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Yearly Archives: 2016

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Suffolk County Police Seventh Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that killed a tow truck operator in Shoreham Oct. 22.

Gian Russo was dispatched to Route 25A, east of Defense Hill Road, to tow an unoccupied, disabled vehicle. The tow truck was parked on the shoulder of the roadway, facing westbound, when a 2008 Ford Taurus struck the disabled vehicle and Russo at approximately 8:20 p.m. Russo was in the process of hooking up the vehicle to the tow truck when he was struck.

The driver of the Ford, Betty Lutz, 72, of Coram, was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Russo, 39, of East Moriches, was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician’s assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner.

All vehicles were impounded for safety checks. The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Seventh Squad at 631-852-8752.

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Stock photo.

By Bruce Stasiuk

Ahem.

The subject of this talk is American education; or, as I sometimes call it … artificial intelligence. Full disclosure: I admit that I don’t know much about what goes on in high school, having spent only four distracted years at that level. This presentation refers to the foundational years — the K-6 building blocks where I invested six seasons as a parochial student.

After completing the requirements at Adelphi Suffolk University, I was invited to teach a few graduate courses there. Afterwards, I spent 34 enjoyable, yet disorganized seasons as a classroom teacher, then eight more years instructing a course called Thinking Inside the Box for K-12 teachers, which gave me the opportunity to examine the species up close and personal. That comes to about 50 years in fuzzy numbers. But, who’s counting on me?

You’re urged to disagree with anything expressed here, because I make mistakes regularly, myself being a product of the American industrial-education complex. Let’s start with the premise that all knowledge is worthwhile and desirable. There is no benefit to not knowing something. Ignorance is not blissful. However, all knowledge is not of equal value. The ability to read about the inventor of the cotton gin is of more value than knowing and memorizing his name. Likewise, although there would be some usefulness in recalling every number in the Manhattan phone book, and the cognitive exercise would be an accomplishment, it would mostly be a huge waste of “edu-minutes.” Knowing how to alphabetically look up a phone number is a more valuable and transferable skill. At least until it’s made obsolete in our advancing digital world. So, can we agree that some knowledge is of lower value, some is of higher value, and some is rapidly approaching an expiring shelf life?

Since schools operate by the clock and calendar, there is a finite amount of class time for learning. There is so much to learn, but students can’t learn it all. So, choices must be made. Schools need to adopt a regular policy of knowledge triage. There’s got to be jetsam and flotsam in order to make room for the important cargo. But even if schools agreed to do it, would they flotsam the right jetsam?

Ask your local administrator what’s the last thing added to the curriculum. Then ask, what was removed to make room for it. If there’s no answer, it means the program was diluted (unless the school day or year was expanded — not a chance) or in a misguided way, the usual ballast of art and music were reduced. Like the roach motel, once something enters the schoolhouse door, it can almost never leave. Schools change very little. If you were in the fifth grade 25 years ago and you visited a class today, it would look very familiar. Computers and tablets are used like electric paper, but the substance is the same. Oh, the blackboards are now smarter … but are the kids? Old wine in new bottles.

Remember, the learning clock is ticking. Time is passing. As a child, I had a fantasy of every person, at birth, receiving a huge hourglass. Except it wasn’t designed to measure an hour. It was constructed as a lifetime-glass. The top bulb contained all the sand representing one’s life according to actuarial tables. It was inverted at birth and the sand started trickling through the narrow stem passageway. One could see the top bulb dripping sand into the bottom bulb. Even at night, opening one eye, one could visualize their lifetime with the lower heap growing while the upper kept draining smaller. I wondered if a life would be led differently with such a visual aid.

Schools have to think that way. They must sort out, rummage through, and evaluate all available knowledge and select those age-appropriate things that will help develop students into educated people with transferable skills and functional wisdom. Ideally, layer upon layer will build up until enough practical knowledge and related talents enable graduates to negotiate life in a fluid and uncertain world — a very moveable feast. A friend recently told me the experience of his dental school orientation at the University of Maryland. The dean advised the new students that 50% of what they’d learn would no longer be true by the time they graduated. Furthermore, he advised, they won’t know which 50% it was.

So what did we learn in school? Reading. Of course reading. And math. Although I never did divide 4/7 by 3/9 ever again, I remember some lessons quite well. Pilgrims wore funny hats and buckled shoes. We drew pictures of them. They were brought home and taped to refrigerators — or iceboxes —remember, this was the South Bronx in the ‘50s. “Mary’s violet eyes … ” helped us learn what was, at the time, the order of the planets. But of what practical value is there in knowing that Jupiter is nearer to the earth than Saturn? So little time … so much knowledge.

Bruce Stasiuk of Setauket continued to teach after retirement. He currently offers workshops to seniors (citizens, that is) as an instructor in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, housed on the campus of Stony Brook University.

Look for part 2 in next week’s edition.

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Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that killed a mother and her daughter in Selden Oct. 22.

Shuofang Yang was driving a 2013 Audi S4 on Adirondack Drive when he attempted to make a left turn, heading westbound onto Middle County Road, when his vehicle collided with a Nissan Altima traveling eastbound on Middle County Road at approximately 5 p.m.

The driver of the Nissan, Marie Sanacore, 73, of Coram, was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. Her mother, Nellie Furino, 96, who lives with her, was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital where she died a short time later.

Yang, 22, of South Setauket, and his passenger were transported to Stony Brook University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Both vehicles were impounded for a safety check. The investigating is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sixth Squad at 631-854-8652.

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Suffolk County police car. File photo

Suffolk County Police Second Squad detectives are investigating a shooting that took place at Melissa’s Restaurant in Huntington Station this past Saturday, Oct. 22.

Second Precinct patrol officers responded to a shot spotter activation, which is technology used to detect when shots are fired, at the restaurant, on New York Ave. at 2:16 a.m. Several patrons reported hearing shots, shell casings were recovered and police determined shots were fired. Police said the suspect was described as an Hispanic male wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt pulled tightly around his face.

The investigation is continuing. Detectives are asking anyone with information about the incident to call the Second Squad at 631-854-8252 or call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

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It may look very pretty all wrapped in a red holiday bow, but for all the believers out there, the Country House is said to be haunted. File photo

By Ernestine Franco

It’s the time of the year when children and adults alike will be out en masse on the lookout for ghosts, ghouls, and goblins. During the month of October, which culminates on Halloween, the North Shore of Long Island has many places to satisfy die-hard thrill seekers. However, if you want to experience “real” haunted places on the North Shore, check out the list below:

Kings Park Psychiatric Center, located on West Fourth Street in Kings Park has been closed for many years and is not open to the public. For many years, Long Islanders have broken into this historic location to see the eerie, condemned facilities. At its height, the psychiatric center was home to over 9,000 patients. They were subjected to overcrowding and deplorable conditions as well as dramatic procedures, such as lobotomies and electroshock therapy. From inside and outside the many buildings, people have reported yells and screams of deceased patients, and some say they can see ghosts in the windows. Although you cannot go into the buildings, you can drive through the grounds for a quick peek. The grounds are monitored by the police.

Country House Restaurant is located at 1175 Country House Road in Stony Brook. This building has a prerevolutionary story behind it. It is believed to be haunted by Annette Williamson, the daughter of a former owner. She had allowed British soldiers to stay in the home and was believed to be a spy. She was hung from the second-story rafters and her spirit haunts the kitchen and stairways. Visitors say they can hear her cries and light bulbs flicker. The restaurant also has a “Ghost Bar” where you can view pictures of Annette Williamson. Genre artist William Sidney Mount was said to have attended séances there when it was known as the Thomas Hadaway House.

Lake Ronkonkoma, Lake Shore Road, Lake Ronkonkoma: One of the most frequent tales you hear about Lake Ronkonkoma is one involving a Native American princess who died at the lake in the mid-1600s. The story goes that the Native American princess fell in love with an Englishman named Hugh Birdsall. He lived across the lake, but her father would not permit her to pursue a romance with the Englishman. Legends say that the heartbroken princess killed herself because she could not be with her true love.

Folklore then goes on to say that every year since, in a desperate search for a soulmate in death, the princess takes a young male’s life. Lake Ronkonkoma is rumored to have no bottom, just an endless abyss of darkness. The lake itself is the largest lake on Long Island and it would be impossible for a human being to reach the bottom without assistance since it is 100 feet (30 m) at its southeastern side. Something that feeds into this tale is how the water level of Lake Ronkonkoma seems to rise and fall with no relation to rainfall, something that adds to the mystery. Michael R. Ebert, author of “The Curse of Lake Ronkonkoma,” delved into these allegations and found that, “One study showed that over 7 years in the early 1900s, the rainfall on Long Island was below the usual average by about 52 inches, yet the lake rose 7 feet.”

Another eerie oddity about Lake Ronkonkoma is about the bodies of people who have drowned in the lake. Bodies have been found washed up in Connecticut and out in the Long Island Sound, fueling claims that Lake Ronkonkoma has many hidden caverns, passageways and tunnels leading to different locations. Other bodies have never been found.

Centereach High School, located at 14 43rd Street, has limited access for the public. Some believe that the bleachers of Centereach High School are haunted by James Halversen, a New York City firefighter who used to run at the track every day. At 8:00 p.m. on Jan. 5, 1997, Halversen and his dog were shot. Some people can feel his presence or even a man running on the fifth lane of the track. Some say they also have seen a glowing object in the northeast corner of the track.

Katie’s of Smithtown is located at 145 West Main Street. Katie’s is a popular bar in Smithtown and home to a ghost named Charlie, who is said to have been a bartender and bootlegger during the 1920s. After committing suicide, he is said to frequently visit the bar. Many patrons have felt or seen him. Some have seen people in 19th century dress in the bar, and the figure of a woman has been seen walking up and down the bar and down the basement stairs. Women have reported toilet seats jumping open and making banging sounds when no one else is in the bathroom, and footsteps have also been heard coming from the basement when it is unoccupied. Glasses have also been known to fly off the bar and tables.

And last, but not least, the Port Jefferson Ferries are believed by many that a ghost haunts the ferries as they travel the Sound. Many riders have seen the ghost of a former captain who wears a weathered uniform.

Good Haunting!

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By Nancy Burner, Esq.

In December 2014 the federal government passed a law known as the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, also known as the ABLE Act. This law allows family members of a disabled person to create an account that is exempt from federal income tax to be used for certain “qualified expenses” related to the person’s disability. This act is created under the same provisions of the tax code as 529 plans for college savings although they have different rules governing the plans.

Unlike the college savings plans, the beneficiary of the New York ABLE Act accounts must have been deemed disabled prior to 26 years old. If a beneficiary is entitled to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), they are automatically eligible. However, if they are not entitled to these sources of income, there are other methods of proving disability that will establish eligibility. The account can be created by any person, and the owner can be the beneficiary or their parent, legal guardian or representative of that beneficiary.

However, it is important to note that there is a maximum contribution of $14,000 annually, the federal gift tax exemption amount. Each beneficiary can only have one ABLE account created for their benefit. This could create an unintended tax liability if there is no coordination among the persons that wish to contribute to the account. ABLE accounts are meant to supplement the government benefits that a disabled person is receiving. In New York, ABLE account funds are not counted as a resource at all for Medicaid eligibility for the disable beneficiary of the account. For an individual who is receiving SSI, the account is not considered a resource as long as it is below $100,000.

The benefit of having an account like this is that the disabled individual can access the account on their own without requesting a distribution from a trustee as they would have to do with a supplemental needs trust. The accounts can be used to pay for “qualified expenses,” including but not limited to education, transportation, training, legal fees, etc. The expense must be one that is related to the person’s disability and provides them with a resource that will improve their health, independence or quality of life. If the funds are misappropriated to an expense that does not fall into this category, there is a 10 percent penalty and the full amount of the nonqualified expense will be deemed an available asset for Medicaid or SSI eligibility purposes.

Upon the death of the account beneficiary, there is a payback to the Medicaid program for services rendered. This payback includes services to the beneficiary starting on the date the account was created. If a beneficiary received services for 20 years before the account was created, there is no payback to Medicaid for the prior 20 years of services.

The ABLE Act provides a new and creative vehicle for disabled persons to have access to additional assets while maintaining their government benefits. However, these accounts are, in most cases, a supplement to traditional planning for persons with disabilities. If a beneficiary has multiple persons that wish to leave assets to them that may exceed $14,000 per year in contributions or $100,000 in total, a supplemental needs trust will be more beneficial than the ABLE account. Money that is contributed to a disabled person from a third party can go into a trust that does not require payback to the Medicaid program. If funds are given outright to the disabled person who subsequently places it into a trust, this is considered a first-party supplemental needs trust and it also requires a payback to Medicaid.

New York State signed the ABLE Act into law in December 2015. However, these accounts are not yet available to New York State residents. While the state says they may be available at the end of 2016, there is no set date for the program launch.

Nancy Burner, Esq. practices elder law and estate planning from her East Setauket office.

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Voters wait outside the first Presidential debate at Hofstra University. Photo by Victoria Espinoza

By Fr. Francis Pizzarelli

It amazes me how socially indifferent so many young people are today. Every semester I take an informal survey on how many of my students are registered to vote; how many know who is running for elected office and what his or her social platform is about. The number of students who are not registered is most disturbing. Probably a little more than half are registered to vote and less than 20 percent of those students are planning to vote. Most of them have no idea what the candidates stand for.

However, the most shocking issue was their indifference. Many expressed that voting was a waste of their time because their vote does not count. A number of students expressed that our political system is so corrupt and inept, they wanted nothing to do with it. They expressed frustration that from their perspective government only paid attention to special interest groups and not to the real needs of their constituents.

As we continued this conversation, it became apparent to me that too many of our students are academically bankrupt when it comes to government, social policy and human affairs. Many of these students believe that special interest and community opinion on issues is shaped by what CNN or Fox News reports. Their lack of understanding of our political system is a poor reflection on our educational system. We definitely need to do more to educate and engage our students in our political process. They are our future leaders.

The debates this presidential election year were a disgrace. They were not true debates. Neither candidate really answered the questions posed within the time frame that was established. The moderators were too timid and did not keep the candidates on task. Thankfully “fact finders” clarified and corrected all the misleading and blatantly false statements that were made. Neither candidate made a strong case for his/her political agenda or what they really were going to do to change and transform America if elected president. Instead of watching two well-educated candidates debate the serious issues facing our nation, we heard countless ad hominem attacks directed to each other. At times, it was very entertaining but lacked any real substance or helpful information.

One of my graduate students asked if those who run for public office are the best that we have to offer! It’s an interesting question. Another question was why don’t the best of the best choose public service as a possible career? Look at what we do to those who choose to serve our nation. Our focus is never on their ability to lead and serve and the political agenda they advocate for; but rather we focus on exploiting their family and every misstep or imperfection they possess. Why would anyone in their right mind want to subject their family to that kind of public scrutiny that is genuinely unconscionable? If we want the best of the best to lead us, then we must treat them with dignity and respect. We must work harder at attacking the issues and not the person. As a nation we deserve the best to lead us.

Fr. Pizzarelli, SMM, LCSW-R, ACSW, DCSW, is the director of Hope House Ministries in Port Jefferson.

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Yow-Ning Chang of East Setauket is TBR's 3rd Adult Coloring Contest Grand Prize Winner!

By Heidi Sutton

Dear Readers, We recently held our second adult coloring contest, asking adults 21 and over to color in Karin Bagan’s nautical-themed graphic and the response was overwhelming! We received many colorful entries from readers all along the North Shore who used many different types of mediums, including colored pencils, markers, paint, stickers and glitter to create their masterpieces.

Along with her online entry, Laura Star of Setauket commented, “This was fun! I’m going to hang [the coloring page] on my fridge, alongside the kids’ works! And why not?” Why not indeed!

Although it was extremely difficult to choose a winner as every entry was unique in its own way, our three judges, Port Times Record Editor Alex Petroski, Managing Editor Desirée Keegan and intern Nicole Geddes, ultimately decided that Yow-Ning Chang’s interpretation stood out above the rest.

“We selected this particular coloring page because, in addition to the appealing pastel colors, the artist’s interpretation looked like it was sent by sea as a message in a bottle,” stated the judges, adding, “It was the perfect blend of bright and colorful along with a weathered, parchment feel that distinguished itself from so many other great submissions and gave it a unique element of texture. The combination was too catching to be denied.”

The East Setauket resident will receive a three-year subscription to the Times Beacon Record. All other entries will receive a one-year subscription. Thanks to all who entered and for sharing your talents with us!

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WHAT’S COOKIN’? William Connor serves up a salmon burger with a cucumber-mango-tomato salsa on the side. Photo from Amy Connor

By Rita J. Egan

He’s only 13, but William Connor of Northport is already getting a taste of his dreams. In April, the aspiring chef competed on the Food Network’s “Chopped Junior” in an episode that will air on Oct. 25 at 8 p.m.

“Chopped Junior,” the show based on the network’s hit “Chopped,” features four young cooks who work with predetermined main ingredients presented in a basket to create an appetizer, entrée or dessert in 30 minutes or less, and each round a contestant is eliminated. In the Oct. 25 episode, titled “Snapper Snafus,” William and three other contestants will be judged by a panel that includes Danika Patrick, Jamika Pessoa and Scott Conant. According to the online description, the episode will feature appetizers made with duck and some wild-flavored cupcakes in the first round, snapper in the second round and a playful pie and a tart surprise for the dessert dishes.

Until the episode airs, William can’t discuss the outcome or specifics about being on the set; however, during a recent interview, the eighth-grader at Northport Middle School talked about his love of cooking and what he could about his television experience. The 13-year-old said he developed a love for cooking a number of years ago. “One day when I was about seven, my mom was cooking dinner, and I came in and asked her, ‘What’s for dinner?’ She said, ‘Pasta.’ I was like, ‘Can I help?’” William said. “For the rest of the week I helped her, learning different techniques, and then two years later I started cooking by myself in the kitchen.”

The young chef, who said curried chickpeas with tofu is one of his favorite dishes, likes to cook once a week for his family, which in addition to his mom Amy includes his dad Gene, twin brother James and sister Sarah. During this past summer, he was able to cook for them more often, except, he said, “One week when I was at Boy Scout Camp, I was itching to cook.” William said during both the first and second seasons of “Chopped Junior” he asked to audition for the show but his mother said no. He asked again between the second and third seasons, and she finally said yes. “Third time’s the charm,” he said.

When he first asked, his mother felt William was too young to compete. “I knew he loved to cook, and he was really young. I was afraid you go onto something like this that is so high pressure, and there are these people who are authorities at what you want to do, and they tell you that you’re not good enough; they cut you or they tell you what you did wrong,” she said. “Or, they say this didn’t taste good or this didn’t work. And I thought it could really kill that in him and make him turn away from something that he really loved doing.” This year she realized his love of cooking was strong enough to survive criticism. So they filled out the online application to be on the show and uploaded a video on YouTube for the producers to view.

William said he found out he made the cut to appear on “Chopped Junior” when he came home from school one day and his mother gave him a honing steel (for sharpening knives) wrapped in a gift bag. At first, William said he wondered why she gave it to him. “And then, it clicked in my mind, and I literally, from one side of the house to the other, I literally ran and slid on the floor, screaming the whole time in happiness!” he laughed.

To prepare for the show William said he worked with two chefs, his Boy Scout leader, Rob Thall, and his consumer sciences teacher, Michael Roberts, but he couldn’t tell them why. He also watched cooking shows and viewed a number of videos on YouTube to master knife skills and learn other helpful techniques from noted cooking professionals, including his favorites Guy Fieri and Jamie Oliver. Every day his mother gave him a basket of four ingredients so he could practice cooking a dish in half an hour. At first, he said it would take him more than 30 minutes, but little by little, he started cutting down on his time. “By the end I was making it in at least 25 minutes,” he said.

William admitted it was frustrating for him to try to cook in such a short period, at first. “In the middle of it, one time, I thought I wouldn’t do it, so I just literally walked out of my house and just sat on my front porch,” he said. The teen chef said once on the set, he and the other contestants toured the kitchen area so they could familiarize themselves with where everything was. However, William had watched the show closely and not only learned from past contestants mistakes but also he said, “I memorized where everything was by just watching it.” He said many times the mystery ingredients can be something unusual such as gummy worms, but William explained in addition to these, the competing junior cooks can also use spices and basic food items such as pasta, vegetables and meats from the pantry.

Despite participating in the television show, William doesn’t dream of being an on-screen chef. “I see myself cooking and not just glamour cooking. I see myself actually cooking in the heat of the kitchen and everything, and not just showing how to cook,” he said. The aspiring chef hopes to one day attend The Culinary Institute of America and obtain his culinary degree. After college, his recipe for success includes working for a few years in a kitchen, and he said he would love to work in a local restaurant such as his favorite, Tim’s Shipwreck Diner in Northport. William also hopes to open his own restaurant one day. “The restaurant is actually in a barn, and I live in the farmhouse, and all the ingredients are based around the harvest,” he said.

When it comes to advice for junior cooks, William believes in practice makes perfect. “When you want to start, just start helping whoever cooks in the house, and eventually you’ll get up to the point where you can start trying different flavors and trying different things and cooking different recipes that you want to try and cook. And, eventually you’ll start soloing in the kitchen.”

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