The Times of Huntington-Northport - November 24, 2022

Student science research published

At Cold Spring Harbor Jr./Sr. High School, Madison Brass, Sophie Cohen, Jenna Schetty and Veronica Walkin, students in Jaak Raudsepp’s molecular and genomic biology class, conducted a research project on the distribution of mosquito species on Long Island.

The project included obtaining specimens, photographing and morphologically identifying the specimens and extracting DNA from the specimens. Several cutting-edge molecular biology techniques

were used to purify, amplify and sequence the DNA. The sequenced DNA was used to definitively identify the mosquito species.

The sequenced DNA was of such high quality that the sequences were published in the National Institutes of Health National Center for Biotechnology Information database. In addition, this work was presented at the Barcode Long Island Symposium at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

From left, Cold Spring Harbor Jr./Sr. High School science research students Veronica Walkin, Sophie Cohen, Jenna Schetty and Madison Brass. Photo from Cold Spring Harbor Central School District

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From leading-edge robotic surgery to expert cancer care, we’re raising health every day. Because we don’t just want to be the best — we want what’s best for our community, too.

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Huntington village bookstore set to open before new year

BY RITA J. EGAN RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

A new independent bookstore is set to open on New York Avenue in Huntington Village after one entrepreneur’s yearlong journey to find a location.

Town

Many business owners struggled to keep their doors open during the COVID pandemic even after restrictions were lifted. One of the stores that shut its doors for good during 2021 was the Book Revue in Huntington village.

However, former Book Revue store

manager Mallory Braun, of Huntington, realized the importance of a community bookstore and launched a Kickstarter campaign on Nov. 1, 2021, to raise $250,000. Her hope was to open a new store in the village in the spirit of Book Revue. After 45 days on the crowdfunding platform, more than 2,200 people donated over $255,000.

Opening a new bookstore didn’t happen overnight though.

Braun has spent several months acquiring books and records that were donated and sold to her and stored them at a warehouse. While she waited for the right location, the business owner and employees ran pop-up stores over the last few months in locations such as the Huntington Fall Festival, Nest on Main in Northport, Glen Cove’s Southdown Coffee and more. The pop-ups were fun and successful, she said, and after the new store is open, she would like to do more.

“It allows us to build relationships with local businesses,” Braun said.

Regarding finding the right location, the entrepreneur said she had to find a space that was big enough for the quantity of books she wanted to carry and hold events that she hopes to organize in the future.

She said there were serious talks about a few locations until they found the storefront at 204 New York Ave.

“This one was the one that has worked out, and it was the right choice,” she said, adding that it’s a five-minute walk from the old Book Revue building, in a northerly direction.

A grand opening date has not been chosen yet, but she said the store will open in time for the holiday shopping season. Braun added there is still a lot of work to

be done. The Next Chapter employees are still shelving books and vinyl records at the future store, and Richard Klein, former Book Revue co-owner, has also been helping her prepare for the big day.

Braun, who specializes in used and rare items, is currently ordering new books. She said it would enable her to have authors visit for book signings, something she said customers enjoy.

“I don’t know how long it’s going to take to build up the same type of author as Book Revue had, but it’s important, and we’ve already been working on it,” Braun said.

She added that people have been volunteering to help get the store ready. Anyone interested in helping can reach the store by emailing: info@ thenextchapterli.com.

For more information about The Next Chapter, visit the website www.thenextchapterli.com.

Above, Mallory Braun, right, is set to open a new bookstore in Huntington Village. She was mentored by former Book Revue owner Richard Klein, left. In the last few months, Braun has held pop-up events at businesses such as Nest in Northport, below. Photo above by E. Beth Thomas; photo below from The Next Chapter Facebook page

Check in with each other, yourself before approaching holidays, local doctors urge

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

An important gift people can give each other this holiday season is a check-in call or visit.

HEALTH

That’s the advice of area mental health professionals, who say that the holidays in general can be stressful and that several factors, including grieving over the loss of family or friends, fear about ongoing health concerns, and uncertainty and overall anxiety, have created stressors to mental health.

“If you know someone is having a rough time, who will be without a loved one for the holidays, you can call and say, ‘I’m here,’” said Dr. Stacy Eagle, director of Psychiatry at Port Jefferson-based St. Charles Hospital. “Doing something that simple can be really helpful.”

Indeed, area mental health professionals said the health care system in general has been straining to meet the need for patients in a host of ages to provide timely services.

Signs

Dr. Adam Gonzalez, a licensed clinical psychologist, director of Behavioral Health at Stony Brook Medicine and founding director of the Stony Brook University Mind-Body Clinical Research Center at the Renaissance School of Medicine, suggested that people can look for signs among their friends, family members and coworkers.

“Be aware of behavioral and emotional changes like social withdrawal, increased alcohol or drug use, overeating/eating more unhealthy food, difficulty sleeping, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, difficulty with getting work done” irritability and sadness, Gonzalez explained in an email.

Broadly speaking, Eagle added that people should be aware of any change in normal functioning. An extrovert who is acting withdrawn can provide a clue about a daily struggle.

Solutions

When people notice these kinds of changes in themselves or others, doctors urged a host of responses, depending on the severity of the symptom.

People who are an imminent danger to themselves or to others can call 988, which is a suicide and crisis hotline phone number. They can also call 911 or go to an emergency room, where a psychiatrist can evaluate them and offer help.

Cari Faith Besserman, director in the Division of Community Mental Hygiene Services with the Suffolk County Department of Health, said residents can take classes such as Mental Health First Aid, which teaches laypeople to increase their awareness by recognizing signs of emotional and mental distress, how to respond safely, and educates on symptoms of illness to decrease the stigma and mystery of mental health and various stages of wellness.

Suffolk County residents also can turn to

the Diagnostic Assessment and Stabilization Hub, also known as DASH, program, which provides 24/7 access to behavioral health professionals and provides somewhere to go for those experiencing a crisis. The DASH number is 631-952-3333.

For less severe but problematic or ongoing symptoms, doctors urged some restorative measures.

Eagle suggested getting proper rest, ensuring a sufficient and balanced diet and staying hydrated. Activities such as exercise, which helps increase the release of serotonin, can help reduce anxiety and improve mood.

She added that unplugging from social media, especially for adolescents and children, can improve overall mental health.

Gonzalez also urged those who are offering support to remain fully present and nonjudgmental, and listen actively when someone shares concerns or anxieties.

“Be sure to ask what they need from you,” Gonzalez urged. “For some, it may be just listening; for others, it may be advice/ feedback or helping to connect them to professional support services. It’s easy for many to slip into problem-solving mode; however, sometimes others just want to be heard and validated.”

Gonzalez added that group-based treatments are just as effective as individual therapy and

encouraged patients to try skills-based groups to learn coping methods for managing stress, anxiety and depression symptoms.

Stony Brook offers a COVID-19 support group for people who have or have had COVID, especially those with long COVID symptoms.

Stony Brook also offers a comprehensive mind-body treatment program called the Stress Management and Resilience Training program.

The SMART program is helpful for people who are managing co-occurring mental and physical health problems and for those who would like to enhance their overall resilience.

Overwhelming demand

On the whole, hospitals and mental health facilities are struggling to keep up with the need for help.

“Currently, the demand for psychotherapy services is overwhelming,” Gonzalez explained in an email.

Eagle added that the weeks leading up to the holidays have often been a stressful period.

This year, some groups in particular are struggling. Parents of children born in 2022 are especially concerned about respiratory syncytial virus, which is “higher than normal,” Eagle said.

Seasonal affective disorder, which occurs during the darker, colder winter months, also

affects about 0.5 to 3% of the population, Eagle said.

SAD can be harder for people if they have depression or anxiety, Eagle said. “These things are definitely an issue.”

Doctors added that those who are grieving over a loss can find the holidays difficult.

“Grief can be more of an issue” around the holidays, Eagle said.

Eagle urges the continuation of traditions that families found meaningful and helpful.

Gonzalez added that people can cope with grief by keeping a picture of a person who is no longer present close by, offering a prayer in their honor, sharing positive memories, or writing them a note.

Grieving families can also consider starting new traditions that may help them move forward with their lives, Eagle suggested.

Good news

Even amid all the concerns this year, doctors said people can appreciate some good news.

“Happily, we are out of the severe hospitalizations for COVID,” Eagle said.

Communities can also celebrate resilience “as individuals and as a country,” she added.

In hospitals, visitors are able to offer comfort and spend quality time with their friends and family, which is a considerable improvement from the days when patients couldn’t have visitors.

Eagle said she is following her own advice with her friends and family.

She will try to reach out to those she knows have had a particularly bad time this year to “make sure that they are aware that someone is thinking about them,” she said.

The holiday season can be a difficult time for many people, especially for those who lost a loved one recently. Stock photo

‘It’s easy for many to slip into problemsolving mode; however, sometimes others just want to be heard and validated.’

—Dr. Adam Gonzalez

Northport High School senior nominated for Grammy award

While some of the most accomplished and successful musicians of our time dream of being nominated for a Grammy Award, Northport High School senior Kaitlyn Ruiter has already checked that box on her resume.

As a bassist in the 2020-21 New York Youth Symphony, Kaitlyn was a member of the group which recorded the album “Works by Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman” which is nominated for Best Orchestral Performance at the 2023 Grammy awards, according to a press release from the Northport-East Northport school district.

Traditionally, the New York Youth Symphony practices every weekend over several months for a final performance at Carnegie Hall. Due to the pandemic, students were not able to hold the performance and needed to be split into two groups of approximately 50 students each. Conductor Michael Repper decided that in lieu of the prestigious performance, the groups would instead record an album. That album has garnered the attention of the prestigious Recording Academy, leading to the nomination.

After rehearsing for three to four hours nearly every Sunday for the 2020-21 school year, the season concluded with Kaitlyn and her peers performing in a professional recording studio for many hours over several days to create the album. While the original plan was

to digitally mix the two separate groups of performers, the conductor ultimately decided to have each group perform half the album. Kaitlyn was the bassist in the group which performed the songs “Ethiopia’s Shadow in America” and “Umoga.” The album included four separate works from three African American female composers Florence Price, Valerie Coleman and Jessie Montgomery and was released in April 2022.

Other nominees in the same category include John Williams, conducting the Berlin Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel, conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Kaitlyn shared how the album was in consideration in four separate categories, and she was shocked at the official news of the nomination.

“When we first started recording, [conductor Michael Repper] said maybe one day we would be nominated for a Grammy and the idea seemed so farfetched” she said.

When Northport High School Director of Orchestras Michael Sussino gave Kaitlyn the news of the nomination, she felt honored.

“I’m honestly just excited that we’re even nominated,” she said. “We’re against John Williams and the Berlin Philharmonic, which is insane, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Dudamel. Even just being nominated and seen alongside these huge names is something I never thought I would experience.”

Kaitlyn has been playing the bass since age nine and began her orchestra career at East Northport Middle School. She expressed gratitude for her teachers and the district music program for supporting her and is also an accomplished pianist in addition to

bass player. She is currently enrolled in the Juilliard Pre-College Program and intends to major in string bass after graduation.

The Grammy Awards are taking place Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, at the Los Angeles Crypto.com Arena.

Northport High School senior Kaitlyn Ruiter, above, is nominated for a 2023 Grammy for her work on the album ‘Works by Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman’ from Conductor Michael Reppert. Photo from Northport-East Northport Union Free School District

Melville man sentenced for child porn

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Nov. 21 the sentencing of Bradley Garyn to an indeterminate prison term of 5 to 15 years in prison after a 2020 four-month long investigation into child pornography and coercion crimes following a juvenile female’s report to law enforcement that the defendant coerced her into providing him with explicit photographs and videos via the social media platform Snapchat.

The investigation revealed that Garyn established contact with multiple juvenile females on Snapchat under multiple usernames including “ipay4feetpics,” “paying4feetpics” and “PayU4Selfies.” The defendant offered $10 payment in exchange for “selfies” or photographs of the girls’ feet.

After establishing communication with the victims, Garyn solicited increasingly explicit photographs and videos in exchange for higher amounts of money, up to $500. In one instance, Garyn coerced a victim into sending him sexually explicit photographs and video by threatening to disseminate intimate images of her. Garyn was arrested in December 2020 and search warrants were executed by law enforcement to seize and search various computer equipment and cellular telephones in his possession. Garyn, 29, pleaded guilty on Sept. 19.

Pedestrian killed in Huntington Station

Suffolk County Police Second Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that killed a pedestrian in Huntington Station on Nov. 19. James Beck was walking in the westbound lanes of East Jericho Turnpike at Totten Avenue when he was struck first by a westbound 2009 Honda Sedan driven by Jesus Bonilla and then by a westbound 2008 Saab SUV driven by Jared Cooper at approximately 8:45 p.m. Beck, 57, of Huntington Station, was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. Bonilla, 20 and Cooper, 19, both of Commack, were not injured. Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks. Anyone with information on the crash is asked to contact the Second Squad at 631-854-8252.

Wanted for Petit Larceny

Just released! Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Second Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole two pairs of Nike golf shoes, wearing one out of the store and hiding another in his pants, from Dick’s Sporting Goods, located at 870 Walt Whitman Road in Melville, on Sept.17 at approximately 4 p.m.

Woman arrested for leaving child in car

Suffolk County Police arrested a Huntington Station woman on Nov. 19 after she allegedly left her 4-year-old daughter unattended in a vehicle in cold weather. Second Precinct police officers responded to a 911 call regarding a child unattended, restrained in a safety seat in a vehicle in the parking lot of 711 East Jericho Turnpike in Huntington Station at approximately 6:45 p.m. The child was alone in the vehicle, a 2021 Toyota, and the engine was not running. Responding officers located the child’s mother, Maricela Avila, and the child was removed from the vehicle. The child was evaluated at the scene. Avila, 31, of Huntington Station, was arrested and charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

— 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.

The following incidents have been reported by Suffolk County Police:

Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

Bradley Garyn

Legislator Bontempi builds support for historic land acquisition

On Nov. 21, Suffolk County Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (R-Centerport), joined with members of the Environment, Parks & Agriculture Committee — county legislators Robert Trotta (R-Fort Salonga), Kara Hahn (D-Setauket), Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon) and Steven Flotteron (R-Bay Shore) — for an in-depth tour of the scenic open space currently owned by the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception. Suffolk County Historian Richard Martin, a representative of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, various other county employees and seminary staff also joined the tour to share expertise and opinions.

Back in June of this year, Bontempi and her colleagues unanimously passed a resolution that put the wheels in motion necessary for an acquisition of this magnitude to occur, according to a press release from her office. Although the process is still in an early phase, Bontempi is working to keep the momentum going in the right direction. Inviting the EPA Committee to the site was the obvious next step deemed necessary to both maintain interest and spread the excitement throughout the county.

“Preserving open space is a priority that

almost all Suffolk County residents share,” Bontempi said. “Properties like these are getting rarer and rarer, especially in western Suffolk County. We have to seize this opportunity and ensure that all Suffolk County residents present and future have unfettered access to this jewel.”

The more than 200-acre piece of property is notably diverse in what it can offer to the public if and when it becomes preserved as parkland. From its walking trails, to the abundant wildlife, to its historic elements such as the spacious amphitheater designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., there are simply no perceivable cons to its acquisition, according to Bontempi.

“As of right now, there are three partners in the acquisition — the State of New York, the Town of Huntington and Suffolk County,” Bontempi added. “It is possible that other entities will become a partner moving forward, however, the goal would be the same — preserving the land for the public.”

While the majority of the seminary’s current property would be included in the acquisition, the seminary will maintain a portion containing its main building and surrounding land to continue its programs.

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Suffolk County Legislator Stephanie Bontempi, left, and her colleagues take in the surroundings at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception property in Lloyd Harbor. Photo from county Legislator Stephanie Bontempi’s office

Popular caterer celebrates a milestone birthday

BY RITA J. EGAN RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

As co-founder and co-owner of Elegant Eating in Smithtown, Myra Naseem is accustomed to special occasions. At the end of October, instead of being on the planning end of a party, it was her turn to be honored as friends and family celebrated her 80th birthday.

Naseem, who goes all out to decorate the interior of her house every year for Halloween, commemorated her milestone one night with family and friends at her home with a costume party. The next day she, her two daughters Lyla and Kaneez, granddaughter Giselle and female friends enjoyed a tea party at the Smithtown Historical Society’s Frank Brush Barn.

The historical society’s executive director Priya Kapoor is a friend of the octogenarian and was on hand for the festivities. She looks up to Naseem, she said, and described her as a mentor.

“She is my biggest cheerleader who supports me no matter what,” Kapoor said. “She is my person no matter where we are. I feel home when I am around her.”

Naseem’s daughter Lyla Gleason said she, her sister and daughter read 80 things about their mother they loved at the tea party. She said they were touched as many of her mother’s friends, impromptu, stood up and added to the list of things they appreciated about Naseem.

Gleason remembers when her grandmother turned 80 years and was already retired and living in Florida. At the time, she thought 80 was old, but looking at her mother, she doesn’t feel the same way.

“She’s still in the prime of her life,” Gleason said.

With the pandemic’s negative effects on businesses, Naseem could have retired from her off-site catering business. She admitted she enjoyed some downtime during the shutdowns. However, she continues to run the business with partner Neil Schumer. She also attends events to ensure everything is set up to meet a client’s expectations.

Naseem credited her successful partnership with Schumer to always coming to a solution even though they sometimes disagree on the best approach. He is like family to her. For Schumer, the feeling is mutual.

“After 40 years we are best friends, we are family,” he said. “We have a bond that can’t be broken. With Myra, her heart is to make everyone happy. She always says the positive. I couldn’t ask for a better partner, better friend, better family.”

Kaneez Naseem said she admires that her mother continues working and attending social events outside of her job.

“I’m glad that she’s where she is in life right now,” she said.

Kaneez Naseem recognized her mother could have fully retired when the pandemic hit,

but she said it’s hard to imagine her not working. The daughter added she loves when people tell her how much they enjoyed the parties her mother has catered.

“She puts such care into every party as if it was for me or Lyla,” Kaneez Naseem said. “She’ll always want to make it like home and perfect.”

Myra Naseem said when she was younger, she had no idea that people would hire someone to cook for a party.

“I didn’t even know there was an industry called catering,” she said. “It was just a fluke.”

The former home economics teacher and Schumer started the business in her Smithtown home. The venture started after Naseem prepared a few menu items for her older daughter Lyla’s bat mitzvah. The caterer she used, who Schumer worked for, asked her to work for them. She did for a while, and when it was Kaneez’s turn to have her bat mitzvah, the business owner couldn’t have it at his place, so Myra Naseem catered it herself.

People from her temple started asking her to cater their parties, she said. Naseem began catering on a regular basis while still teaching for the first six years she ran the business.

“I liked it right from the beginning,” she said. “I think it’s very intuitive. It was almost like a very easy segue. Whether you’re running a classroom or you’re running a party, everybody gets a task and everybody’s doing their thing.”

In 1987, after her youngest graduated from Hauppauge High School, Naseem and Schumer opened their first storefront in Stony Brook, and the business officially became Elegant Eating Ltd. As the business grew, they moved to its current location on the Smithtown Bypass.

With both girls away at college, she said it was easier to juggle teaching and catering. By the time she retired from teaching in the 1990s,

she had already been working in the New York State education system for 30 years, with 24 of those years being spent in the Central Islip school district.

A graduate of SUNY Oneonta and New York University, where she obtained her master’s, Naseem said she grew up during a time when young women were made to feel they could only become a secretary, nurse or teacher.

“I think that today the young girls have a very different footing,” she said, adding the best advice for the younger generation is to remember you have to start at the bottom and work your way up.

“You need to see the foundation before you can be at the top of it,” she said.

Naseem’s parents were business owners, too. Born and raised on Long Island, her family moved to Patchogue when she was 5. Her parents owned a dress store in the village and decided to sell it and moved to Smithtown when she was 18. They opened a new dress store on Main Street, where Horizons Counseling and Education Center is located today. When her brother died at the age of 25 after an automobile accident, her mother wanted to leave New York, and her parents moved to Florida. At the time, Naseem was divorcing her husband, and with her daughters only 2 and 3 years old, she moved into her parents’ Smithtown home.

Kaneez Naseem said growing up, she didn’t realize what a positive role model her mother was.

“I don’t know that I appreciated it as a child, but I certainly do now, when I look at her and the way she lived her life,” she said.

The daughter said she realized how courageous her mother was to divorce when she was so young. She said if her mother ever struggled, she never showed it.

“It was us three girls,” Kaneez Naseem said. “It was me, Mommy and Lyla. That was normal to me.”

Gleason agreed, and as she looks back, she too has a deeper appreciation for all her mother did and achieved. When she was younger, she said, she thought what her mother did was normal, but over the years she has come to realize she made some bold moves.

She described her mother as a pioneer who was liberated and empowered.

“Women weren’t supposed to be empowered in those days,” she said. “It was unusual to see a woman take charge and start a career and do all these things without a husband.”

Gleason added her mother taught her daughters that a woman could do things in life with the support of family and friends and didn’t necessarily have to have a romantic partner. She said it has made her and her sister the independent women they are today, and Gleason is now teaching her daughter the same.

“Your life is not all about being in a marriage or partnership,” she said. “Your friends and family can be just as important and supportive as a traditional husband.”

Looking back at life, Myra Naseem said while there were tough times both personal and in her career, she said it was important to stay positive and always realize how fortunate she is. She compares herself to the Weeble toys that are built to wobble but not fall down.

“I always come right side up no matter what happens to me,” she said. “Whether I have a terrible experience or something gets broken or I’m sick or I have to make a big decision and maybe don’t make the best decision, I always come up straight. I always come up headfirst.”

Myra Naseem, left, recently celebrated her 80th birthday with family and friends. Center, Naseem is the proud mother and grandmother of daughters Kaneez, back row, Lyla, left, and granddaughter Giselle, center. Right, Naseem with Elegant Eating partner Neil Schumer. Photos from Lyla Gleason

Tigers end 2022 at county final

BY STEVEN ZAITZ DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Despite taking a two touchdown lead just four minutes into the game, the Northport Football Tigers were beaten, 35-14, by Bellport in the Suffolk County Conference II final at Stony Brook University last Friday.

Christian Raio returned the open kickoff for a touchdown, and Andrew Miller took a direct snap for a score after a Bellport turnover. After that, there was not a lot to cheer about for the Blue and Gold.

Donte Phillips ran for 175 yards and two touchdowns for the Clippers, and their defense forced two turnovers and also blocked a punt — all of which led to Bellport touchdowns. Jason Hunt blocked that punt and ran the ball into the end zone three plays later, making the score 14-6 in favor of Northport.

The Tigers fumbled twice more in the first half, and Bellport led, 20-14, at halftime. The second half was all about Phillips and the Clipper’s stifling defense. Northport generated only 110 yards of total offense for the game. Tiger quarterback Macklin O’Brien was 3 for 18 for 18 yards through the air.

Phillips, who is also a key member of the Clipper defense, wasn’t worried about the early deficit.

“After we got down by 14, we all had to take a moment and remember what we set out to do and how and why we got here,” Phillips said. “We never panicked, and in my opinion, we played our best defensive game of the year tonight.”

The Clippers (10-1) will play the mighty Garden City Trojans (11-0) at Hofstra for the Long Island Championship on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Garden City has won seven straight Nassau Championships and beat Bellport, 14-6, last year to win the LIC. The Trojans have won 29 straight games overall, dating back to 2019.

Northport overcame much adversity this year in losing their starting quarterback, Owen Johansen, midway through the season and had key members in and out of the lineup throughout the playoffs. They finished 2022 with a record of 8-3.

Pictured clockwise from above, Christian Raio returning open kickoff for a touchdown; Matthew Lugo (11) and Michael Campoli stop Bellport’s Michael Frankie; and Christian Raio.

— Photos by Steven Zaitz; for more photos visit tbrnewsmedia.com

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Think big, shop small

After tackling the Black Friday frenzy at local malls and major department stores, the Saturday after Thanksgiving is set aside for our small businesses.

For over a decade, holiday shoppers have taken part in Small Business Saturday, an initiative created by American Express and the nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation in the midst of a recession.

The annual event is an excellent opportunity to patronize mom-and-pop stores in our towns and villages. Many of these places provide personal services that consumers can’t find at larger retailers or by shopping online, such as exceptional customer service and wrapping gifts.

When shoppers support a neighborhood store, they are also helping the surrounding community. Many small business owners sponsor local sports teams or events. Those same owners also pay sales taxes to local municipalities, involving dollars going back into nearby public schools, parks, roads and so much more.

The multiplier effect of small businesses creates more jobs in our communities, too. With many mom-and-pops suffering from the aftereffects of pandemic shutdowns, shoppers at local businesses play a part in keeping small brick-andmortar stores open and people employed.

We know with lingering COVID-19 concerns, it can be overwhelming for some to step into a store sometimes. Many have become accustomed to ordering online, but if you can’t get out or don’t want to, many local businesses have websites or social media pages where buyers can purchase goods online.

There are also quiet weekdays to stop by a local store and check out their unique items. Shopping small doesn’t have to be restricted to one day out of the year.

After a long day of shopping, remember small businesses aren’t limited to clothing or gift stores, either. Get a bite to eat or a drink at a restaurant or bar in town. Buy a gift certificate to your favorite Friday night spot for a friend or family member. Or maybe someone waiting at home would appreciate flowers from the local florist. Have a loved one who loves yoga, dancing or self-defense classes? Many schools and gyms offer gift certificates, and it’s an easy way for people to try out a business before committing to it.

Most of all, frequenting small businesses creates a stronger sense of community. The last few years have been difficult for many, and the support of others, especially neighbors, can make a huge difference in someone’s life and livelihood.

It is time that we think about the big picture. If we fail to support our local small businesses, then we will soon be left with vacant storefronts. Blighted downtowns can affect property values and diminish the quality and character of our community.

This Saturday, remember to patronize your local momand-pops. It may seem like a small gesture, but it can make a big difference for our community.

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

Letters to the editor

A thank-you note from state Sen. Mattera

It is truly an honor to be able to once again thank the residents of the 2nd Senate District for allowing me to be their representative in the New York State Senate for the next two years. It is overwhelming to have the faith of those in our community and I will work my hardest to make sure their voice is heard in Albany.

I would like to thank my wife Terry and our two daughters, Jessica and Jayme, for their love and support through these past two years and for standing with me throughout this past election. Their backing means more than anything, and I am truly fortunate to have you with me on this journey.

My deepest appreciation as well goes out to all who have supported me throughout this campaign. From the backing of every major labor organization to the support of every police union to those in our community who have expressed their best wishes during these past couple of months, that support has been essential to our victory and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Now, as we move forward together, I would like to make sure that everyone who lives in the newly formed 2nd Senate District knows that we move forward united to build a better future for all of our families together. That is why I would like to invite everyone who lives in the 2nd Senate District to email me at mattera@nysenate.gov or call my office at 631-361-2154 to provide their thoughts on the issues that matter most to their families. That way, when the new year begins, I can bring the voice of our community to the state Legislature.

The time has come to put politics aside, and I am ready to work on the issues that are important to our hardworking men and women with anyone who would like to ensure that our state’s future is brighter than its past.

Once again, thank you to the residents of the 2nd Senate District for putting their faith in me and I look forward to working hard to fulfill this awesome responsibility.

Mario Mattera New York State Senator, 2nd Senate District St. James

Shop local this holiday season

In these difficult economic times, as a result of inflation, it is especially important to patronize your

neighborhood businesses. Do it not only on annual Small Business Saturday, Nov. 26, but every day of the year.

Small independent businesses are at the mercy of suppliers, especially third-party brokers who control the price they have to pay for merchandise.

I don’t mind occasionally paying a little more to help our local stores survive. The employees go out of their way to help find what I need. Customer service is their motto.

As independent momand-pop stores, they don’t have the bulk-buying purchasing power that Amazon or other large national chain stores have. The owners can’t negotiate lower prices from suppliers. This is why they sometimes charge a little more.

It is worth the price to avoid the crowds and long lines at larger stores in exchange for the convenience and friendly service your neighborhood community store offers.

Remember these people are our neighbors. They continue to work long hours, pay taxes and keep as many staff employed as possible. Many maintain the tradition of offering job opportunities to students during the holidays and summer.

Customers also patronize other commercial establishments on the block. Foot traffic is essential for the survival of any neighborhood commercial district. If we don’t patronize our local community stores and restaurants to shop and eat, they don’t eat either. This helps keep our neighbors employed and the local economy growing.

The owners of independent momand-pop stores are the backbone of our neighborhood commercial districts. Show your support by making a purchase.

Larry Penner Great Neck

New York’s destructive elected leadership

I want to reflect on the New York State governor’s election. Did any Democrat or any other voter stop and actually think about what Gov. Kathy Hochul

[D] actually did for our state? Let me list what she has done to our state.

We have the highest crime rates in our subways, city streets and the state. Looting of stores, releasing of criminals with no bail, and prosecutors and district attorneys refusing to charge criminals. Her gun laws affect only law-abiding citizens. Do you think the criminals are going to stop having guns?

Hochul authorized vaccine mandates, firing police, firemen and nurses, as well as defunding police — also illegal immigrants, some of them criminals, being accepted into our (sanctuary) state. We have the highest taxes, highest gas, heating, oil and food. Teachers teaching sex, racism, boys can be girls and girls can be boys, the list goes on.

U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin [R-NY1] ran for governor actually trying to save our state. But we live in a Democratic state where voters elect people recognizant of their accomplishments and only vote their party affiliations.

Voters reelected U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer [D-NY], who threatened violence against a Supreme Court justice. I guess the voters are OK living in the condition of our state.

Richard Esopa Miller Place

The opinions of columnists and letter writers are their own. They do not speak for the newspaper.

Investigative suggestions for future Republican house committees

Yes! Republicans have retaken the house. Now, we can really get down to some important, democracy building and unifying investigations. Undoubtedly, these investigations will get to the bottom of some important political questions that people absolutely want answered.

done in two years — with the important questions, I have ideas for investigations that I’d like to lob in as well. They range from the obvious, to the quirky to the frivolous, but, I figured I might as well make my suggestions now.

poised to tear off his jersey many years ago against the Yankees? Is it safe for purist baseball fans to root for him again? Will he be eligible for the Hall of Fame someday?

I’m going to write it here because you know it’s inevitable. Hillary Clinton. She might be a private citizen now, and she might have run for office six years ago, but she’s got to be responsible for something. Maybe she knocked the nose off the sphinx. Or maybe she tilted the Tower of Pisa. Come on, she’s got to have done something wrong.

D. None of the above

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF

Hunter Biden is and will be a prime target. How can he not be? If you look at some of the pictures of him that newspapers have found, he looks guilty, and that should be more than enough. Besides, who doesn’t like a few insightful, incisive and critical First Family questions?

Once they finish — assuming they can get it

I’d like to know why my email fills with stuff I talk about, but don’t type into my computer. Is someone listening? My wife and I might discuss a trip to Bora Bora and then, the next morning, I find an invitation to visit. Is someone listening all the time?

Jose Altuve. The Houston Astros star second baseman, whom baseball fans in other stadiums, particularly Yankee Stadium, love to hate, still seems to be operating under a cloud of suspicion. Did he cheat? Did he have a tattoo that he didn’t want anyone to see when his teammates seemed

Open Water. Did you see the movie? It was incredibly popular. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but, well, I’m going to do it anyway. These two people suffer through endless torment and fear after their boat leaves them behind while they are scuba diving. It’s not a feel good movie. Injured, cold and miserable, they try to fight off sharks — guess who wins that one? Afterward, I overheard someone say, “seriously? I watched those people for two hours for that?”

Jan. 6th. There’s likely to be a committee investigating the committee investigating the riots. Fine. But wouldn’t it throw Democrats, Republicans and conspiracy theorists for a loop if another committee then investigated the committee that investigated the original committee? It’d be like seeing images several times in a combination of mirrors.

Tom Brady. Okay, I know he’s not having

his usual spectacular world-beating season, but the guy is 45 and strong, muscular, athletic 20-year-olds are putting everything they have into throwing him to the ground. How is he still functioning? He’s not playing golf. Did someone replace him with a robot? Has he discovered some magical diet or fountain of youth that makes it possible to compete at such a high level when he’s at such an advanced age? I throw a ball with my son, and it takes me a week for my arm to recover. The world needs to hear his secrets.

Socks. I’m not particular about my socks. White ones that go above my ankle are fine. Most of the time, I buy socks that look like the ones I already own, which makes matching them pretty easy. And yet, somehow, I wind up with an odd sock more often than not. Where is that missing sock? Is someone stealing socks from driers?

Asparagus. I kind of like the taste, but I’d prefer that my pee didn’t smell later. Can’t someone do something about it? It’s the only vegetable that has that effect. Let’s figure out a better-smelling asparagus.

The success of our family Thanksgiving this year hinges on new pies

Here comes my favorite weekend of the year: Thanksgiving. It starts on a Thursday, as all good weekends should. We, the Dunaief Clan, have managed to extend it into three, even four days. We deserve no less. Like many American families, our immediate members are stretched across the entire continent, from the California coast to the middle of Suffolk County on Long Island, and from below the Mason-Dixon Line and the Florida Peninsula to the Gulf of Mexico. They need that much time just to get to Grandma’s house and back.

LEAH S. DUNAIEF

What’s waiting for them when they arrive? Food! All kinds of favorite foods. And love. Lots of love that bridges

three generations with mighty hugs. Why, it even takes a good part of that long weekend before all the members of the family finish hugging each other, at which point we sit down to eat. We get back up some hours later, only to regroup for the next meal. We know we are among the fortunate in that regard and give thanks.

Food means so many different things. There are the traditional historic dishes that symbolize the meal eaten by the Pilgrims. But we have added so much more to the basics. And each person has a favorite that tickles them when they look at the offerings on the laden table and know it was prepared especially for them. Food is love, and special foods carry that message.

It still amazes me to be surrounded by the many members of my tribe. Almost 60 years ago, before I was married, there was just me. Then, three months later, there were the two of us, my husband and I. Now there are children and children-in-law, and their children and eventually, their children-in-law. Together we populate the dining room and fill the house with chatter and laughter.

One of the high points of the weekend follows Thanksgiving dinner, when we are still sitting around the table, digesting sufficiently until we can have dessert, and we tell each other what we are most thankful for that occurred in the past year. In that way, I get to catch up on some of the events in my loved ones’ lives, and they on mine.

Speaking of dessert, the pumpkin pies will be an issue this year. For all the Thanksgivings we have celebrated here, 53 to be exact, we have enjoyed the classic finale from Good Steer. Their pies pleased all our taste buds, from my children to my parents, who would join us from the city during those early years. Alas, the Good Steer on Middle Country Road is no more, the family having closed the business.

So, faced with this significant void, I have done some research and have come up with replacements. Whether they will be acceptable remains a sensitive question. I’ve had a number of friends offer suggestions, and I thank them kindly because they understand how important it is to find an alternative source. After all, no

two differently-made pumpkin pies taste the same. The result here hangs in the balance until Thursday eve. Keep your fingers crossed for me, as my reputation as the Best Thanksgiving Grandma depends on this important outcome.

Actually I have a monopoly on the title. Thanksgiving is always celebrated at our house. My in-law children know and accept that arrangement because I trade Thanksgiving for Christmas. That seems to work for everyone in the family.

This year, we have a special event to celebrate. My oldest grandson has asked the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with to marry him, and she has accepted. We will welcome her enthusiastically, and I will give thanks for the blessing of seeing our family continue to grow.

Wishing you all, Dear Readers, a Happy Thanksgiving with the foods you enjoy and the people you love, whether they be relatives or close friends or perhaps those you recently met and have chosen to share this celebratory meal.

On this day, we are reminded that we are all Americans together.

THE #1 KILLER OF KIDS HAS MET ITS FOE A QUESTION

Guns are now the leading cause of death for kids—doesn't kill to ask.

how at Northwell.edu/LockGuns