The Village Times Herald - February 16, 2023

Bob Wattecamps, left, and Diane Wattecamps, right, return the bench dedicated to Dean Hacohen’s parents after they found it on West Meadow Beach.

Photo from Diane Wattecamps

Library to offer local experts programming

SUBMITTED BY EMMA S. CLARK MEMORIAL LIBRARY

Emma S. Clark Memorial Library announced new programs to be taught by local experts from the Three Village area. All are in-person classes.

Register for these programs at emmaclark. org/programs starting Feb. 21. Or call 631-941-4080. Questions? Email askus@ emmaclark.org.

Caroline Episcopal Church and the Setauket/Brookhaven Community

In-Person at the library

Tuesday, March 7 — 7 to 8 p.m.

Beverly C. Tyler, local historian and editor of Caroline Episcopal Church Congregation 300th Anniversary 1723 – 2023, will present a program on the history of Setauket’s Caroline Episcopal Church and the church’s role in the community, from the 18th century to the present. This is in conjunction with an exhibit by Caroline Church in the library’s Vincent R.

O’Leary Community Room.

West Meadow Beach Nature Walk

In-Person at the beach

Wednesday, March 29 — 10 to 11:30 a.m. or noon to 1:30 p.m.

Attendees can join library staff and Town of Brookhaven Environmental Educator Nicole Pocchiare to explore the unique ecology of the beach and salt marsh.

Attendees will meet at the pavilion at West Meadow Beach and are asked to wear closedtoe comfortable shoes.

Spring Gardening with the Three Village Garden Club

In-Person at the library

Thursday, April 13, 2 to 3 p.m.

Celebrate the beauty and bounty of the clubs’ gardens. They will share their passion and expertise for enjoying a home garden, no matter the size.

The VILLAGE TIMES HERALD (USPS 004-808) is published Thursdays by TBR News Media, 185 Route 25A, Setauket, NY 11733. Periodicals postage paid at Setauket, NY and additional mailing offices. Subscription price $59 annually. Leah S. Dunaief, Publisher. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733.

Winter beach walk leads to heartwarming discovery

BY RITA J. EGAN RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

An East Setauket couple’s walk along the beach led to a memorial bench returned to its rightful place — in Connecticut.

After 50 years living in the Three Village area and countless walks along West Meadow Beach, Diane and Bob Wattecamps know the landscape like the backs of their hands.

While walking on the beach one day at the end of January, the couple embarked on an unexpected adventure. Diane Wattecamps pointed out a bench to her husband that caught her eye the day before on a windy day. It was a large bench made from teakwood lodged at the beach’s pavilion. The couple stopped to examine the piece covered with sand and seaweed. First, they found a bronze memorial plaque hanging from a screw on the bench.

“Bob just put his hand on the plaque, and it just came off in his hand,” said the wife. “He said, ‘Wow, this thing was just literally hanging on.’”

After closer inspection, the Wattecamps found another plaque in the sand and realized they belonged to a couple named Nahum and Judy Hacohen. They knew that not only did this bench not belong on their favorite beach, but it was also something special.

Diane Wattecamps said after reading the plaques, she could picture the couple sitting by the water somewhere, enjoying the view. One plaque dedicated to Nahum Hacohen read, “What a view.” Judy Hacohen’s plaque is inscribed with “I’ve said that since 1936.”

After she and her husband found the plaques, the Three Village resident said she took out her cellphone to search for the names, and she

found the wife’s obituary immediately. It turned out she was an 81-year resident of Bell Island in Norwalk, Connecticut. The couple then decided to load the heavy bench into their truck.

“I have to find where it belongs,” Diane Wattecamps said to her husband.

A former TBR News Media employee for 30 years, the wife said she got home and started to read the obituary carefully. She found the children’s names and searched for them on the internet. One had a landline listed, Lee Hacohen.

“I guess it’s the curiosity in my personality that I couldn’t leave it,” she said.

She called and left a message for the Hacohens’ son. He returned the call within five minutes and was surprised to hear from her.

It turned out the bench had been missing since November from Bell Island located across the Long Island Sound. It was believed the bench traveled more than 17 nautical miles after a nor’easter.

Lee Hacohen asked if Diane Wattecamps could stay on the phone while he contacted his brother Dean who still lived on Bell Island.

After talking to them, Dean Hacohen said he would come the next day, even though the couple were happy to drive it to Connecticut, but Dean wanted to get the bench back as soon as possible and said his neighbor could come to help.

In the meantime, family members sent Bob and Diane Wattecamps photos of the Bell Island couple. They also shared pictures of the grandchildren sitting on the bench, including Dean Hacohen’s daughter and son-in-law on their wedding day.

Dean Hacohen said a neighbor had initially noticed that the bench, one of three at a neighborhood park at a spot called Rocky Point, was missing at the end of last year. At first, they

thought maybe someone had taken it. While it’s heavy, two people can pick it up. Then a neighbor pointed out that there were nor’easters back in November. Since the benches are unsecured and people move them around the neighborhood park, Hacohen said it was assumed the bench was probably left by the water and washed away in a storm. The hope was that it would turn up along a neighboring Connecticut beach, and he posted on the Nextdoor app to see if anyone found it, but no one had.

When Diane Wattecamps called, he said he never “imagined in my wildest dreams” that it would be found on Long Island.

Before they received the call, the Hacohens were researching online how much a bench would cost to replace the original one.

“I kept putting it off and hoping that maybe some miracle would happen, but I really didn’t think it would,” Dean Hacohen said, adding he wasn’t sure how the bench made it in one piece, especially with boats on the water.

He and his neighbor took the ferry to Port Jefferson and drove straight to Diane and Bob’s home. When they got there, the bench was in the portico with a sign, “USS Hacohen.”

“It was a glorious moment,” he said. “It really was.”

He added some might say it’s just a bench. “On the other hand, it was kind of a memorial, a tombstone, something in the way people go to the cemetery and sit with their loved ones,” he said.

Often, Hacohen said, when family members come to visit from California, they will go to the park to sit on the beach shortly after arriving.

“They go out to the park, sit on the bench,

look out at the water, ground themselves,” he said. “I don’t know, somehow sitting there is very grounding.”

The bench was initially dedicated to his father in 2009. “What a view,” was one of his favorite expressions when he came down to the park and took in the sight of nearly 360 degrees of water and islands. Dean Hacohen said his mother enjoyed sitting on the bench after her husband’s passing. He said both inscriptions capture the father’s and mother’s personalities.

Hacohen said when he inspected the bench upon seeing it, he was surprised that it was only a little “banged up.”

Dean Hacohen said his parents loved cruises, and his father was in the passenger cruise ship business in the 1960s, so it wasn’t a surprise the bench took them on one more trip on the water together.

“The two of them together must have been on that bench heading for Long Island,” Hacohen said.

Since the reunion, the story has caught the attention of News12 and NBC Channel 4 — with videos online — and The Norwalk Hour newspaper. Diane Wattecamps was surprised by all the attention even though she found connecting with the Hacohens heartwarming. She and her husband, Wattecamps said, plan to keep in touch with the family.

Hacohen called Diane Wattecamps “a real detective.”

“You’ve got to be born with that gene to want to use it,” he said. “Most people would have just walked by the bench and said, ‘Oh, It’s an old bench that washed up.’”

After discovering it was a memorial, Bob and Diane Wattecamps brought a teakwood bench they found at West Meadow Beach home. Below, Dean Hacohen inspects the bench dedicated to his parents while Diane and Bob Wattecamps look on. Above photo from Diane Wattecamps; bottom photo from Dean Hacohen

Humpback whale deaths increase along Eastern Seaboard

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

This year has been tough for the population of humpback whales, as eight of them from Maine to Florida have had so-called unusual mortality events as at Feb. 7.

ENVIRONMENT & NATURE

Indeed, a 41-foot humpback whale was discovered washed up Jan. 30 at Lido Beach on the South Shore. The whale likely died after a vessel strike, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Officials said.

Threats to whales in the area include getting hit by boats, becoming entangled in fishing lines and ocean noise.

The last of these potential dangers to humpbacks has received considerable attention from some members of the popular press, who have suggested that the process of installing wind farms along the coastline has or may create the kind of noises that can cause trauma to whale ears and that might throw a whale off course in its search for food.

To provide a broader context, unusual mortality events have been occurring for humpback whales since 2016, as 180 have been stranded along East Coast states since that time, according to NOAA data.

Scientists were able to study about half of the total humpback whale strandings from 2016 and attributed about 40% to ship strike or entanglements. The rest either died from starvation, parasites, inconclusive causes, or were in places where it would have been difficult to study and analyze them.

The combination of whales distracted by feeding and boat traffic has led to some of the deaths.

“Our waterways are one of the busiest on Earth,” said Nomi Dayan, executive director of The Whaling Museum & Education Center of Cold Spring Harbor. “During busy eating months, when they are gorging, it’s harder to pay attention” to what’s around them.

Many of these humpback whale deaths occurred during periods when wind farm

activity was low along the Eastern Seaboard.

“What we’re seeing right now [in terms of whale strandings] is something that has been going on for years,” said Lesley Thorne, associate professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University.

In a press conference last month, officials suggested that the wind farms, which are designed to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, cut down on carbon emissions and slow global warming, are not likely to make what is already a challenging period for humpbacks even worse.

“At this point, based on the information that we do have, we do not believe the evidence supports that those planned construction activities would exacerbate or compound these ongoing unusual mortality events,” Ben Laws, biologist with NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, said during a Jan. 18

conference call with reporters.

As part of the investigation process, NOAA has brought together an independent team of scientists to coordinate with the Working Group on Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events to review data, sample stranded whales and determine the next steps for this investigation.

The scientists include marine mammal stranding network members, academics and veterinarians with local state and federal biologists.

At this point, most of the surveys off the coasts of New York and New Jersey are “characterizing the seafloor and the subbottom for engineering purposes for the foundation of offshore wind facilities as well as looking at cable burial risks along that route,” Brian Hooker, marine biologist in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, said on the press call.

Slower boat speeds

Reducing boat speeds in areas where whales are likely hunting for food or migrating can reduce the likelihood of vessel strikes and, in the event of contact, can improve the outcome for whales.

“What’s been demonstrated in the past is that, with faster vessels, collisions are more likely to occur and it’s more likely for that collision to be fatal,” Thorne said. The specific speeds or thresholds that are more likely to cause fatal collisions vary depending on the whale species. The whales around Long Island include sei whales, North Atlantic right whales, finback whales, minke whales and, rarely, blue whales, according to Dayan.

Some management strategies for a host of whales such as the North Atlantic right whale include seasonal management areas, in which boats around a particular area during a specific season are required to travel more slowly.

Floating humpback whale offshore of Delaware. Photo courtesy the Marine Education, Research & Rehabilitation Institute

Building confident LGBT families one storybook at a time

BY JULIANNE MOSHER DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

promoted by the event.

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

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

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

LGBT Families Day

BY JULIANNE MOSHER

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brookhaven receives $380K in federal infrastructure stimulus

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Public officials and first responders gathered Wednesday, Feb. 15, at the Terryville Fire Department Station 2 in Port Jefferson Station, announcing the recent injection of federal funding to support roadway safety in the Town of Brookhaven.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program was established by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Under this law, $5 billion will be spent over the next five years to limit roadway deaths and serious injuries.

U.S. Congressman Nick LaLota (R-NY1) announced that the Town of Brookhaven was awarded $380,000 through the grant program.

“The average homeowner here on Long Island pays $14- or $15,000 in [property] taxes,” he said. “What people expect in return are safe streets, good schools and smooth roads.”

The congressman also touched upon the perceived imbalance between taxes contributed and funds received from the federal government.

“For every dollar we send to Washington, Long Islanders get a mere 93 cents back in return investment,” LaLota said. “This infrastructure law is one of the ways that we can make that wrong right,” adding, “We can send money back to our local governments to ensure that we lower the tax burden and improve the quality of life.”

Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) thanked LaLota for facilitating the additional infrastructure money. He said reducing roadway deaths is a matter of securing the necessary investment.

“For us to be successful, we have got to be the squeaky wheel that gets the grease,” he said.

There are “3,700 miles of roads in Brookhaven Town,” the supervisor said. “We’re concerned about our roads, and the federal dollars will help us maintain [and] make them safer.”

Town of Brookhaven Deputy Supervisor

and Councilman Dan Panico (R-Manorville) also attended the event. He thanked LaLota on behalf of the Town Board.

“We have six council districts here in the Town of Brookhaven, and we want to thank Congressman LaLota for bringing this money home and let him know to keep that money coming,” he said.

Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro (R) called the press conference, saying the location was decided based on a recent nearby traffic fatality. According to him, the federal funds will go toward the town’s plan to reduce traffic fatalities on town roads to zero.

“Grants like this, programs like this … are part of a larger effort to make sure that we make our roads as safe as possible,” he said. “We know we can’t legislate morality. There are always going to be people who don’t obey speed limits or drive distracted or impaired.”

However, the highway superintendent added that local governments “can design roads safer — we can use proven trafficcalming measures.”

Losquadro said the highway department uses several measures to identify problem roadways, such as the number of accidents, fatalities and other traffic-related incidents that occur upon them. When asked which roadways the $380,000 would target, he responded, “There are a number of criteria that go into examining that.”

Representing the Terryville Fire Department was 1st assistant chief Ray Kolb, who said the department responded to approximately 4,300 calls last year, “most of which were ambulance calls.”

Regarding the investment, he said the potential for more roadway repairs would support the work of the various first responder units within the area.

“We have paid 24-hour ambulance people, medical people, and they do a lot of our work for us,” the assistant chief said. “Anything we can get to help the safety of the roads is great.”

The following incidents have been reported by Suffolk County Police:

Driver injured in Farmingville crash

Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives are investigating a crash that seriously injured a man in Farmingville on Feb. 14. Rafael Tavarez was stopped in traffic in his 2021 Ford F350 in the left lane of northbound Nicolls Road, north of Horseblock Place, when his vehicle was rearended by 2005 Lexus driven by Patrick McCrum at approximately 10:45 a.m.

McCrum, 61, of Ridge, was extracted by Farmingville Fire Department Rescue and taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Tavarez, 71, of Clifton, New Jersey, was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of non-lifethreatening injuries. His passenger, Wilby Tapia, 38, also of Clifton New Jersey, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks. Detectives are asking anyone with information about the crash to call the Sixth Squad at 631-854-8652.

Over 80 packs of Pokeman cards stolen

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police

Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a man who allegedly stole 82 packages of Pokemon cards from Target, located at 255 Pond Path in South Setauket on Dec. 3 at approximately 2 p.m. The merchandise was valued at approximately $990.

Smithtown jewelry store robbed

Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are investigating the armed robbery of a Smithtown jewelry store that occurred on February 8.

A woman, wearing a face mask, was buzzed into L.I. Gold Mine, located at 135 West Main St., at approximately 5:15 p.m. The woman held the door open as four masked men, two displaying handguns, entered the store. The owner and an employee were held at gunpoint while the robbers allegedly smashed display cases and stole assorted jewelry. The five suspects drove away from the scene in a minivan, which they parked a short distance away, then split up and fled in two other vehicles. There were no injuries.

Outdoor heaters swiped from Lowe’s Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole two outdoor heaters, valued at approximately $400, from Lowe’s, located at 2796 Route 112 in Medford, on Dec. 28 at 6 p.m. The suspect fled in a tan Chevrolet sedan.

Coram man arrested for robbing woman

Suffolk County Police have arrested a man who allegedly robbed a woman at knifepoint and stole her vehicle in Coram on Feb. 11.

A woman was sitting in her 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan in her driveway on Teller Avenue when she was approached by Diorgenis Cruz-Torres at 12:26 a.m. Cruz-Torres allegedly used a hammer and smashed the driver’s side window of the vehicle and threatened the woman with a knife, pushing her away from the car before fleeing in the vehicle.

Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives, with the help of an NYPD officer from Highway Patrol Unit 3, were able to track the vehicle through the victim’s cell phone. It was located on Sutton Place at East 58th Street in Manhattan and Cruz-Torres was taken into custody by an NYPD Midtown Precinct North officer. He was transferred into the custody of Sixth Squad detectives and taken to the Sixth Precinct for processing. Cruz-Torres, 22, of Coram, was charged with Robbery 1st Degree, a felony.

— 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 ON CAMERA

Do you recognize this man?

Photo from SCPD

Photo from SCPD

U.S. Congressman Nick LaLota, at podium. Photo by Raymond Janis

Making connections throughout the world

BY BEVERLY C. TYLER DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Are we all connected and do our connections with each other far exceed what we are able to comprehend?

“We are all connected; to each other biologically. To the earth, Chemically. To the rest of the universe atomically. We are not figuratively, but literally stardust.” (“Cosmos” Introduction by Neil DeGrasse Tyson)

“Alexander Von Humboldt was among the most widely recognized and admired figures during the first half of the nineteenth century, He was internationally acclaimed for his groundbreaking concept of the unity of nature — that everything on the planet is interconnected.” (Stephanie Stebich, Smithsonian American Art Museum in Director’s Foreword for “Alexander Von Humboldt and the United States.”)

Have you had the experience of running out of gas on a lonely rural back road, as I did in western Virginia, having someone stop, give us enough gas to get us to a nearby farm that has a large gas tank with a farmer who refuses to take any money? “Pass it forward,” he said. This is just one small example of how we are interconnected. Coincidence? Maybe!

In 1984, I took a familiarization flight, as an Air Traffic Controller, in the cockpit of a Trans World Airline (TWA) 747 from John F. Kennedy International Airport to London’s Heathrow, with orders to return three days later on TWA to JFK. I met the captain, copilot and flight engineer in the cockpit and received the captain’s approval to ride jump seat in the cockpit. When we arrived in London, the captain suggested I take the crew bus to London and he gave me a note with the name of the captain for my return flight. He told me to come to the Hilton Hotel, the evening before my return flight, to receive permission to take the crew bus back to Heathrow, which I did. Arriving at the hotel, the concierge told me the captain had already left for the evening. I gave him a note for the captain, asking his permission to join with the crew and saying I would come to the hotel the next morning.

Leaving the hotel, I went on to see the ballet “Myerling” at the Covent Garden Opera House. My seat, for just £4 (four pounds), was in row Q, the last row of the theater. The two seats next to me were occupied by two girls from Furman University in South Carolina, on a college trip, spending a few days in London. They were interesting to talk to during the two 20 minute intermissions, especially as one was a history major. As I wrote in my trip journal, “As strange as it was meeting these two, the next meeting was even stranger.

“I left the theater at 10:30 PM and walked with the crowd to the underground station. I got inside to purchase a ticket from the ticket machine and realized that this was a small station without a machine and only one ticket window to serve

the crowd jamming into the station, headed for the gate to the trains. Three Americans in front of me were also without tickets and pushed their way back out of the station; I followed. Outside, one suggested to his friends they walk to the next station, somewhere close. I pulled out my subway map and we were able to figure the way to go and the four of us took off north. They had been to see ‘42nd Street,’ a theater close to the Opera House which let out at the same time.

“We discussed each other’s show and they commented on how nice it was to be in a small theater (it seats about 300). I said the Opera House was much bigger but still a lot closer to the stage, at the top of it, than even the second balcony at Lincoln Center. We parted company at the station. I took the Northern Line and they headed for the Central. End of story? Not so!

“I went back to my B&B at the Gower House and the next morning after a leisurely breakfast I took the Underground to the Hilton Hotel to meet the crew of TWA703. I noticed a TWA stewardess (Sally) having breakfast. I was explaining who I was and asked if I could join her. She said ‘yes’ and we talked for a while over tea. We went to the main lobby and as I approached the TWA pilot he was smiling and recognized me as the person who had shared the subway map the night before. It took me a second longer to recognize him since he was in uniform. He introduced himself as the copilot of TWA703 and was astounded, as I was, that I was the controller who left the note the night before. The other two men with him the night before were the TWA703 captain and flight engineer.

“We had an enjoyable trip with the crew to the airport, into Flight Operations and then to the aircraft. A number of the stewardesses on the plane, as well as the flight engineer, had bought ‘Cabbage Patch Dolls’ in London for £22. A few were waiting to go to Spain where they were £19. Everyone seemed to be buying them, even while admitting, ‘they are an ugly doll that doesn’t last very long.’ The surprises were not completely over yet.

“After we took off at 1216 London time (1116 Greenwich Mean Time, 0716 EDST) I talked to the flight engineer. He asked where I lived on Long Island. I said Setauket and he said, ‘Oh Yeah! I know where that is, I lived in Port Jefferson from 1946 to 1958.’”

We often think of these as coincidences or even the hand of God, but are they? There is

so much we don’t understand. We are just at the beginning the study of DNA, at places like the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and how it connects us. Is it possible this was God’s plan for the universe right from the start? Do these connections, that we often say are just coincidences, actually happen because we are connected to each other on an intimate level we don’t understands or comprehend? We need each other, our history tells us that. Relying just on ourselves doesn’t work, certainly not all of the time and maybe not any of the time.

I have had many other times when I connected with just the right person at just the right moment, probably none more important than when I was leading a 4th grade tour in the cemetery and I collapsed. On this particular occasion a school nurse was on the tour, but that’s a story for another time.

Maybe, just maybe, like the Root System of Quaking Aspens and bamboo, our roots, our genealogies, our lives, are so connected that we are in intimate, biological contact with each other and with every living being on earth.

Beverly C. Tyler is a Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the society at 93 North Country Road, Setauket. For more information, call 631-7513730. or visit www.tvhs.org.

Cockpit photo of TWA703 copilot en route from Heathrow to JFK, above. Photo from Beverly C. Tyler

Game On retro arcade opens its doors to local youth groups

BY DANIEL FEBRIZIO DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Game On retro arcade, located in Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove, recently started a program that enables local youth groups to use the arcade completely free of charge.

Tristan Whitworth, the owner of Game On, has been dedicated to supporting various communities over the years, and he thought this would be a great way to reach out to local youth. The program started organically, Whitworth said.

“A customer asked me if he could have a youth group visit, and then I just thought that would be a cool thing for other churches to do,” he said. “And then it kind of took off.”

Michael Caggiano, of Cornerstone Bible Church of Port Jefferson Station, took his group to Game On last year to utilize this program.

“My youth group had an amazing time at the Game On arcade,” Caggiano said. “To have Tristan opening up his space like that to the community and the youth in particular is a blessing.”

Game On has hosted over a dozen large groups in the past few months. The youth groups are scheduled for weeknights when the arcade is less busy than usual. The program is open to any local youth group — and not only church groups.

According to Whitworth, they need to provide adult supervision for the kids, who then have free rein to play the games in the arcade. Since Game On is located in the Smith Haven food court, kids can take a break to get something to eat.

Whitworth, who also runs a social club at his church for children on the autism spectrum, views Game On as a community and family based arcade.

“I grew up in this. There were arcades everywhere … anything I can do to bring it back.”

Now Whitworth is hoping that this youth program will be a way to give back to the people that supported Game On during COVID-19.

“We just want to give back as much as we possibly can to our community,” he said. It’s “been a tough few years and I’d really like to do as much as we can for everyone right now.”

The game machines at the arcade all run original hardware and monitors — there are no replicas. They boast a number of different rare retro games, such as Baby Pac-Man, which is a combination of regular Pac-Man and pinball. There are also Ms. Pac-Man and Super Pac-Man games.

“On a weekend, [all the Pac-Mans] are being used at the same time, to the point where you almost need another Pac-Man,” Whitworth said.

Game On also has stores in Miller Place, Patchogue and Smithtown. These three locations primarily sell video games, toys, action figures and other collectibles. The Smith Haven arcade opened in January 2022 and is the newest location.

Youth group representatives can reach out at Game On’s Facebook page, via email at gameonvideogamesli@gmail.com, or by phone at 631-821-4263.

“It’s a really special night for them to go out and be together and do something instead of just going to the church community center,” Whitworth said. “It’s just a change of pace.” For more information, visit the website gameonmp.com.

Game On’s retro arcade in the Smith Haven Mall features retro arcade games such as Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man, above, and Q*bert, below left, as well as pinball machines below right. Photos by Daniel Febrizio

NoticeofFormationof

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10/20/2022.Officelocation:SuffolkCounty.SSNY

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PUBLICNOTICE

VILLAGEOFPOQUOTT

NOTICEOF COUNTYOFSUFFOLK

VILLAGEELECTION

PLEASETAKENOTICEthe

IncorporatedVillageof

Poquottwillholdgeneral

electionsonTuesday,June

positions; 20,2023forthefollowing

LANDSCAPINGSERVICES

(2)years Trusteesforatermoftwo

forthesepositionsmay Anyoneinterestedinrunning

obtainIndependentNominatingPetitionsatthe

officeoftheVillageClerk,

45BirchwoodAvenue,VillageofPoquottduring

Thurs9A.Mto3P.M.The normalofficehoursMon-

isMay16,2023at5pm. lastdaytosubmitpetitions

CindySchleider ofTrustees, ByorderoftheBoard

VillageClerk

February7,2023

1294502/161xvth

NOTICIAPÚBLICA

Poquottcelebrará IncorporatedVillageof TENGAENCUENTAque

eleccionesgeneraleselmartes20dejuniode2023

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dedos(2)años delPuebloporuntérmino Dos(2)SíndicosdelaJunta

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7defebrerode2023 secretariodelpueblo

1294602/161xvth

2023

LandscapingServicesfor entertainbidsfor TheVillageofPoquottwill

Thursday. 3:00pmMondaythru 12:00pmand1:00pm–thehoursof9:00am–Setauket,NewYorkbetween BirchwoodAvenue,East oftheVillageClerkat45 specificationsattheoffice copyoftheVillage forthisworkmayobtaina Anyoneinterestedinbidding agreeduponbytheparties. additionsorcorrectionsas yearterms,withminor renewfortwoadditionalone optionfortheVillageto year2023-2024withthe andRoadsidesforfiscal theVillageofPoquottParks

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theVillageClerk,45BirchwoodAvenue,Poquottby

bidsubmittedafterthat p.m.onMarch2,2023.Any emailorinpersonuntil3:00

timewillbedeemeddefectiveandwillnotbeconsidered.Thebidswillberead

Trustees. meetingoftheBoardof attheMarch9,2023

BidinformationandpackagescanbeobtainedbeginningFebruary16,2023by

emailatClerk@ villageofpoquott.comorby

Thurs.9a.m.to3p.m. hoursareMon.through (631)476-4043.Office callingtheVillageOfficeat

TheVillageofPoquottreservestherighttorejectall

interestoftheVillageof deemedtobeinthebest respondingbidthatis acceptthelowestqualified furtherreservestherightto irregularityinabidand bidsortowaiveany

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creed,ancestry,disabilityor onthebasisofrace,color, anddoesnotdiscriminate equalopportunityemployer TheVillageofPoquottisan

religion,sex,sexualorientation,ageornationalorigin

thatsamerequirement.The contractorscomplywith allsubcontractorsofthose theVillageofPoquottand contractsforpublicworkin contractorsparticipatingin Poquottrequiresthatall matterandtheVillageof oranyemploymentrelated withrespecttoemployment

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respecttotheContract fromsuchentitieswith solicitbidsandcontracts VillageofPoquottmay

noticedherein.

Dated:February8,2023

VillageClerk, CindySchleider

VillageofPoquott

45BirchwoodAve.

Poquott,NewYork11733

1294702/162xvth

NOTICEOF

ZONINGAPPEALS BOARDOF PUBLICHEARING

TOWNOFBROOKHAVEN

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21,2023(BZACONFERENCEROOM–1ST

WEDNESDAY, February22, PUBLICHEARING ON FLOOR)AT3:00P.M.ANDA

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VILLAGEOFPOQUOTT

Two(2)VillageBoard handicap,maritalorfinancialstatus,militarystatus,

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TOBIDDERS

REQUESTFORPUBLICBIDS

INTERNETAThttp:// brookhaventownny.igm2. com/Citizens/Default.aspx,

TOCONSIDERTHEFOLLOWING:

VILLAGETIMESHERALD

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StonyBrook.Applicantrequestsrearyardvariance

(0200246000400016000) (attachedtoingroundpool). forexistingwaterfeature

c/oAndrewMalguarnera, 27.Michael&TheaWelch,

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SouthwestofOldWoodRd., sideNorthRd.,1479’

StonyBrook.Applicantrequestssideyardvariance

(0200108000300029000) therequiredsideyard. forexistingshedlocatedin

30.SalvatoreandLisa

PortJefferson,NY.Location: Malguarnera,713MainSt., DiPasquale,c/oAndrew

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34.WilliamOliver,30MarwoodPl.,StonyBrook,NY.

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permissionforexistingingroundswimmingpooltobe

locatedlessthantherequired25ft.fromoverhead

22B85592(020041600 conformancewithpermit# wires(10.7ft.)notbuiltin

0400008000)

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Letters to the Editor Editorial Using music to appreciate history

Black History Month is celebrated throughout February, and for more than 50 years, has provided an outlet for people to remember and reflect upon African American history.

We see many examples of Black history right here on Long Island. Though not fully understood or preserved, the examples feature most prominently in the field of entertainment.

How many readers are aware of the Red Rooster club on Route 25 between Gordon Heights and Coram with its national Black celebrities and advertising a “complete floor show every night” through the late 1940s? How many can recount the contributions made by the Celebrity Club in Freeport in the 1950s and ‘60s, when R&B and soul reigned supreme?

Then there was East Setauket’s own Paula Jean’s club, where not only could one enjoy the top national and local blues artists at the turn of the new millennium but also the most authentic Cajun or Creole cuisine this side of New Orleans and south Louisiana.

Never heard of these clubs and their place in the Black hierarchy? That’s all the more reason why measures should be taken by the state, counties, towns and villages to recognize these sites with heritage plaques. These important and historic local institutions should be studied in local history classes from K-12, community colleges and universities.

In years to come, the investment of time and resources will be paid off in the form of enhanced Long Island artistic recognition, increased tourist traffic and greater cross-cultural understanding.

Today, the local club tradition is continued in honor of many top Black jazz legends at Tom Manuel’s The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook in live performances and at its museum which features pioneering stars such as Louis Jordan — arguably the inspiration for rock ‘n’ roll music — and balladeer Arthur Prysock.

The recently opened Long Island Music Hall of Fame is located on the site of the Dogwood Hollow Amphitheater behind Stony Brook Village Center. It was the place to be for international acts such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong until 1970.

Like The Jazz Loft, LIMHOF is another institution preserving the music history of artists and entertainers of all colors and stripes. Both organizations should be supported and patronized by local residents and tourists alike. But more recognition through plaques and other landmarks should be offered by our municipalities, as is done with music trails in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Months celebrating specific cultures such as Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Asian Pacific Heritage Month and more, are all helpful for reminding us that our country is what it is today thanks to people of all walks of life. Recognizing our accomplishments shouldn’t be confined to just four weeks out of the year.

Let’s think of better ways to share the stories of people from all walks of life, those who accomplished greatly whether in music, politics, the armed forces or other fields. Let us remember and honor their legacy by putting those ideas into practice. Here on Long Island, there is diversity in history from which we can learn so much for our future benefit and enlightenment.

LIRR East Side Access Grand Central Madison bloopers

During my recent visit, I observed that there is still work to be done after the soft opening on Jan. 25 for Long Island Rail Road East Side Access to Grand Central Madison. So far, there is only limited shuttle service between Jamaica Station and GCM.

How will the 160,000 daily LIRR riders previously predicted by the MTA to use this supposedly state-of-theart facility deal with some interesting challenges? There are only four elevators connecting the east and west lower and upper level tracks with the mezzanine and Madison concourse.

Escalators are steep and require 90 seconds of travel time. The Penn Station tradition of asking fellow riders to move to one side so others can more quickly walk up or down the escalator will not occur here. In addition to those riders physically challenged, there will be many others such as pregnant women, those with bicycles, people who suffer from vertigo or altophobia, limited eyesight and seniors who may not be comfortable riding escalators, but will instead elect to use elevators. How would only two elevators provide sufficient capacity especially if one or both suffer mechanical difficulties?

The one waiting room only has a 29-seat capacity plus seven stools with electrical outlets for recharging your Wi-Fi device to serve all the riders utilizing this facility. There are no benches on either platform, mezzanine level or Madison concourse to sit while waiting for your train. Perhaps the MTA and LIRR are afraid of an invasion by the homeless occupying space?

You better be in good physical shape if you can find a seat in the waiting room when your train is posted to ensure boarding before departure. There is one set of escalators on the Madison concourse south end yet to be opened.

It is accompanied by a sign “Coming soon.” The same is true for a number of ticket-vending machines identified by signage as “Future” that have not been installed. The fire alarm system was undergoing a test. When it comes to disposal of newspapers, beverage containers, garbage or other waste, there doesn’t appear to be any attempt for recycling let alone disposal of what can’t be recycled. Are riders supposed to carry all of this to street level before being able to throw it out?

Many people, while waiting for a train, enjoy stopping by a newsstand to purchase a paper or periodical. I didn’t see any potential newsstands

or any newspaper vending machines. Newsstands are readily available in Metro-North Grand Central Terminal, Penn and Jamaica stations.

A significant portion of the lighting is the old-style fluorescent bulb versus newer more efficient and environmentally friendly LED. A number of contractors are still walking around the facility in the process of completing contract punch list, inspection and acceptance, quality assurance and quality control.

MTA Real Estate is in charge of leasing space. No retail space has opened to date. How many months of lost revenue will be incurred until all retail space is occupied? Ten years after the original completion date of 2013 as promised in the 2006 Federal Transit Administration $6.3 billion capital investment grant agreement — which capped the federal share at $2.6 billion — and $5 billion over budget, not including $1 billion more for the cost of financing for a total of $12.6 billion, LIRR commuters deserve better.

When it comes to East Side Access, the LIRR 1960s motto “Line of the Dashing Dan” perhaps should be changed to “Line of the Slow Moving Sloth.”

Larry Penner Great Neck

I’m thankful

It was 3 degrees Fahrenheit one Saturday morning with a wind chill of -3 degrees. All night the north wind raged, rattling “sealed” windows and doors but still blowing frigid air through them. I did everything I could: Raise the boiler’s temperature, cover the big expanse of glass on the patio doors windows, pull the shades. I even added an electric heater in the room where my tropical parrot resides so he doesn’t get fatal pneumonia.

The possibility of a power failure crossed my mind with the overhead wires, high winds, many surrounding trees and almost monthly power interruptions in the past. It would be an absolutely worst-case scenario if the power went out tonight. Frozen pipes next? I have a backup generator but the thought of going out in the howling cold night, fueling it, hooking it up, starting it and monitoring the systems

wasn’t that appealing.

But PSEG Long Island’s tree trimming maintenance and generation/ distribution system upkeep allowed the power to stay on through the night and into the next day as I write this. We’re cozy, comfortable and safe. This kind of cold can kill.

I’m thankful we have a reliable, cost-effective electrical generation and distribution system. I’m thankful I have a natural gas-fired boiler that works 24/7 keeping me and my family safe and alive. I am thankful that I don’t rely on intermittent, expensive wind and solar generation as electricity sources that can fail at any time leaving me without power. I’m grateful I don’t have to rely on “backup” battery power that is grossly inadequate, expensive, highly polluting to manufacture and can cause a non-extinguishable toxic gas fire. I pray it does not change.

Mark Sertoff East Northport

Bill to protect bees and birds

For the last few years, I have written a letter to the editor about the dangers of neonicotinoids or “neonics.” This pesticide is linked to massive bee, bird and insect losses worldwide.

Since the introduction in the mid1990s, neonics have threatened our pollinators, such as bees, which are vital to agricultural production. Neonics are coated on corn, wheat, soy and barley seed before planting. They offer few benefits to the agricultural cycle and are easily replaceable with safer alternatives.

Not only do long-lasting neonics destroy our birds and bees but they become infused in plants that are eaten by humans. They remain in the soil and are washed by the rain into drinking water supplies and marine environments.

The Birds and Bees Protection Act (A3226/S1856) would prohibit the sale of these pesticides. The bill passed the New York State Assembly on a bipartisan base last year but failed in the state Senate. I would encourage everyone to contact their state representatives and Gov. Kathy Hochul [D] to encourage passage of this bill in memory of the late Setauket beekeeper Maria Hoffman.

Edward Romaine Town of Brookhaven Supervisor

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

The subtle, and not so subtle, meanings behind types of hand waving

What says hello nonverbally more than a wave? I’m surprised nonhuman animals don’t do it more often.

It’s efficient, requires minimal energy most of the time and can be as subtle as a lifted finger or as dramatic as a fullbody wave signaling to someone at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

pet him and assure him he’s wonderful.

Back to waving — I think the gesture merits categories, along with a short explanation.

— The-wave-or-maybe-not moment: We’ve all been there. Someone we kind of know or with whom we might want to interact appears to wave at us. Is that for me, we wonder? We consider swiveling our heads to check, but we’re not owls. We raise our hand tentatively. When we realize the more popular person behind us is the wave target, we awkwardly run our fingers through our hair. Great recovery, we mutter to ourselves.

lifting their wrists, some people wiggle their fingers next to their heads, as if they are tapping an imaginary musical instrument to send a visual and auditory greeting.

he sees you, and he would prefer that you keep whatever eye contact you’re going to make to a minimum. In fact, if you need to look at something, look at his flat and indifferent hand.

People wave to me frequently, particularly when I’m walking my dog. I suspect many of them are really waving to my dog. He is cuter, more charming and more personable than I am. Sure, I’m happy to engage in a conversation about the weather, the latest “Big Game,” my kids, or someone else’s family, but my dog is prepared to throw his head into someone’s knees as long as they

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF

— The “here-but-don’t-really-want-to-be” wave. Remember back when you were in high school, and your homeroom teacher took attendance? He or she would go down the list and when your name came up, you pulled your wrist back as casually as possible and pointed your fingers to the fluorescent lighting on the ceiling? It’s a wave and acknowledgment devoid of any enthusiasm.

— The “tickle the piano keys” wave. After

— The eraser wave. This can either be an enthusiastic or an unenthusiastic gesture. With this wave, people keep their fingers together and brush back and forth, as if they have an eraser in their hand and are removing an incorrect answer from the blackboard. This kind of wave can be an Eeyore greeting from the Winnie the Pooh series, in which he sighs and shares a burden with a deflated wave. With a head tilt, an affectionate smile, and faster side-to-side motion, this kind of wave can also signal a responsive and more enthusiastic greeting.

— The stiff-fingered-salute. Often offered by older men, this isn’t a wave so much as it is a signal that the person sees you, but does not intend to encourage any kind of dialog or further gesturing. It’s a nonverbal stop sign, telling you that he’s coming through,

Being single today is dramatically different

Nearly 40% of United States adults are single, which is up from 29% in 1990. Now, I’ve been married, and I’ve been single. My husband died just three months before we would have marked our 25th wedding anniversary and right around when the number of singles was so much lower. Next Friday would have been our 60th anniversary, but instead, I have been single for 35 years, so I know a little about both.

BY LEAH S. DUNAIEF

I was intrigued by an article in Time magazine that spoke about being single, asserting that about one-half of all singles aren’t interested in dating or a relationship and were happily single. This is quite a change from when I was newly alone. In the early 90s, single women

were at best often ignored, and at worst, stigmatized and even preyed upon. All but the closest friends disappeared, and being the odd number for a reservation in a restaurant was a decided obstacle to being included. I don’t think single men had it all that easy, either. While single men were often invited to gatherings, as opposed to single women, there might have been some doubt about their sexuality. Heterosexuality, as evidenced by marriage then, was the norm.

Today, according to Time, the solo life is thought of as authentic, fulfilling, meaningful and psychologically rich. I have found that to be true as the years have gone by, but what a total shift in popular perspective. The marriage rate has been decreasing for decades, as has the birth rate, and the age at which marriage finally may occur, if at all, is later in life for many.

How has this happened?

For one thing, marriage is no longer considered necessary for having a family or assuring financial comfort. Someone like Alexander

Hamilton, who was tortured throughout his life for being a bastard child of an unwed mother, would not recognize today’s values and would certainly have had an easier time of it.

While people in relationships may enjoy greater satisfaction, being married doesn’t guarantee happiness, as in, “They lived happily ever after.” There are people unhappy and even lonely in marriage, although with the decline in marriage, there has also been less divorce. Research shows that people in unhappy marriages have equal or worse health compared to those who never married.

Those who are single as a result of divorce seem to have the most difficult time, according to Time. Widowhood can also be associated with poor mental health, as grief can lead to depression and loneliness. But many of us cherish our freedom, independence, even our creativity and nonconformity, again according to Time, and I wholeheartedly agree.

There was a time when people, especially women, felt they had to have a man in order

— The tree-swaying-in-a-blustery-wind wave. Yes, this is one of those moments when people are so thrilled to see you that they raise their arms over their heads and wave quickly back and forth. They may even catch some air. People waving this way don’t care what others think and, more importantly, want to share how excited they are to see you. This kind of wave transitions into a full-body hug.

— Finally, to end on the opposite end of the spectrum from where we began, there’s the wave from someone you might otherwise want to ignore. That wave says, “I’m over here, I see you, but you’re not responding.” It has the same characteristics as the excited greeting, except that it adds the need for acknowledgment. If you’re embarrassed, that may be a bonus.

to define themselves and their position in society. A woman often was the one who sought financial security, while a man wanted a woman on his arm. Today, with the ability to earn a living, sometimes quite an excellent living, women don’t feel the same pressure to marry, nor do their mothers in urging them.

Singles have more time for themselves. They can focus on goals without having to consider the needs of someone else. There is also more time for spending on hobbies and self-care. This is especially true for younger women and for those who consider sex outside of committed relationships. That, of course, doesn’t preclude interest in a romantic relationship, which some enjoy.

As Time points out, being alone is not the same as being lonely. We singles often have strong ties to our families, to friends and to our neighborhoods. We can be actively involved in community organizations, have a sense of purpose and are generally self-sufficient. We have to be.

D. None of the above

Sports Ward Melville swim makes a splash

Ayush Mojumdar, of Ward Melville High School, races in the 200-Yard Individual Medley at Stony Brook University in the 2023 Boys Swimming Section XI Championship.

Photo by Steven Zaitz