom, she didn’t know that could be a bad sign, but they were discharged with no suggestion anything was amiss. Checkups provided no new insight.

“Doctors were not sure what was going on with her,” Akhtar said. “They were saying, ‘Oh, maybe she’s too little or too weak, let’s wait.’”

Tired of waiting, Sajjad and Akhtar took their daughter to a specialist and got the diagnosis — cerebral palsy, a neurological condition affecting physical development and motor skills. The disorder can be caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the brain from, for example, a lack of oxygen during a difficult labor. Insha would never speak or walk on her own.

Uninterested in bitterness or blame, Sajjad and Akhtar took this new challenge as a mission to help Insha, who is now 14, live her best life — a 7,000-mile journey that would inspire Sajjad to become a voice for parents of children with special needs in her North Shore community — the family resides in South Setauket — and on the Mrs. Pakistan USA pageant stage near Washington, D.C.

In their Lahore home, baby Insha was surrounded by love, acceptance and family. Insha’s grandmother assured the new parents that whatever had happened was Allah’s, or God’s, will. “‘He must have [a reason] he chose you as her parents,’” Sajjad remembered her mother-in-law telling them. With the benefit of

hindsight, Sajjad said, “We cannot see why we are the chosen ones, but definitely it’s for the betterment of all of us. With time, we both feel that that’s true.”

But in Pakistan, services for children with disabilities were not easy to find. So, they resigned from their jobs at a telecom company in Lahore, sold their assets and settled in Suffolk County, where Akhtar began job hunting in earnest. They’d left behind their entire social support structure, but Sajjad said they weren’t worried since they faced settling into a new country and finding services for Insha with faith.

“We came with the belief that if we’re going for our daughter, the motive in us is quite clear, we have Allah’s blessings, and he’ll make things easy for us — and he did,” she said.

Those first few years were still a struggle. American companies discounted Akhtar’s IT experience, he said, requiring a degree incountry, so he took any job he could to support his family — first at a gas station, then a used car dealership, then a pharmacy. Eventually he landed as a Port Jefferson Department of Motor Vehicles security guard, where he’s worked the past several years.

Meanwhile, Sajjad strove to figure out services and medical care for Insha, and their family quickly grew. Twins Ibrahim and Mikayeel were born in 2012, and daughter AzmehJehan about a year after that. Sajjad trekked around Long Island for errands and appointments with four children in diapers while Akhtar worked. Despite the lack of social support structure, she said, she didn’t feel isolated or bitter.

“We didn’t have any time to think about, ‘Oh, we don’t have [an extended] family,’” she said. “I wanted to be with my kids, and that was actually the world we had — all six of us.”

Life for Insha did improve. She now has a wheelchair, a customized standing and walking aid, and an electronic communication device that

allows her to respond to basic questions. And she attends a school that accommodates her needs.

“She knows every day that, ‘I’m going to the same group of people,’ and she’s very comfortable there,” Sajjad said, adding that in Pakistan, Insha would’ve likely spent all her days homebound.

From the North Shore to Mrs. Pakistan USA

Once the children were all in school, Sajjad turned her attention outward. Her first Long Island job was at the Developmental Disabilities Institute in Medford, assisting children with special needs, and currently she works in the Three Village Central School District as a special education aide. Outside of work, Sajjad said she has set her sights on supporting parents of kids with special needs, including those who do not speak English as their first language.

Even speaking English fluently as Sajjad and Akhtar did when they arrived, disability support systems in the United States had been like a maze — they said it took them four or five years to learn about the handicap parking placard, for example — and she strives to help families navigating the system as she once did.

“We forget the fact that parents need some services and support too,” Sajjad said, explaining her efforts to share what she’s learned with other parents and to provide

practical support when she can — something she said would have made her early years in the United States easier.

“I really want to give it back to this community, to this country, what they have given my daughter.”

And when Sajjad learned about Miss and Mrs. Pakistan USA, a pageant to recognize women who want to improve their communities while representing Pakistani heritage, she applied just for fun. As she progressed in the process, her children would ask her to rehearse her walk and practice her talent, which was with a poem on female empowerment and resilience, in front of them to make sure she was ready.

When her kids heard she won the Mrs. Pakistan USA 2022 title, they were thrilled. “I kind of jumped around the whole house,” her son Mikayeel said. And after Sajjad arrived home, she greeted the children sporting her crown and sash. “At that point I was like, ‘Thank God I got it,’” she said. “I wanted to see those lit faces.”

More than a title and a crown, Sajjad felt she had shown her children the driving force behind her and Akhtar’s choice to change their lives with a leap of faith. “When you have your will in it and you work hard for it, just do your best and then leave it on God,” Sajjad said. “And he’ll make the best decision for you.”

Sarah Sajjad, right, of South Setauket, with her husband and four children. Below, Sajjad reenacts the moment she told her children she won Mrs. Pakistan USA. Photos by Mallie Kim

SCPD to hold vehicle auction April 1

The Suffolk County Police Department Impound Section will hold an auction on April 1 at 9 a.m. at the Suffolk County Police Department Impound Facility, located at 100 Old Country Road in Westhampton. The auction begins at 9 a.m. and will be held rain or shine. There will be a preview of the vehicles on March 30 and March 31 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the impound yard. Vehicles will also be available for preview one hour prior to the start of the auction.

Approximately 120 lots will be auctioned off including sedans, SUVs, and motorcycles. All vehicles will start with a minimum bid of $300 and are sold as-is. For a full list of vehicles, registration information and terms and conditions for the auction, visit www.suffolkpd.org under Precinct and Specialized Units, click Impound Section followed by Upcoming Auctions and Events.

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Oh,mostbeautifulflowerofMt. Carmel,fruitfulvine,splendorof heaven,blessedmotherofthe SonofGod,immaculatevirgin, assistmeinmynecessity.Oh starofthesea,helpme&show meherein,youaremymother. OhHolyMary,MotherofGod, QueenofHeavenandEarth,I humblybeseechyoufromthe bottomofmyhearttosuccorme inthisnecessityTherearenone whocanwithstandyourpower. Ohshowmehereinyouaremy mother.OhMaryconceived withoutsin,prayforuswho haverecoursetothee. (3times).OhHolyMary,Iplace thiscauseinyourhands. (3times).HolySpirit,youwho solveallproblems,lightallroads sothatIcanobtainmygoals. Yougavemethedivinegiftto forgiveandforgetallevilagainst me,andthatinallinstancesof mylife,youarewithme.Iwant inthisshortprayertothankyou forallthingsasyouconfirm onceagainthatIneverwantto beseparatedfromyouineternal glory.Thankyouforyourmercy towardmeandmine. M.L Thepersonmustsaythisprayer 3consecutivedays.Therequest willbegranted.Thisprayermust bepublishedafterthefavorhas beengranted. WithThanks

M.L.

Novenas

ST.JUDENOVENA

MaytheSacredHeartof Jesusbeadored,glorified, lovedandpreservedthroughout theworld,nowandforever.May theSacredHeartofJesusthy kingdomcome.St.Jude,helper ofthehopeless,PrayForUs. St.Jude,workerofmiracles, PrayForUs.

Thisprayerisneverknownto failifrepeated9timesdailyfor 9consecutivedays.Publication shouldbepromised.J.B.ST. JUDENOVENA

MaytheSacredHeartof Jesusbeadored,glorified, lovedandpreservedthroughout theworld,nowandforever.May theSacredHeartofJesusthy kingdomcome.St.Jude,helper ofthehopeless,PrayForUs. St.Jude,workerofmiracles, PrayForUs. Thisprayerisneverknownto failifrepeated9timesdailyfor 9consecutivedays.Publication shouldbepromised.J.B.

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Home Services Business Profile

Owners: Kevin Bellois & Kristopher Mannino

Notes about the business: With 40+ combined years of experience in the fence industry, Smith Point Fence is well positioned to serve all of your fencing needs. We are proud members of the Long Island Chapter of the American Fence Association and premier installers of Eastern Illusions vinyl fence.

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10

Editorial Perspective

Please see revised letters policy below.

State-funded school meals are the responsible choice The time has come to protect our Earth

While most understand the value of investing in education, there’s more to learning than going to class and doing homework.

We must give all children an equal chance of receiving a proper education, and one way to do so is by ensuring that all students are adequately nourished, navigating the school day on a full stomach.

Last Friday, New York state elected officials joined school administrators and advocates in Huntington to call upon Gov. Kathy Hocul (D) to include fully funded school meals for all students in the 2024 state budget. The call comes after federal waivers that enabled schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students during the COVID-19 pandemic ended before the start of the 2022-23 academic year.

The universal free school meals initiative may make some pause at first. While New Yorkers understand that there are countless people among us — many right here in our own towns — suffering from food insecurity, they are aware that some of our residents can easily afford to feed their children breakfast and lunch.

However, advocates for the Healthy School Meals for All program contend that many families are eligible for the supplement but do not apply because they are embarrassed to ask for help. Some make slightly more than the income requirements to receive nutrition assistance but could desperately use the help.

In an era when most families need both parents to work to make ends meet, and as salaries and wages increases have lagged behind inflation, ensuring free meals for all children can keep our students healthy while easing household budgets. In addition to helping households, the program would eliminate unpaid meal debt for school districts, which increased after the federal waivers expired.

According to the speakers at the March 24 press conference at Jefferson Primary School in Huntington, including the program in the state budget could help nearly a quarter million students on Long Island alone. The initiative is one that state legislators have gotten behind with $280 million in funding included in their budget proposals.

Now it’s time for Hochul to support it.

With states such as California, Colorado, Nevada, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut already implementing the Healthy School Meals for All program, it’s time for New York to embrace this initiative.

Research indicates that well-nourished students perform better on tests, are more present in school and retain information better. Advocates hope the program provides all children the opportunity to be fully prepared to take on a day of learning, something every student deserves.

We remind our readers that New York taxpayers are currently subsidizing a football stadium in Buffalo to the tune of $600 million — a deal brokered by the Hochul administration. Meanwhile, many of our school children here on Long Island are inadequately nourished.

The proposed school nutrition program is less than half the cost of the football stadium yet would go much further in advancing the interests of ordinary citizens. To our governor and state officials in Albany: The Buffalo Bills should never trump the health of our children.

Doing what’s right for our kids, and paving the way for a brighter future for all, starts with a solid breakfast and lunch. Our state officials are fighting for this. It is time for our governor to do the same.

Global climate change affects our Island and the world: stronger hurricanes, hotter summers, stronger rainstorms, winters with essentially no snow and a warming ocean causing the Long Island lobsters to move north to Maine and beyond.

Every sixth grader knows that the cause of this global warming is the release of heattrapping carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and methane (natural gas). The carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere has increased by 50% since the Industrial Revolution started in the 1800s according to NASA and increased by 13% since 2000.

wind farms. Those are starting to be built along the East Coast, from Massachusetts, off Long Island and New Jersey’s waters and further south. This transition eliminates much air pollution from our existing power plants.

be fossil-fuel free beginning by the end of 2025, and taller and commercial new construction by the end of 2028.

By Peter Gollon

Use of fossil fuel must be replaced by energy sources that release no climate changing gases. António Guterres, the cautious secretary-general of the United Nations, just called out, “Our world needs climate action on all fronts — everything, everywhere, all at once.”

Fortunately, climate-friendly sources of energy from the sun and wind are widely available and less expensive than traditional fossil fuels and will never run out. Of course, switching to them will involve change. As Americans, we embrace change when it improves our lives, which these changes will.

New York State’s transition to renewable energy through 2050 is mandated by the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Details were drawn up in a scoping plan after two years of careful analysis.

A total of 19 of the 22 NYS Climate Action Council representatives voted for it, including Mario Cilento, the labor representative of NYS AFL-CIO. Only the three members representing the gas industry voted against it.

New York and a few other states are leading the way in the U.S. in this transition, setting examples for other states to follow. Many other countries are following our nation’s lead, even though we lag behind many European countries.

We are already switching electric generation away from fossil fuels — mostly gas at this point — and to nonpolluting solar generation and offshore

We’ll heat and cool our buildings with efficient heat pumps. In the summer they will run like superefficient air conditioners. In the winter they will run backward, taking heat from the outdoors and moving it indoors, just as your refrigerator moves heat from its inside to your warmer kitchen. Cold weather heat pumps work quite nicely in Minnesota winters, and they will work just as nicely here.

The obvious place to start this transition is with buildings that haven’t yet been built. Installing heat pumps during construction is less expensive than installing separate boilers and air conditioners. Heating heat pumps powered by renewably generated electricity are less expensive than with oil or gas, whose prices fluctuate according to worldwide supply and demand.

Cooking will be done on the modern induction stoves that professional chefs love because they cook faster and with better heat control than gas stoves. A benefit of not having a gas stove is not having to breathe the indoor nitrogen oxide air pollution it produces — air pollution that the American Lung Association said causes and worsens asthma.

State Sen. Mario Mattera (R-St. James) [in “Perspective: Mandate would dramatically impact New Yorkers,” March 16] bemoans requiring new homes and buildings up to three stories high to

Who could object to building all 1,500 new homes on Long Island yearly fully electric, starting in 2025? Obviously, the gas industry objects. The construction industry and trade unions object, probably because they would have to build slightly differently than they are used to.

The groups that prioritize their vested interests above your health and that of our only planet have spread misleading horror stories about these laws to gradually phase out fossil fuels use in New York state.

Mattera said that he has “spoken to experts in the fields that will be involved and impacted” about the “disastrous” and “dangerous” consequences of these acts on Long Island businesses and homeowners. Do these “experts” know about climate change and the need for immediate and urgent action? Are they members or staff of the state’s Climate Action Council? Or are they affiliated with the construction industry corporations, trade unions and fossil fuel interests that provided 67% of his campaign contributions, according to the NYOpenGovernment website, since his election in 2020?

He speaks of a “potential disaster on the horizon.” It will come from not switching rapidly from climate-changing fossil fuels to a fully renewable energy economy. We have already seen just the beginnings of the coming climate disaster here and elsewhere. And we don’t like what we have seen.

Yes, “the time is now to work together” to protect our Earth for the future of our children and grandchildren by embracing a fully electric, fossil-fuel free economy.

Peter Gollon, of Huntington Station, is a retired physicist, former business owner, active on environmental and clean energy issues, and a former Long Island Power Authority trustee.

WRITE TO US … AND KEEP IT LOCAL

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

Email letters to: rita@tbrnewsmedia.com or mail them to TBR News Media, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733

My predictions for the action in the stands as baseball begins

They’ll win some, they’ll lose some, and it’ll rain, and they’ll have to play some other day.

No, I’m not going to predict anything about the on field action this year as the “boys of summer” take the field this week for the start of the 2023 baseball season.

stadiums and be too awestruck to speak. He may have been to other games, but returning to his favorite stadium and looking at the shimmering green grass, the bright foul lines, and the oversized baseball bag will take his breath away, even if only for a moment and even if no one notices the goose flesh on his arms despite the warm temperature.

will reach into history. Who was the best left fielder? Should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame?

Fans will celebrate birthdays, waiting for that fleeting moment when their name appears on the screen with best wishes from Joe, Mo, Mary and the rest of the crew.

making it tough for them to focus on the game. Some of those people will have to leave the game and go back to the office, while others will talk through a document or deal amid a series of ongoing crises.

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF

Instead, I’m going to make some predictions about the action in the stands. After all, the number of people and stories from the stands far exceeds the paltry size of the teams, umpires, grounds crew and everyone else involved with “The Show.” So, without further delay, here are a few predictions for the upcoming season. Someone will walk into one of the local

Someone will share some of their favorite lines from baseball movies, suggesting that the team is a “bunch of lollygaggers,” or that, in as deep a James Earl Jones voice as they can muster, “the one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball.”

During long day games, fans, clad in T-shirts, jerseys or tank tops, will forget sunscreen and will develop a sunburn. For some, that sunburn will be a reminder of the game. For others, it might provide sore or red skin.

Debates that border on arguments will occur in every part of the stadium. Some disagreements will arise over whether the umpire made the right call, while others

People will propose marriage. Most will say “yes” and will cover their mouths in astonishment. Some will storm off, throw the ring back, or yell something, leaving others to wonder whether the scene was real or staged.

Some fans will offer unconditional support for their favorite players, urging them on even after they struck out four times. Others will reserve the right to suggest that they could do better or that the player is a “bum.”

Most fans will stand in salute to veterans, as the public address announcer shares details of a person’s service and awards, and his or her family beams nearby, blinking back tears in a strong sun.

Important people will take important calls,

Awestruck people will realize their fantasy and will catch a foul ball. They will raise the ball as if it were a trophy, giving the strangers around them a chance to applaud. A generous fan will likely hand a ball over to a nearby child, knowing how valuable that souvenir will be for him or her.

Fans will high-five people sitting next to them during a key moment in a big game, sharing their joy with anyone and everyone.

Someone from an earlier generation will shout “Holy Cow” when a player hits a towering home run, sending his friends into fits of laughter.

Someone will believe that the next pitch will alter the course of the game and, perhaps, that person’s world, regardless of the score and the standings. Play Ball!

Arecent article that I saw on the Internet claimed that nine out of 10 graduates had regrets about their college. Wow! That’s almost unanimous discontent. Most regretted the heavy debt they had incurred. Some said the college they chose wasn’t a good fit for them. Others expressed disappointment with their major. I, too, have a regret about college; although I am not one generally to harbor regrets, I will confess that regret now.

It’s much the same thing as is said about computers: garbage in, garbage out.

Had I applied myself a lot harder, I would have gained a lot more in the way of a splendid education from my college courses and years. After all, I went to a fine college. Instead, I was more interested, especially during the first two years, in dating.

It was also appropriate to wish the school were co-ed, which we all did, and fervently at the time. Now it is co-ed, and as I look back, I am not so sure that was such a good idea.

But I digress.

Life was good. But for my grades, not so much.

I regret that I didn’t study harder when I was lucky enough to be in college. Now, this has nothing to do with my particular college. It is a personal failing. I am sure I would have behaved much the same way wherever I had gone to school. But here is the thing about college.

Not to be too hard on myself, I had a lot of catching up to do on that front. The last time I was in a co-ed situation before college was in the sixth grade of my neighborhood elementary school. For junior high and high school, I attended one of the schools in New York City requiring an entrance exam, and it was for all girls.

BY LEAH S. DUNAIEF

Now, don’t get me wrong. I loved the school. Many of the teachers had PhDs. I knew I was getting a first-rate education, and I really applied myself to my studies. What else was there to do? I even thrived on the keen competition there, despite the fact that it was considered appropriate to bemoan such a barbaric value.

My college was also one of what was then regarded as the prestigious Seven Sisters and technically all women, although we certainly didn’t refer to ourselves that way at the time. We were girls, and it was an all-girls college. On the other hand, right across the main avenue that ran in front of the campus was an all-boys undergraduate college.

Needless to say, I crossed the road, both to get to the other side, (as in the old joke, “Why did the chicken cross the road”?) and also to use the library at the all-male school. That library was larger, had more comfortable seats, better lighting, and besides, I rarely returned without having at least one date, sometimes two, and even occasionally three dates for the upcoming weekend. It took the first two years to come to something approaching equilibrium.

Furthermore, I thought that I didn’t really have an appropriate major. I was pre-med. That wasn’t considered a true major, but it did require many hours of science classes that came with many hours in many labs. I could have spaced out those labs — heavy courses — but thought I should get them out of the way sooner. I did have a faculty advisor those first two years, who was a lovely person, and a famous history professor. She knew little about science requirements, confessed as much, and then signed whatever assortment of subjects I put before her to approve.

“You must pick a major,” I was told. And so I picked English because it provided me with an antidote to all those heavy science classes. Reading was a merciful escape. So was writing. I was casual about that decision, though, because I was sure I was never going to use those skills.

Who knew?

College regrets. I have just one.