HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU, KID
After setting up several feeders to attract more birds to his yard, Kyle Barr of Rocky Point was rewarded with a visit from a stunning female cardinal on May 21.
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Stony Brook Village restaurants, shops, community residents and others throughout Long Island are continuing in their efforts to support the hometown heroes at Stony Brook University Hospital during this ongoing pandemic.
Three Village Inn/Lessing’s, Fratelli’s, Crazy Beans and Sweet Mama’s have delivered over 11,000 meals to these dedicated medical professionals, and some of the restaurants are donating extra meals with deliveries.
Other participating shops in the village include The Crushed Olive, Village Coffee Market, Chocolate Works, Premiere Pastry, Brew Cheese and Penny’s Car Care who have delivered a variety of snacks, cheeses, pastries, cookies, drinks and much more.
Donations have also been received from private citizens throughout towns in Nassau and Suffolk County as well as out of state.
If you would like to help show your support for healthcare professionals, you can donate to Stony Brook eateries or call the Ward Melville Heritage Organization at 631-751-2244. Your donation is fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law and every dollar will go to this cause.
Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic, local pizzerias have teamed up with the Town of Smithtown in a collaborative effort to help find loving homes for rescue dogs and cats at the Smithtown Animal Shelter. Each pizzeria has taped adoption flyers to pizza boxes which are distributed to customers throughout the Township. Each flyer includes important information about the animal seeking a loving home, including age, gender and the needs of each adoptee.
“The truth is that it’s an ideal time to consider adopting a loving animal in need of a second chance. So we started making calls to local establishments currently operating as essential businesses. The response was overwhelmingly positive, as many of these establishments have stepped up to help the community from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Councilwoman Lisa Inzerillo.
The main objective of the Pizza Box Adoption campaign is to attract new eyes to the longest shelter residents, often passed up because of age, size or breed misconception. Every adoptee featured on these flyers is truly deserving of a second chance.
Participating businesses in the adoption campaign include Buona Sera in Smithtown, Monte’s in Smithtown, Three Bambino’s in Smithtown, Mannino’s in Smithtown, Ciro’s Pizza in Smithtown, Alpine Bakery in Smithtown, Branchinelli’s in Hauppauge, Mama Sbarro’s in Hauppauge, Gino’s in Kings Park, Legend’s in Kings Park, Ciro’s in Kings Park and Pizzaiola in Commack.
Photos courtesy of Town of Smithtown
James Cotgreave, a lifelong resident of the Town of Smithtown and founder of Cotgreave Insurance Agency, was presented a proclamation from the Town of Smithtown by Supervisor Ed Wehrheim for donating over $10,000 worth of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to local law enforcement and healthcare professionals over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic on May 14.
On May 15, Cotgreave joined with the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) on the same day at Saint Catherine of Siena Medical Center where they distributed his latest donation of 2500 disposable gowns.
“A few weeks ago, I reached out to Jim to ask if he could help me fundraise for another round of PPE gear for our front line heroes,” said Supervisor Wehrheim. “Jim took it upon himself to completely fund and distribute the disposable gowns. He has been at the forefront of assisting first responders and healthcare workers since early March … never asking for thanks or recognition and always looking for more good to do.”
Over the course of the last two months, Cotgreave has donated approximately $10,000 worth of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to shield those on the front lines with the safest equipment to treat patients, protect the community, and themselves.
In addition to his recent donation of disposable gowns, Cotgreave has donated and distributed 5000 face masks to the Police Benevolent Association, Suffolk County Deputy Sheriffs and to the healthcare workers at St Catherine’s of Siena Medical Center. Cotgreave has also assisted local food establishments by purchasing $1,000 worth of meals to feed hospital staff within the township.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to keep indoor movie theaters closed for now, drive-in cinemas have staged a comeback on Long Island, most recently in Lake Grove. Event producer Starfish Junction has entered into a partnership with Simon Malls to safely entertain families this summer with the launch of MOVIE LOT — a pop-up drive-in series offering movies shown on a giant 52-foot screen erected in the parking lot of the Smith Haven Mall.
Visitors may enter the mall area via Middle Country Rd. Follow signs to the Verizon lot. Security and staff will direct you where to park. The lot will open 45 minutes prior to show time. Radio frequencies are used to play sound in your vehicle. Upon arrival, you’ll see the radio station channel up on the big screen.
Ticketholders are permitted to bring their own food and snacks to enjoy during the show. Attendees may also consider Smith Haven Mall restaurants for curbside pick up before filing into the lot for the movie. Portable restrooms will be available for use.
“Drive-in movies naturally adhere to the social distancing guidelines and gives people something fun to do. We’ve all been sheltering in place for weeks, our goal is to deliver a safe and entertaining way to lift the spirits of our neighbors while at the same time adhere to social distancing guidelines,” said Lauren Powers, Senior Director at Starfish Junction. “I think we are all ready to go out, do it safely, and have some fun.”
“We’ve got a great lineup for the summer and we anticipate a great response from the local community. But make no mistake about it, we will be strictly enforcing social distancing rules and regulations at each and every showing,” said Powers.
Kicking off the series on Thursday, May 28 at 8:45 p.m. will be the 1981 mega-hit Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (PG). Other movies included in the summer series weekend kick off include the newly-released Sonic the Hedgehog (PG) on Friday, May 29 at 8:45 p.m. followed by the 2005 version of King Kong at 11:45 p.m. (PG-13); the 1976 The Bad News Bears (PG) on Saturday, May 30 at 8:45 p.m. followed by the 2020 blockbuster Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker at 11:45 p.m.
The rest of the summer lineup will be announced soon and will include movies perfect for date nights, family fun nights, girl’s night out, sing-alongs, and midnight showings of fright-night classics. There are a limited number of tickets available for each showing. Tickets are on sale now ($40 per carload) and must be purchased online in advance at www.MovieLotDriveIn.com.
MEET CIRA AND SAMPSON!
This week’s shelter pets are Cira, left, and Sampson, right, from the Smithtown Animal Shelter.
Cira is a one-year-old female domestic shorthair mix who was brought in to the shelter as a stray. An injury from her life as a stray caused her to lose some of her tail, but this only adds to her charm. This love bug has a very gentle and loving demeanor, with an unlimited supply of cuddles and affection. Her perfect home would be with children where she can get (and give!) all kinds of love and friendship.
Sampson is a 2-year-old male domestic shorthair who was found living as a stray and was brought into the shelter by a good samaritan. He was underweight at first, but the team at the shelter have helped him to add a few pounds and get him healthy again Sampson not only has a huge appetite for food, but he also craves love! He is a very outgoing and sweet little guy who just wants to give and get love anywhere he can find it. He may be small in stature, but he has a big heart and an even mightier spirit inside. Sampson gets along well with other cats and is good for a family with children.
If you are interested in meeting either Cira or Sampson please fill out an adoption application online at www.townofsmithtownanimalshelter.com.
By Andrea Paldy
As if times are not challenging enough, districts across the state must create budgets without knowing when, or by how much, state aid will be cut.
Jeff Carlson, deputy superintendent for business services, has removed $1 million from next year’s budget in anticipation of cuts beyond the $300,000 decrease in aid already projected by the state in March.
The current 2020-21 budget falls within the cap on the tax levy increase of 1.96 percent, for a total budget of $218.84 million. This is a 1.75 percent increase over the 2019-20 budget.
The district has begun to make contingency plans with alternate budgets, being referred to as Phase 2, which would mean a further $2 million reduction and Phase 3, which would require a deeper cut of $3 million. Cuomo has said school aid could drop by as much as 20 percent and cuts could take place as late as December, Carlson said.
If cuts go deeper than Phase 3, they will definitely affect services and student programs, Superintendent Cheryl Pedisich said at the district’s May 6 school board meeting. The board would have to decide whether to make deeper cuts to the budget or use district reserves, she said.
One thing officials do know is that they do not want to make cuts once the school year has begun and would not make cuts to instructional staff.
Pedisich said the district would have to look to reserves, because “any kind of midyear cuts in terms of services would be incredibly disruptive … and this year has been disruptive itself, so we don’t want to add to it and exacerbate the situation.”
The district held a hearing on the budget May 27. Carlson will also give a budget presentation June 1 at 6:45 p.m. at the Three Village Joint Council of PTAs virtual Meet the Candidates night on Zoom. This program will allow residents to hear from the six candidates running for three seats on the school board.
Also, the Three Village Civic Association and Three Village Chamber of Commerce will jointly host an online Meet the Candidates event Thursday, May 28, at 7 p.m. via Zoom conferencing. For information about how to be part of the online meeting, go to the websites of either the civic association, www.threevillagecivics.org, or the chamber of commerce, www.3vchamber.com, for links to the Zoom meeting.
Incumbents Inger Germano, Irene Gische and Dr. Jeff Kerman are running against Shaorui Li, David McKinnon and Vinny Menten.
All 34,025 registered voters in Three Village will receive ballots with paid return postage to vote on the 2020-21 budget and board trustees. Ballots must be returned to the office of the district clerk at the North Country Administration building by 5 p.m. on June 9.
Visit www.tbrnewsmedia.com for profiles on each of the candidates.
Jefferson’s Ferry, a not-for-profit Life Plan Community in South Setauket, has promoted Elissa Gargone to Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In her new position the Miller Place resident will be responsible for developing and implementing marketing programs, touring and counseling potential residents, and tracking occupancy in independent and assisted living. Jefferson’s Ferry President and Chief Executive Officer Robert E. Caulfield made the announcement.
“Elissa is an integral part of the Jefferson’s Ferry community and a valuable resource to our senior management team,” said Caulfield. “She consistently demonstrates an outstanding level of commitment and care to our residents, and to those who are considering Jefferson’s Ferry. We are especially fortunate to have her in this position during a time of significant expansion that is our Journey to Renewal.”
Journey to Renewal is an ambitious, multi-year expansion and renovation of the Jefferson’s Ferry campus that will enhance the lifestyle and experience for current residents while anticipating the desires and needs of a whole new generation of Long Islanders who are planning for retirement.
The expansion calls for the construction of additional independent living apartments, a new assisted living building specially designed for memory care, a state-of-the-art rehabilitation center, along with expanded homelike common spaces in assisted living and skilled nursing. Amenities including dining and fitness options will also be given an upgrade during the Journey to Renewal.
Gargone first joined Jefferson’s Ferry in 2010 and in that time has grown with the community as it has matured and evolved in an ever changing marketplace. She most recently served as Director of Sales & Marketing.
“Over the years that I’ve been here, I’ve not only learned from the example of my outstanding colleagues; I’ve seen firsthand what this community does for our residents. They thrive in an environment that provides stimulating companionship and activities while freeing them from many of the tasks and stresses of daily living. I’m excited for the challenges and rewards that my new position will offer during this exciting transition.”
Two friends on the staff of the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport are engaged in a poetry-photo challenge. Their goal is to lift the spirits of their quarantined colleagues.
Ed Clampitt has been a member of the Museum’s security staff for four years. He challenged Ellen Mason, a volunteer tour guide for 14 years, to write poems inspired by his photos. Clampitt, who also has written some of the poems, likes to record seasonal beauty at Eagle’s Nest, the spectacular 43-acre Vanderbilt Estate that is also home to the Vanderbilt Museum and Reichert Planetarium.
“During discussions about our upcoming children’s book, Ellen discovered her previously untapped talent for writing poetry,” Clampitt said. “I enjoy being her muse and inspiring that wonderful talent to blossom!”
Mason said, “Ed suggested that he take photographs at the Vanderbilt and challenged me to write poems to correspond to them. He surprises me with the photos and gives me no prior information. And I surprise him with the poems.”
Then the creative partners email the results to the Vanderbilt staff and members of the Board of Trustees. Their responses: delight and gratitude.
“It’s such a pleasure to receive their poems and photos,” said Elizabeth Wayland-Morgan, the Vanderbilt Museum’s interim executive director. “Ed and Ellen’s creations remind us of how lucky we are to work in such beautiful surroundings, especially now when we cannot physically be at Eagle’s Nest. Their pictures and words are inspiring.”
Clampitt, a Huntington resident who also has worked for Stop & Shop supermarkets for 40 years, is a front-line worker during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also co-creator and author of Team Dawg, a character-education program and children’s book series that has been widely used in elementary schools throughout Long Island.
Mason, a Stony Brook resident and retired Centereach High School English teacher, leads tours of the Vanderbilt Mansion. She tells visitors stories about the Vanderbilt family and provides details on the Mansion’s architecture and centuries-old art and furnishings. During summer Living History tours, she and the guides dress in 1930s costumes to portray famous summer guests of Rosamond and William K. Vanderbilt II.
Here are two of Mason’s poems and one by Clampitt, with four of Clampitt’s photos taken on the Vanderbilt Estate:
By Ellen Mason
Wrought iron gates / Now closed to us;
No sound of car / Or van or bus.
No children shout /Or laughter rings
Amid the trees /Where birds still sing.
The empty paths / And courtyard bare
Of visitors /A sight so rare.
A vista /Just around the bend,
Might give us hope / And chance to mend.
To breathe the air / At Eagle’s Nest,
Would lend our hearts / And souls some rest.
The day will come / When we’ll return,
To hug and share / Our lessons learned.
We’ll walk the paths / Blue sky above,
And celebrate / This place we love.
Night in the MuseumBy Ellen Mason
The grounds are dark, /And silence reigns;
No traffic noise / On roads or lanes.
No human sounds /Disturb the night,
As paths are bathed /In pale starlight.
Within the hushed /Exhibit halls,
Some species stir /On floors and walls.
With restlessness, /They shift and shake,
And move their eyes, /And try to make
Some sense of what / Has come to pass:
No students here / With friends and class,
In lines of two, / With cell phones poised,
They used to laugh /And make loud noise
Where are the folks, / The steady band,
Who climb the stairs / With map in hand?
The whale shark swings / Both to and fro,
To catch the sight: / No one below.
The polar bear, / Now wide awake,
Believes there must be / Some mistake.
In the museum, / High on the hill,
In quiet rooms, / Alone and still,
The sharks, the eels, / The manatee,
Hang, waiting for /Humanity
Their vigil here, /Throughout the night,
Continues on / In morning light.
And so they wait, / And hope to learn,
Why we were gone, / When we return.
The PlanBy Ed Clampitt
She’s still hard at work, / Preparing this place,
For the day coming soon, / When we meet face to face.
Each day brings new changes, /Some larger, some small,
She knows in her heart, /We feel blessed by them all.
Mother Nature the Wonder /Signs of hope that abound,
Just trust in her plan / What’s been lost will be found.
By Peggy Olness
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts” said our NY Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. This simple but important statement has re-emerged in this unusual era as a call for truth, and can sometimes be the difference between life and death. Being informed is every citizen’s responsibility, whether making sense of a cacophony of voices during a pandemic or ultimately choosing leaders on election day. Use this time of enforced and prudent social distancing to educate yourself on how to separate fact from opinion and fiction.
Over 100 doctors and nurses serving on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic recently sent a letter to the largest social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter, Google, & YouTube, warning that misleading information about COVID-19 is threatening lives. The letter called on these organizations to more aggressively monitor the posting of medical misinformation appearing on their websites.
Misinformation about COVID-19 includes unfounded claims and conspiracy theories about the virus originating as biological weapon development and being deliberately spread by various groups or countries. Even more dangerous have been the unsubstantiated claims for “sure cures” that involve certain types of therapies or treatments with substances, many of which are poisonous or which must be monitored by a medical professional. There have been documented instances of people dying or suffering serious harm as a result of following this misinformed advice.
For COVID-19 information dependable places to start are the websites of the CDC and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was created by Congress in 1946 to focus on infectious disease and food borne pathogens. It functions under the US Public Health Service (PHS) to provide leadership and assistance for epidemics, disasters and general public health services. It is responsible for the Strategic National Stockpile, a stockpile of drugs, vaccines, and other medical products and supplies to provide for the emergency health security of the US & its territories.
Also under the PHS are the National Institutes for Health (NIH), responsible for basic and applied research for biomedical and public health, founded in the 1880’s to investigate the causes of malaria, cholera and yellow fever epidemics. A subagency, of the NIH, the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is the lead agency studying the nature of the coronavirus and its treatment and prevention.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, M.D, NIAID Director since 1984, has helped NIAID lead the US through a number of crises including HIV-AIDS, Ebola, West Nile Virus, SARS, H1N1 flu, MERS-CoV, Zika and COVID-19. Dr Fauci has been trying to communicate the facts his agency has discovered about coronavirus and COVID-19. Scientists are seekers of findings that can be replicated, and their research is constantly being updated, revised, communicated, and it is collaborative and open.
Misinformation and rumor have always been a part of society, and the children’s game of “Telephone” has been used for generations to show how factual information can become changed or distorted when it is passed down a line of people. So what can we do about it? Before making decisions about action, be sure that the information and sources that are guiding you are reliable and trusted. During this COVID-19 crisis, actions taken by those around you can have negative consequences. Remember to use social media with an emphasis on “social;” your source for facts and your basis for decisions should be well-documented media/journalism and peer-reviewed science. Be sure, as President Reagan advised, you have trusted but also verified.
The Suffolk Cooperative Library System, with the assistance of the Suffolk County League of Women Voters and building on the work of the Westchester LWV, has produced a 10 minute professional development video: “INFODEMIC 101: Inoculating Against Coronavirus Misinformation” which can be found on the Livebrary YouTube channel https://youtu.be/7qmy3FaCjHU
Peggy Olness is a board member of the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy. For more information, visit http://www.lwv-suffolkcounty.org, email [email protected] or call 631-862-6860.
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