The Village Times Herald - March 13, 2023

All Souls offers monthly Native American Drumming

BY DANIEL KERR

The mission statement at the entrance to historic All Souls Church in Stony Brook Village says “We strive to be mutually supportive of the personal spiritual journey, respecting the individuality of all, and accepting the value of meeting people wherever they are on that journey.” This is perhaps most true during the monthly Native American Drumming sessions All Souls offers to the community.

Native American Drumming is a spiritual healing practice that is thousands of years old. It seeks to integrate the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual parts of the human self, creating a state of well-being. Each meditation begins with a reflection on how humans are an intimate, interconnected part of our 13.7-billion-year-old universe. Some Native Americans, in describing the human relationship to other Earth creatures, say, “Mitakuye Oyasin” (we are all related), very similar to how St. Francis of Assisi referred to other creatures and even celestial bodies as brothers and sisters.

Dr. Ric Statler leads the drumming at All Souls. He is proud of his bloodline and feels he has a responsibility to share his indigenous peoples’ perspectives and traditions. His grandparents on his father’s side came to the United States from Bogota, Columbia, and the Peruvian highlands. His grandmother was a Chibcha (from the Andes Mountains) and spiritual healer and his grandfather was of Inca lineage.

Native Americans share many values and beliefs with Christians, Jews, Muslims and other faiths. Chief Standing Bear (1829–1908) famously said, “There is one God, and He made both Indians and white men. We were all made out of the dust of the earth.” Chief Joseph (1840 –1904) reflected “I believe much trouble and blood would be saved if we opened our hearts more.”

The Native American drum induces heightened states of awareness. It is a simple and effortless way to still the chatter of the mind, thereby inducing altered states of consciousness. It is one of the quickest and most powerful ways known to open the heart and connect with a power greater than ourselves. The drumming induces a deeper sense of self-awareness by enhancing theta-wave production, which synchronizes the

two brain hemispheres, integrating conscious and unconscious awareness. The key to this is the activation of Theta brain waves with the fast five beat drumming. Research indicates that drumming enhances recovery and healing through inducing relaxation and enhancing theta-wave production and brain-wave synchronization.

The steady rhythmic beat of the drum is the key to transporting a participant into the deepest part of his state of semi-consciousness. This steady beat activates Theta brain wave activity. The state of heightened Theta waves is also seen in deep prayer, deep meditation and has similar effects, as is brought on by the constant and rhythmic drone of Tibetan Buddhist chants, which transport the monks and even other listeners into realms of blissful meditation.

Theta waves allow us to be receptive to information beyond our normal conscious awareness. During the Theta state, many find they can comprehend advanced concepts and relationships that become incomprehensible when returning to Alpha or Beta states. Theta has also been identified as the gateway to learning and memory. Theta meditation increases creativity, enhances learning, reduces stress and awakens intuition and other extrasensory perception skills. When the brain is in Theta, it appears to balance sodium/potassium ratios which are responsible for the transport of chemicals through brain cell membranes. This appears to play a role in rejuvenating the fatigued brain.

All are welcome to attend these monthly sessions at 7 p.m. in the All Souls Parish House at the top of Mill Pond Road (across from the Duck Pond). The next session will be Thursday, April 27. For more information, call 631-655-7798.

Ric Statler at a previous Native American Drumming session at All Souls Church in Stony Brook. Photo from All Souls Church

Hahn sponsors bill to place Narcan in all county buildings

BY DANIEL FEBRIZIO DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

A new bill sponsored by Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) has been approved by the county Legislature.

Her resolution requires kits of naloxone — or Narcan, its brand name — to be supplied in close proximity to automated external defibrillators in all county facilities. The bill was co-sponsored by county Legislator Tom Donnelly (D-Deer Park).

An April 4 press release stated that Narcan “is a lifesaving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose when administered in a timely manner.” Hahn believes this bill will help to improve the outcomes of the opioid overdoses seen in the county.

Hahn has been passionate about fighting the opioid epidemic for more than a decade now. In April of 2012, she sponsored a resolution which enabled police officers to administer Narcan to overdose victims. The press release for the current resolution noted, “According to SCPD statistics, patrol officers equipped with Narcan have saved thousands of lives in the 10 years since the [original] bill was enacted.”

Old Field resident Carole Trottere came

up with the idea for this legislation and brought it to Hahn’s attention only a few months ago.

“It’s really a no-brainer,” Trottere said. “Put them in wherever we have AEDs. … If you save one life, it’s sparing the parents the horrible grief that I go through and giving someone a second chance to try to get into recovery.”

Trottere has been reaching out to grieving parent groups. “You cannot believe how many groups there are on Long Island alone and nationally of grieving parents who have lost children to fentanyl and overdoses,” she said.

She has also been working with the Suffolk County Police Department’s Behavioral Health Unit. Trottere lost her son, Alex Sutton, to a drug overdose in 2018, and last year planned an event in memory of him at his favorite pizza place. Police attended and carried out Narcan training at the event. This is something they would offer to anyone else who would like to plan an event in memory of a loved one.

According to the press release, the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence also supports Hahn’s efforts.

She said this bill will be beneficial because Narcan kits need to be readily available. “What is frightening about the disease of addiction is that it can happen to

anyone,” she added. “So it does need to be everywhere.”

Hahn also mentioned that street drugs are now sometimes laced with fentanyl, so someone could be taking what they think is a simple Xanax, but it’s actually unexpectedly laced with fentanyl.

“It’s probably the person who unexpectedly overdoses that will benefit the most from its placement,” she said. “If it’s ubiquitously

placed, then more people will be saved.”

Hahn said she’s working with local universities to build the pipeline of clinical social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists that can help people battling mental health issues. She indicated the system is under-resourced, and she would like to work toward strengthening child, adolescent, and adult mental health in our communities.

Narcan kits will be placed in close proximity to automated external defibrillators in county facilities. Stock photo

School News

Arrowhead Elementary School

Obituary

Theresa F. Volz

Theresa F. Volz (nee Newman), 88, of Setauket, passed away, Sunday, April 2 at her home with her family by her side.

Theresa was preceded by her adoring husband Richard E. Volz after 58 years of happy marriage. She is survived by her daughter Maureen and sons Richard and Bill; five grandchildren Edward (Brianna), Steven (Kelly), Rachel, Alyssa, and Billy Jr.; and four great-grandchildren Tyler, Olivia, Jackson and James; sisters Jean and Joyce; sisters-inlaw Jean and Marilyn; as well as nieces, nephews and extended family.

E-mission

Sixth graders at Arrowhead Elementary School recently participated in an interactive learning experience that simulated a response to natural disasters.

Students were tasked with completing an electronic mission, or e-mission, called Operation Montserrat.

They were given the scenario that a volcano on the remote, tropical island of Montserrat is about to erupt. At the same time, students learned that a hurricane is approaching. The sixth graders became earth science experts and were broken up into members of a team — volcano, hurricane, evacuation or communication — to formulate the best response to the looming disasters.

All team members applied their science and math skills to handle the authentic, real life crisis situation. Throughout the e-mission, students worked remotely with a member of the Challenger Learning Center

who virtually served as mission control. The interactive program taught students new science skills while giving them a unique opportunity to collaborate under pressure.

Theresa was the second daughter of Edward and Elanor Newman and was preceded in death by her sister Florence. Theresa was a loving mother, wife, grandmother and great grandmother.

Theresa loved her family, friends and travel. A devout Catholic, she attended Mass regularly and was always an example of her faith. She taught jazz, tap and ballet for many years and worked as a New York Telephone Company Representative. She also enjoyed dancing, theater, and socializing. Theresa was always there to help family and friends whenever they needed her.

Services for Theresa were held at St. James R.C. Church April 12, immediately following, she was laid to rest at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram. Arrangements were entrusted to the Bryant Funeral Home of Setauket. Visit www.bryantfh.com to sign the online guest book.

Photos from Three Village Central School District

BNL names Hewett first female lab director

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

For the first time in its over 75-year history, Brookhaven National Laboratory named its first female lab director.

MOVER AND SHAKER

JoAnne Hewett, associate lab director for fundamental physics and chief research officer at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California, will take over the top job at BNL this summer.

Hewett will also join Stony Brook University as a tenured faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Hewett “is not only incredibly qualified and talented, but will also make history as the first woman to serve in this critical role,” Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who is the first woman elected governor of the Empire State, said in a statement. “The lab has developed innovative ways to deliver on New York’s top priorities, from battling disease to acting on climate change, that are making a difference today and for the future of New York.”

Hewett, who was the first woman member at SLAC in 1994, conducts research as a theoretical physicist, exploring the fundamental nature of space, matter and energy. Her work in physics focuses on efforts beyond the Standard Model of

particle physics.

Stony Brook University Distinguished Professor and Director of the C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics George Sterman described her hire as a “wonderful turn of events.”

In an email, Sterman wrote that her work “as a theoretical physicist has earned wide admiration, and her leadership has helped shape the national program in fundamental particles.”

Sterman suggested Hewett’s research “continues to influence experiments worldwide, and her perspectives will be greatly valued by her new colleagues at Stony Brook.”

With over 2,800 scientists, engineers, technicians and professionals and an annual budget of about $700 million, the researchers at BNL tap into the site’s state-of-the-art technology, including the National Synchrotron Lightsource II. These researchers, and the many scientists from around the country and the world, work in fields including nuclear and high energy physics, clean energy and climate science, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, photon sciences, isotope production, accelerator science and technology and national security.

Hewett is coming to BNL as it prepares to begin construction on the Electron-Ion Collider, or EIC. Estimated to cost between $1.7 billion and $2.8 billion, the EIC will allow researchers to look inside the nucleus at the protons

and neutrons. The research will reveal the arrangement of quarks and gluons that make up the protons and neutrons of nuclei.

Discoveries from the EIC could lead to future technologies.

“I am head-over-heels excited to build the EIC in partnership with Jefferson Lab to unlock the mysteries of the force that binds Nature’s building blocks, to strengthen connections to industry and the community with Discovery Park, and to advance the multi-program missions of the lab,” Hewett said in a statement. “And I’m very much looking forward to working with everyone at Brookhaven, Stony Brook and the DOE to usher the lab into its next successful chapter.”

The lab is also building a new welcome center,

the Science and User Support Group, which is the first building planned for Discovery Park.

Maurie McInnis, president of SBU and cochair of the BSA Board of Directors, which is a partnership between SBU and Battelle, welcomed Hewett, who will start this summer, to BNL.

Hewett’s “capable leadership, experience and future-forward vision complements Brookhaven National Laboratory’s continued focus on scientific innovation and discovery,” McInnis said in a statement. “The University is pleased to bring her expertise to the Physics and Astronomy Department and to the C.N. Yang Institute of Theoretical Physics, both of which have had “long-standing and critical connections to many major physics achievements at BNL.”

The next few months

Hewett takes over the top job at the lab from Doon Gibbs, who had been in that position from 2013. Gibbs is retiring on April 17.

“I am grateful to [Gibbs] for his outstanding leadership of Brookhaven and his long legacy of building and strengthening the lab for advancing scientific discovery,” Hewett said in a statement.

Jack Anderson, BNL’s deputy director for operations, will serve as the interim lab director until Hewett joins the lab.

Tom Daniels, the current ALD for Facilities and Operations will serve as interim deputy director.

Suffolk County urges pregnant women to get tested for syphilis

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

care for support find that the centers don’t treat syphilis and are referred to another provider causing delays in their treatment.”

women of childbearing age and mobilizing to implement evidence-based practices to prevent congenital syphilis,” Boyle said.

spinal tap. Spinal tap procedures in newborns can involve pain and tenderness, but do not generally present risks to the developing child.

HEALTH

Amid an increase in adult and congenital infections, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services is urging pregnant mothers to get tested for syphilis.

Untested and untreated, infants born with the congenital bacteria can appear normal and healthy but can encounter developmental delays and health challenges later in their lives.

The county recommends that pregnant women get tested for syphilis at their first prenatal visit, at the beginning of their third trimester and again at delivery.

“Syphilis during pregnancy is easily cured with the right antibiotics,” Mary Pat Boyle, bureau chief for the Suffolk County STI Control Unit and member of the New York State Congenital Syphilis Elimination Strategic Planning Group, said in an email.

Pregnant New Yorkers can qualify for Medicaid at higher income levels. Uninsured pregnant residents may quality for a Special Enrollment Period to enroll in private health insurance through the NY State of Health Marketplace.

The county recognizes that “barriers to testing and treatment do exist,” Boyle said. “The county staff is aware that patients turning to urgent

At the same time, staff at Suffolk County, which has been social messaging about STIs during STI Awareness Week, has confronted issues with insurance companies that don’t cover benzathine penicillin G 2.4 million units, the medication needed in one to three doses as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the only treatment safe for pregnant women.

Suffolk County Department of Health Services brought this to the attention of NYSDOH, which is “looking into the matter,” according to county officials.

The incidence of syphilis for the population of the country has climbed dramatically. A report from the CDC showed that the number of cases of syphilis rose 32% to over 176,000 in 2021 from the prior year.

In New York State, pregnant persons with reported syphilis increased by 51% in 2020 to 53 from 35 in 2016.

In July 2022, Suffolk County’s Board of Sexually Transmitted Disease staff launched the Suffolk County Congenital Syphilis Prevention Initiative.

“The groups have been raising awareness of increased cases of maternal and congenital syphilis among those who work with at-risk

The bureau staff has visited over 167 Suffolk County OB/GYN providers to discuss best practices and distribute educational materials emphasizing the importance of STI testing and timely treatment.

The county’s STI unit is planning training for team members at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital, Southampton Hospital, Stony Brook University Hospital and Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic.

Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, noted the increase in congenital syphilis and suggested that newborns don’t necessarily show clear signs of the infection.

“You sometimes don’t know until perhaps years later, when the baby is not growing, thriving and meeting developmental milestones” that it has syphilis, Nachman said. “There are no abnormal blood tests. The baby looks fine.”

Nachman said that parents and doctors don’t want to “be in a position where you’re picking it up late” because untreated and untested syphilis could have a “lifelong” effect on the growing child.

Nachman added that testing for syphilis in newborns often involves a spinal tap, in which doctors take a small amount of fluid through a

Penicillin shortage

At the same time, the supply of penicillin could become a concern. As a generic drug, the profitability of penicillin has decreased dramatically.

The injectable form of penicillin, which is used to treat syphilis, may become a problem later this year and will “definitely be a problem next year and afterwards,” Nachman said.

Researchers are checking to see if there are other drugs, they can fine tune instead of penicillin. They are exploring whether they can convert other therapies that are short acting into longer acting treatments.

“Everyone is aware of the question and [researchers] are carving out different ways to answer” it, Nachman said.

If the county uncovers a shortage of syphilis treatment, it will work with the New York State Department of Health to address the problem, county health department officials said.

For adults, Nachman suggested that seeing an increase in syphilis among newborns suggest that the bacteria may be prevalent in the community.

“When I see an uptick in neonates, I think, ‘Oh, gosh, there are more adults out there’” with this infection, she said.

JoAnne Hewett has been named the new BNL director. Photo from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Get Your Business On The Map!

Three Village Chamber of Commerce

• Once again, the 3 Village Community has requested a professional map of the area, published by The Village TIMES HERALD

• The 3 Village Chamber of Commerce map will be on heavy white stock, measuring 33” x 22 1/2” in color and framed by advertising on both sides. Businesspeople throughout the community will distribute the map, and often display it for reference. In addition, the Chamber of Commerce will use it to actively promote business in the community.

• All ads will be produced in color

Paper Sold Out on the New tand?

The following incidents have been reported by Su olk County Police: Suffolk County cracks down on illegal sale of baby

chicks

Suffolk County District Attorney

Raymond A. Tierney announced on April 5 that multiple Suffolk County businesses have been charged with misdemeanors for selling day-old baby chicks in quantities less than allowable by New York State law.

Restrictions on the sale of baby chicks, ducklings, other fowl, and bunnies are set forth in New York State Agriculture and Markets Law (“AML”) section 354, which states in part that “no person shall sell, offer for sale, barter or give away living baby chicks, ducklings or other fowl or baby rabbits under two months of age in any quantity less than six.” Any violation of this law may result in a misdemeanor charge punishable with up to one year in jail and a $500 fine.

For the past several weeks, members of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and the Suffolk County Police Department’s District Attorney Squad investigated businesses that were illegally selling baby chicks, and subsequently made arrests at Long Island Poultry on Sound Avenue in Calverton, Raleigh Poultry Farm on Old Indian Head Road in Kings Park and Agway of Port Jefferson on Route 25A in Mount Sinai. Each business was charged with one count of AML 354(3).

PJS massage parlor raided

Suffolk County Police arrested a Flushing woman on April 11 for alleged unlawful practice of a profession during a massage parlor raid in Port Jefferson Station. In response to community complaints, Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives and Crime Section officers, in conjunction with the Town of Brookhaven Building Inspector, Town Fire Marshal and Town Investigator, conducted an investigation into an unnamed spa located at 10 Medical Drive, Suite D, in Port Jefferson Station at 3:17 p.m. Following an investigation, Shidi Zhang, 37, of 3508 146TH St., Flushing, was arrested and charged with alleged Unauthorized Practice of a Profession, a felony. Several violations were also issued by Brookhaven Town.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Wanted for Selden petit larceny

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a woman who allegedly stole a Ninja kitchen appliance from Target, located at 307 Independence Plaza in Selden, at 3:34 p.m. on March 10.

Arrests made for sale of alcohol and e-nicotine to minors

Suffolk County Police arrested four employees after they allegedly sold alcohol and liquid e-nicotine to minors at businesses in the Sixth Precinct on April 10. In response to community complaints, Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers conducted an investigation into the sale of alcohol and liquid nicotine to minors at 10 businesses, four of which had violations.

Bharat Patel, 53, of East Patchogue, an employee of Club House Café in Centereach, was charged with alleged Unlawfully Dealing with a Child in the 1st Degree for selling alcohol to a person under the age of 21.

The following people were charged with alleged Unlawfully Dealing with a Child in the 2nd Degree for selling vape products to a person under the age of 21:Enis Secgin, 24, of Amityville, an employee of Cards & Smoke Vape Shop in Farmingville; Delroy Anderson, 25, of Port Jefferson Station, an employee of Happy Daze in Ronkonkoma; and Ali Sezgin Sire, 57, of Medford, an employee of Shell gas station in Centereach.

— COMPILED BY HEIDI SUTTON

Su olk County Crime Stoppers o ers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Su olk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS.

Do you recognize this woman? Photo from SCPD

Photo from SCPD

Benner’s Farm hosts annual spring event

Throughout Saturday and Sunday, April 8 and 9, children filled the fields at Benner’s Farm looking for plastic eggs with treats, especially the golden eggs that held special surprises.

Families were also able to visit with the Easter Bunny and the farm animals and buy goods from local craft vendors.

— Photos by Rita J. Egan

A Long Island man’s journey out of homelessness

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

A year ago, Devon Toney was among the countless ranks of Long Island’s homeless.

After serving out a 17-year prison sentence, Toney spent years moving from place to place, his nights often spent at bus and train stations. Unable to cohabitate with others due to years of trauma inflicted early on in life and prison, he turned away from the shelter system. [See earlier Toney story, “Homelessness: A national disgrace and a thorny issue,” TBR News Media website, July 14, 2022.]

During his prolonged period of homelessness, Toney characterized himself as “very undesirable to everybody,” his frustrations externalized in fits of rage. Now this cycle has been broken and, for once, he said he has found stability.

Thanks to the assistance of various community organizations, Toney has recently entered a stable housing arrangement, having recently joined the Rapid Re-Housing Program operated by Family Service League, which provides financial and housing assistance enabling access to private rental units.

Along with the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, which had referred him to the program, Toney’s transition was also facilitated by the Council of Thought and Action, Heartsong and the Angels of Long Island organizations, among others.

Debbie Loesch, founder of the Patchoguebased nonprofit, Angels of Long Island, was instrumental in assisting Toney during his transition from homelessness, offering him per diem employment and watching out for him as he slowly got back on his feet.

“Life dealt him a couple of curveballs, but he has overcome them,” she said. “I’m very proud at how he’s turned his life around.”

Housed, he spends much of his time reading and in study. With stability, he now channels his energies into various civic aims to lift others out of homelessness.

Since entering stable living conditions, Toney described his day-to-day existence as “night and day.” “Stability just makes me a different person, a more desirable person,” he said. “I’m a lot happier.”

Despite the recent turn in Toney’s story, homelessness remains a painful reality for many other Long Islanders. For many, escape from the scourge of homelessness has become an even more significant challenge.

“It is becoming increasingly difficult for people to get out of homelessness for a number of reasons,” Mike Giuffrida, executive director of the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, said in an interview. “The housing market has become

more expensive than ever, and there’s less availability of rental units.”

Further exacerbating the lack of housing, Giuffrida added that a greater proportion of Long Island’s homeless population is turning away from the shelter system.

“More people are experiencing homelessness on the street as opposed to temporarily entering shelter situations as a result of the current shelter structures not aligning with the needs and preferences of people experiencing housing instability,” he said.

As inflation and prices continue to mount, compounded by a lack of affordable housing, the region’s homeless face even more challenges.

Possible reforms

To deal with the growing problems tied to homelessness, Giuffrida recommended policymakers consider transformational reforms to the existing shelter system.

“If the current shelter structures are not reimagined, we should expect to see more people living on the street as opposed to in shelter,” he said.

Some manageable steps toward avoiding a spike in homelessness, Giuffrida suggested, could be eliminating burdensome shelter payment standards, reforming congregate shelter arrangements and offering non-U.S. citizens year-round access.

Giuffrida also recommended reimagining the mass transit network on Long Island, describing the existing infrastructure as “inadequate.”

“Transportation is a major barrier for people at risk of homelessness, experiencing homelessness or recently housed,” the executive director said.

Along with matters of policy, Giuffrida maintained that public awareness of homelessness offers a necessary first step toward alleviating the conditions of Long

Island’s homelessness while moving them off the streets.

“People who have never experienced homelessness have the most to learn about homelessness,” he said. “It’s very often that people who are most directly impacted by homelessness have the best ideas about how to solve homelessness and are more aware of people’s needs.”

Toney’s triumph

Since Loesch first met Toney, she has observed in him a tendency to give back to others. She also noted his desire to stay informed on policy trends, attend legislative meetings and speak up for those similarly afflicted by homelessness.

“He’s always reached out to help somebody else,” she said. “He’s always willing to help somebody.”

Loesch added that others could learn from Toney’s example, particularly his perseverance. She noted that he distinguished himself in seeking knowledge and information to facilitate his upward trajectory.

“He did his own research about how to obtain housing and what was available to him, and then he stayed on it,” she said.

The nonprofit founder reminded policymakers and community members to

remember to humanize the homelessness problem, approaching this through a human and problem-solving angle.

“We’re trying to save people from drowning, but we’re not going down the river to find out why they’re falling in,” she said. “We help people all over the world, but we don’t help our own people. There’s no reason that so many people should be homeless.”

Giuffrida emphasized that Toney is just one of countless other Long Islanders and Americans experiencing a similar lot. For communities and societies to begin to address the problem effectively, he maintained that all of those afflicted by homelessness must have a voice.

“We need to hear from all of the Devons,” he said.

Toney said the next stage in his journey is to acquire reliable transportation. He remains open to finding employment, saying that his experiences may uniquely qualify him for the nonprofit sector or related philanthropic enterprises.

“I know what it’s like not to have clothes, to be homeless and to go without food,” he said. “Helping individuals obtain food, clothing, housing and information … I would love that.”

Devon Toney, above, recently entered a stable living arrangement, fleeing homelessness. Despite the turn in his story, homelessness remains a reality for many across Long Island and the United States. Photo by Heartsong, courtesy Toney

‘We’re trying to save people from drowning, but we’re not going down the river to find out why they’re falling in.’

— DEBBIE LOESCH

Ward Melville blanks Center Moriches

BY BILL LANDON DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

The New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, and the New York Jets have joined forces with the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) and Nike to launch varsity flag football competitions across the state. According to NYSPHSAA Executive Director Robert Zayas, it is estimated over 140 high school teams statewide are fielding teams this spring and will be recognized as a State Championship sport starting in 2024.

The Patriots of Ward Melville opened their varsity

flag football season with a convincing road victory over Center Moriches Saturday afternoon, blanking the Red Devils 27-0.

The Patriots led 21-0 at the half then added another touchdown in the second half, a lead that triggered the mercy rule — leading by 19 points or more — that ended the game with five minutes left.

The team looks to build on their winning ways when they retake the field with a home game April 13 where they’ll host Riverhead Charter School. Game time is slated at 4 p.m.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Counter clockwise from upper left, Ward Melville freshman Anja Rosenthal-Vino sprints up the sideline; Patriots sophomore Rode-Nissa Belizaire sprints upfield; Ward Melville quarterback throws deep; and touchdown Patriots. Photos by Bill Landon

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Looking toward a brighter future

The spring holidays and weather often fill people with hope and joy. This year is no different as residents may feel more optimistic than ever.

Local egg hunts and holiday events that took place last weekend exemplify the optimism our fellow residents are experiencing. While some community events during the past two years were able to take place, many of our social gatherings were severely limited. With egg hunts, organizers asked attendees to sign up for time slots. After egg hunting, they would need to complete any additional activities during a specific period due to COVID-19 precautions. Some events experienced low attendance amid COVID fears, with many people hesitant to return to their usual social activities.

This year, organizers were able to hold events resembling those held before COVID-19. Community members embraced the opportunity to get out of the house. For our reporters who were photographing the egg hunts and Port Jefferson parade, it was a delight to see community members able to fully enjoy activities and engage with each other.

It’s no surprise that we’re getting back to life as we knew it before 2020. It’s taken a while to get here, but it feels as though we are slowly approaching normalcy. As of April 6, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services reported 1.9% tested positive in the county, and the sevenday average was 1.8%. The COVID-19 Community Level for Suffolk is low. The DOHS also reported that as of April 7, 78.9% of county residents are fully vaccinated.

The community getting out and about regularly and mingling, as well as fewer COVID infections and more vaccinated people, are positive signs for the future.

This wave of good news is beneficial for small businesses as well. After spending a day full of fun activities, consider stopping by a local restaurant for lunch or dessert or patronizing a local store on the way home. Like community gatherings, our local mom-and-pops add a sense of place and charm to our towns and villages. Frequenting local downtowns gives these areas a chance to thrive, to employ even more of our residents and to pay taxes to our municipalities.

Our readers should keep an eye out for upcoming events in our coverage areas throughout the year as listed in our Arts & Lifestyles section.

We also remind residents that April 30 to May 6 marks National Small Business Week. Started by the U.S. Small Business Administration, these seven days recognize the contributions of entrepreneurs and small business owners. While enjoying the warm weather in the months ahead, we encourage our neighbors to grab a bite to eat, buy a new ornament or a plant for their home locally.

New York State Department of Health statistics indicate that nearly 5,000 Suffolk County residents have died from COVID-19. Many more throughout our state, nation and world have not survived the last few years. While we cannot undo what has happened, we can chart a course ahead. May these COVID years make us stronger, wiser and more socially responsible citizens. May we begin to thrive again, reminded of the joy and hope life has to offer. May we continue to rejoice and celebrate right in our backyards.

Please see revised letters policy below.

Letter to the Editor

Wind power presents significant problems

According to a March 23 article in The Village Times Herald, Sunrise Wind will soon be providing us with a wind farm which will contribute to New York state deriving 100% of its energy requirements from renewable sources by 2040. Presumably this implies that the contribution of energy provided by all hydrocarbon fuels, including coal, oil and natural gas, will be eliminated entirely.

While this may sound like a noble and virtuous goal, it does present a number of very significant problems, none of which were addressed in the aforementioned article. The production and distribution of electrical power began in the 1880s, as a direct result of the invention of the incandescent light bulb by Thomas Edison. Since that time, it has been generated by a combination of hydrocarbon fuels, supplemented by hydroelectric sources and, more recently, by nuclear reactors.

All of these power sources share a common characteristic: They reliably provide huge amounts of energy satisfying all of our needs, 100% of the time, day and night, in all kinds of weather, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, year in and year out.

If we choose to arbitrarily eliminate the vast energy contributions of hydrocarbon fuels, and if we also follow the advice of letter writer Arnold Wishnia and his friends and eliminate our nuclear power plants as well, we will thereby create a new problem. If our virtuous green power sources are only active with a very limited duty cycle, certainly much less than 50% of the time, what will provide our energy when the wind is not blowing, and the sun is not shining? Clearly, we will need some form of energy storage system, in which we will produce and store energy when it is available, i.e., when the wind blows and/ or the sun shines, and recover this stored energy during the off times.

But what form will this energy storage system take? Can it be a huge collection of lithium-ion batteries? Can we perform electrolysis of sea water to produce hydrogen, which we can store in huge tanks? Can we pump vast amounts of water into huge towers, and then use it to power hydroelectric turbines? What shall we do?

We are told in the article that the windmills to be provided by Sunrise Wind will provide enough power for about 600,000 homes. However, we are not told whether this includes only the power delivered directly to the homes when the wind is blowing, or

whether it includes the extra power that must be stored, such as in a battery, to power the homes when the wind is absent.

If Sunrise Wind, or Mr. Wishnia or anyone else, can describe an energy storage system that is compatible with achieving 100% elimination of hydrocarbon fuels and nuclear power generators in New York state by 2040, at an even remotely achievable cost, it would be most interesting and enlightening.

In my humble opinion, I believe that windmills and solar arrays can be useful supplements. We see this, for example, with a homeowner who installs solar panels on a roof, or a farmer who uses a windmill to pump water from a well. But to rely on these sources 100% of the time, for a venue the size of New York state, is, as they say, a horse of a different color.

George Altemose Setauket

Opportunities squandered

Everyone deserves to live in safe, affordable housing. We are facing a housing crisis on Long Island. State and local governments must use their power to address this problem in a thoughtful and equitable way that benefits all of us.

Unfortunately, the response from too many Long Island elected officials to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s [D] “housing compact” fails to address the issue for the public good. In his perspective piece March 30, Dan Panico [R-Manorville], Town of Brookhaven deputy supervisor and current town supervisor candidate, accuses the governor of threatening “local municipalities” and her push to increase housing availability as a “political charade.”

While I do not agree with all aspects of Hochul’s plan, I recognize that she is speaking to a need that local governments have failed to address. One example of this would be the development of the Heritage Spy Ring Golf Club senior complex in South Setauket, which is a project that Mr. Panico voted for in 2014. This project was approved despite the opposition of the community. It

has not generated any affordable housing, with monthly apartment leases priced from $2,900 per month. What we desperately need in our communities is affordable housing for both young professionals and retirees, and this was an opportunity squandered.

Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich [D-Stony Brook] has also weighed in about local control, saying that “town council members are uniquely qualified to know and be accountable to the needs of our districts” in an April 6 Village Times Herald op-ed.

However, the Brookhaven Town Board isn’t listening to constituents. This past week, the Town Board unanimously sent a statement in support of New York State legislation to alienate protected parkland to facilitate the siting of a waste transfer station not allowed by local zoning, in an environmental justice area and disadvantaged community. They did this over the objections of nearby communities of color and the state NAACP.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time we’ve seen this kind of action. In 2021, the Town Board unanimously voted to rezone 130 acres of land surrounding the Brookhaven landfill from residential to light industry, again over the objections of residents. That is not how representation should work.

This year, our local government is up for election at all levels. Too many politicians have placed their self-interest and personal ambition over the voices of those they are elected to represent.

We saw this in our town redistricting process last summer, where the Town Board unanimously approved the redistricting maps that residents spoke in opposition to at numerous public hearings.

There is too much at stake, from affordable housing to environmental protection to the democratic process itself, to allow the status quo to continue unchecked. We deserve better, and we must demand it from our elected officials.

Shoshana Hershkowitz South Setauket

WRITE TO US … AND KEEP IT LOCAL

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

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Local female scientists react to BNL hiring its first female lab director

inally!Brookhaven National Laboratory has had nine lab directors since it was founded in 1946. Earlier this week, the Department of Energy facility, which has produced seven Nobel Prizes, has state-of-theart facilities, and employs over 2,800 scientists and technicians from around the world announced that it hired JoAnne Hewett as its first female lab director.

can and would inspire women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

“I am so delighted by the news that Dr. JoAnne Hewett has been named to be the next director of Brookhaven National Laboratory,” wrote Esther Takeuchi, William and Jane Knapp chair in Energy and the Environment and SUNY distinguished professor at Stony Brook University and chair of the Interdisciplinary Science Department at BNL. As the first female director for the lab, Hewett “is an inspiration not only for the women who are in the field, but for future female scientists who will witness first hand that success at the highest level.”

Laufer Center), Anissa Abi-Dargham [principal investigator for the Long Island Network for Clinical and Translational Science] and many other successful female faculty in leadership positions, hopefully, the message comes out loud and clear to our young women who are in science already, or aspire to be in science.”

For her part, Abi-Dargham, who is chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, described Hewett’s hire as “amazing” and suggested it was “really exciting to see an accomplished female scientist selected to head our collaborating institution at BNL!”

leadership skills and selected” to head BNL.

Leemor Joshua-Tor, professor and HHMI investigator at CSHL, called the hire “really great news” and indicated this was “especially true for the physical sciences, where there are even fewer women in senior positions than in biology.” Joshua-Tor added that the more women in senior, visible positions, “the more young women and girls see this as a normal career to have.”

D. None of the above

Successful, determined, dedicated and award-winning local female scientists lauded the hire of Hewett, who comes to BNL from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory where she was associate lab director for fundamental physics and chief research officer. SLAC is operated by Stanford University in Menlo Park, California. In email responses, local female scientists suggested that Hewett’s hiring

Stella Tsirka, SUNY distinguished professor in the Department of Pharmacological Sciences at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, suggested this hire was a part of an increasing number of women in prominent positions in science at local institutions.

Stony Brook and BNL are “becoming a hub of strong female role models for younger females, in STEM, in medicine, in leadership!” Tsirka wrote. “Between [SB President] Maurie McInnis, Hewett, Ivet Bahar (the director of the

‘The British are coming’

This column is a re-run from 2019. Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April in Seventy-Five: Hardly a man is now alive

Who remembers that famous day and year.

also assumed that Revere was an ardent colonialist, hanging out with the likes of Samuel Adams and John Hancock, to whom he rode through the night in Concord to warn them of imminent capture by the British troops. That was about it until I did a little research, and here is what I found.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Professor and Cancer Center Program co-leader Mikala Egeblad added that the significance of Hewett’s hire goes “well beyond inspiring young girls. It is important to have women leaders for all sciences, also for someone at my career stage. I hope that one day, we will get to a point when we don’t think about whether a leader is a woman or a man.”

Women remain underrepresented at top leadership positions, so Egeblad finds it “very inspiring to see a woman recognized for her

Alea Mills, professor and Cancer Center member at CSHL, wrote that it is “fantastic that BNL has found the very best scientist to lead them into their next new mission of success. And it’s an extra bonus that this top scientist happens to be a woman!”

Mills added that efforts to enhance diversity are fashionable currently, but all too often fall short. Hiring Hewett makes “real traction that will undoubtedly inspire future generations of young women in STEM.”

Patricia Wright, distinguished service professor at Stony Brook in the Department of Anthropology, wrote that it was “inspiring” to see a female director of BNL and that “young female scientists can aspire to being in that role some day.”

May 6!

participated in the Boston Tea Party, during which Bostonians threw tea into Boston Harbor from the holds of ships anchored there to protest against parliamentary taxation without representation.

Between

So begins Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride,” about the famous midnight gallop that happened 248 years ago. The poem was first published in The Atlantic Monthly on January 1861, and I dutifully learned the first lines as a young student.

As a result, every April 18 I think of Paul Revere.

Who, exactly was Paul Revere?

I know that he was a talented silversmith because I have seen some of his work, starting with teapots and engravings, at antique shows. I

Opinion TIMES BEACON RECORD

Revere was born in Boston on either Dec. 21, 1734, or Jan. 1, 1735, depending on different calendar conversions. That still makes him 40 years old that famous night. His father was Apollos Rivoire, a French Huguenot immigrant who had come on his own at the age of 13 to the New World and eventually married Deborah Hitchborn, the Boston-born daughter of an artisan and wharf-owning family (whose last name was also spelled Hichborn and Hitchbourn). Revere, the third of 12 children, attended school from age 7 through 13 and then learned the silversmithing trade. He was married twice, having been widowed in 1773 and remarried that same year, which means he was little more than a newlywed the night of the ride.

In addition to his work with silver, Revere did some dentistry to augment his income. He

The colonists were increasingly angered by severe taxes imposed on them by their mother country to help repay the considerable debt Britain had incurred from fighting the French and Indian War. Revere, as a rider for Boston’s Committee on Safety, had devised a system of signals with lanterns to communicate the whereabouts of the British soldiers. Hence that night, the message was, “One, if by land, two, if by sea.” In a sense, Revere was Boston’s first media man.

With others, he was aware that the British troops might shortly be on the move because on April 16, 1775, he rode out to Concord, Massachusetts, to urge the patriots there to move their military stores to a different location.

On the night of April 18, Dr. Joseph Warren told Revere and William Dawes that the king’s troops were about to embark in boats from Boston to go to Cambridge, and from there to Lexington and Concord by road that night.

Revere borrowed a swift mare named Brown Beauty, and waited on the far bank of the Charles River for the signal from the steeple of the Old North Church. Revere and Dawes made the ride from different locations should one of them be blocked from leaving Boston.

Revere, however, had the benefit of a distinguished publicist, Longfellow, who honored him accordingly. Also left out of the story was Dr. Samuel Prescott, who rode on to Concord after Revere was captured by a British patrol in Lexington. Revere soon escaped, while Dawes lost his horse and had to walk back to Lexington. But Prescott made it through to carry the warning.

Revere and the others surely did not yell, “The British are coming!” despite tales to the contrary. They were, in the final analysis, all British. They probably said, “The redcoats are coming!” and they surely didn’t yell since British troops were stationed throughout the countryside. Such is the mystique of history.

NEWS MEDIA We welcome letters, photographs, comments and story ideas. Send your items to P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733 or email rita@tbrnewsmedia.com. Times Beacon Record Newspapers are published every Thursday. Subscription $59/year • 631-751-7744 www.tbrnewsmedia.com • Contents copyright 2023 EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Leah S. Dunaief GENERAL MANAGER Johness Kuisel MANAGING EDITOR Rita J. Egan EDITOR Rita J. Egan LEISURE EDITOR Heidi Sutton COPY EDITOR John Broven ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Kathleen Gobos ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Elizabeth Bongiorno Robin Lemkin Larry Stahl Katherine Yamaguchi Minnie Yancey ART AND PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Beth Heller Mason PRODUCTION Janet Fortuna Sharon Nicholson CLASSIFIEDS DIRECTOR & SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Sheila Murray BUSINESS MANAGER Sandi Gross CIRCULATION & LEGALS MANAGER Courtney Biondo INTERNET STRATEGY DIRECTOR Rob Alfano SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER Kathryn Mandracchia 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Year After Year

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF

this year for coronation on