I am proud to contribute my time and energy as a Lion in support of many local charities. As a member I am able to help sponsor a guide dog, aid local veterans, support charities like Lions Eye Bank, Meals on Wheels, and Angela’s House. Most rewarding has been our food basket drive where we deliver groceries to families in need during the winter holidays. A typical delivery is to a single mom with several children living in a small apartment nearby. These families are so thankful to get this food.
We will be going out this year on Saturday, Dec. 12 and we need your financial support. Last year our food bill was nearly $10,000 and we helped about 100 families and a local shelter.
I’m asking members of our local community, both businesses and individuals, to support our worthwhile project by sending a check to the Port Jefferson Lions Club, PO Box 202, Port Jefferson, NY 11777, Attn. food baskets. Suggested sponsorship is $50. Any amount will be much appreciated.
Simple strategies can improve health for everyone around the table
By David Dunaief, M.D.
Dr. David Dunaief
Many of us give thanks for good health on Thanksgiving. This is especially relevant this year. While eating healthy may be furthest from our minds during the holidays, it is so important.
Instead of making Thanksgiving a holiday of regret, eating foods that cause weight gain, fatigue and that increase your risk for chronic diseases, you can reverse this trend while maintaining the traditional theme of a festive meal.
What can we do to turn Thanksgiving into a bonanza of good health? Phytochemicals (plant nutrients) called carotenoids have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity and are found mostly in fruits and vegetables. Carotenoids make up a family of more than 600 different substances, such as beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene and beta-cryptoxanthin (1).
Carotenoids help to prevent and potentially reverse diseases, such as breast cancer; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease; age-related macular degeneration; and cardiovascular disease — heart disease and stroke. Foods that contain these substances are orange, yellow and red vegetables and fruits, and dark green leafy vegetables. Examples include sweet potato, acorn squash, summer squash, spaghetti squash, green beans, carrots, cooked pumpkin, spinach, kale, papayas, tangerines, tomatoes and Brussels sprouts.
Let’s look at the evidence.
Breast cancer
We know that breast cancer risk is high among U.S.-born women, where the average lifetime risk of getting breast cancer is 12.8 percent (2). In a meta-analysis (a group of eighteen prospective studies), results show that women who consumed higher levels of carotenoids, such as alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lutein and zeaxanthin, had significantly reduced risk of developing estrogen-negative breast cancer (3).
Lou Gehrig’s disease
ALS is a disabling and feared disease. Unfortunately, there are no effective treatments for reversing this disease. Therefore, we need to work double time in trying to prevent its occurrence. In a meta-analysis of five prestigious observational studies, including The Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, results showed that people with the greatest amount of carotenoids in their blood from foods like spinach, kale and carrots had a decreased risk of developing ALS and/or delaying the onset of the disease (4). This study involved over 1 million people with more than 1,000 who developed ALS.
Those who were in the highest carotenoid level quintile had a 25 percent reduction in risk, compared to those in the lowest quintile. According to the authors, the beneficial effects may be due to antioxidant activity and more efficient function of the power source of the cell: the mitochondrion.
Strategies for healthy holiday eating
METRO photo
Despite the knowledge that healthy eating has long-term positive effects, there are obstacles to healthy eating. Two critical factors are presentation and perception.
Vegetables are often prepared in either an unappetizing way — steamed to the point of no return – or smothered in cheese, negating their benefits, but clearing our consciences.
Many consider Thanksgiving a time to indulge and not think about the repercussions. Plant-based foods like whole grains, leafy greens and fruits are relegated to side dishes or afterthoughts. Why is it so important to change our mindsets? There are significant short-term consequences of gorging ourselves.
Not surprisingly, people tend to gain weight from Thanksgiving to New Year. This is when most gain the predominant amount of weight for the entire year. However, most do not lose the weight they gain during this time (5). If you can fend off weight gain during the holidays, think of the possibilities for the rest of the year.
Also, if you are obese and sedentary, you may already have heart disease. Overeating at a single meal increases your risk of heart attack over the near term, according to the American Heart Association (6). However, with a little Thanksgiving planning, you can reap significant benefits:
Make healthy, plant-based dishes part of the main course. You don’t have to forgo signature dishes, but add to tradition by adding mouthwatering vegetable-based dishes.
Improve vegetable options. Most people don’t like grilled chicken without any seasoning. Why should vegetables be different? In my family, we season vegetables and make sauces to drizzle over them. Good resources for appealing dishes can be found at PCRM.org, DrFuhrman.com, mouthwateringvegan.com, and many other resources.
Replace refined grains. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that replacing wheat or refined grains with whole wheat and whole grains significantly reduced central fat, or fat around the belly (7). Not only did participants lose subcutaneous fat found just below the skin, but also visceral adipose tissue, the fat that lines organs and causes chronic diseases such as cancer. For even better results, consider substituting riced or mashed cauliflower for rice or potatoes.
Create a healthy environment.Instead of putting out creamy dips, cheese platters and candies as snacks, choose whole grain brown rice crackers, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes and healthy dips like hummus and salsa. Help people choose wisely.
Offer healthy dessert options. Options might include dairy-free pumpkin pudding and fruit salad.
The goal should be to increase your nutrient-dense choices and decrease your empty-calorie foods. You don’t have to be perfect, but improvements during this time period have a tremendous impact — they set the tone for the coming year and put you on a path to success. Why not turn this holiday into an opportunity to de-stress, rest, and reverse or prevent chronic disease?
References:
(1) Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2010;50(8):728–760. (2) SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975–2016, National Cancer Institute. (3) Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Mar; 95(3): 713–725. (4) Ann Neurol 2013;73:236–245. (5) N Engl J Med 2000; 342:861-867. (6) www.heart.org. (7) Am J Clin Nutr 2010 Nov;92(5):1165-71.
Dr. David Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com.
Let’s Give Thanks & Help Ones In Need. Bryant Funeral Home is hosting their Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. Please bring non-perishable food to the funeral home located at 411 Old Town Road, E. Setauket, from now till November 21st from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Every 5 items you bring will earn you a chance to win one of three raffle prizes. All food collected will be donated to the local food pantries located at St. James RC Church in Setauket, Infant Jesus RC Church in Port Jefferson and St. Gerard Majella Church in Port Jefferson Station. Please call 631-473-0082 for further information.
From left, Kamazima Lwiza aboard the hospital ship Jubilee Hope which is owned by a British NGO known as Vine Trust and provides services to several islands on Lake Victoria with Deogratias Kabogo, Chief Engineer of the ship. Photo by Pascal Ferdinand
By Daniel Dunaief
In tropical and subtropical countries, including Brazil and the Ivory Coast, a parasite moves from snails to humans, causing 220 million illnesses a year and as many as 200,000 annual deaths.
People contract the parasite when they enter shallow, warm waters, where the schistosomiasis larvae known as cercariae enters through the skin, moves through the blood stream and settles near the stomach or bladder.
Once it’s near the bladder, the parasite reproduces, sending its eggs out through urine or feces, which, if directed towards warm, shallow water bodies, can enter the snail and begin the process again.
Schistosomiasis causes anemia, malnutrition and learning difficulties, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as the parasite robs humans of zinc and vitamins A and D. Prolonged infection can also cause bladder cancer.
Kamazima Lwiza, Associate Professor at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University, is part of a new, five-year study on the effects of climate change on schistosomiasis.
Lwiza’s part of the research, which is lead by Stanford University and involves several institutions, is analyzing the latest Global Climate Models known as Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 results. Lwiza studies the models under four-kilometer resolution to look for patterns and trends.
By creating a model that predicts temperature changes, Lwiza’s part of the efforts hope to help other collaborators apply those temperature expectations to epidemiological models. The ability of the parasite to survive, reproduce and infect humans depends on the viability of the snails, which are temperature sensitive. The temperature range is between 14 and 35 degrees Celsius, with an optimal temperature of between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius.
A warmer climate would likely increase the prevalence of schistosomiasis in the regions of Brazil and the Ivory Coast that this study is exploring, as well as in newer areas.
Kamazima Lwiza prepared instruments before installation aboard the hospital ship Jubilee Hope, which is owned by a British NGO known as Vine Trust and provides services to several islands on Lake Victoria. Photo by Pascal Ferdinand
Depending on the regional topography, human population and amount of rainfall, the area that is conducive to Schistosomiasis could expand. An area that is relatively flat and where rainfall increases and human population is low but increasing could cause the infection rate to climb.
As waterways that were too cold either reach the minimum temperature threshold for snails, or increase the temperature into the optimal range, snail populations are likely to flourish.
Part of the funding for the SoMAS portion of the study is coming from the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. These national funding agencies recognize that increasing temperature and land use has created an environment that fosters the expansion of snails and increased prevalence of parasites into areas in the southern United States.
“Given the climate change,[some parts of Florida and Georgia] will be falling within that temperature range,” Lwiza said. “The worry is that, if this disease is going to spread, how are we going to be prepared to keep it off.”
Lwiza had originally planned to travel to Brazil this past summer to collect baseline data on water temperatures. The pandemic caused him to cancel his travel. Next year, he hopes to build on data around significant water bodies where the disease is prevalent.
While the portion of the study that includes Lwiza focuses on temperature, the Stony Brook scientist is working with other researchers who are exploring a range of other analytical and mitigation measures.
For starters, in some countries that have battled against this parasite, the use of dams has exacerbated the problem. Dams have kept out prawns, who are natural predators for snails.
Scientists are considering reintroducing prawns. These shellfish, which look somewhat like shrimp, could not only reduce the population of snails and the parasites they carry, but could also become an economic boon, as a part of an aquaculture project.
The goal of that part of the study is to “see if [prawns] can be used as biological control agents,” Lwiza said. “If we can find a way of introducing these back to where they used to be, we can cut down the snail population.”
The third aspect of the study involves the use of artificial intelligence. Researchers are putting together a program that will allow people to take pictures of the parasites they find and upload them to a web site to identify them.
“That way, we are doing crowd sourcing” which will allow “people to contribute to our investigation,” Lwiza said. Researchers will be able to map the location of the parasites.
Lwiza said Schistosomiasis can affect anyone who goes in the water. The illness doesn’t get as much attention as malaria. When people go to a rural clinic, if they have malaria, they can get medicines from 20 vendors. A person with Schistosomiasis, however, may need to go to a district or regional hospital for medication.
Originally from Tanzania, Lwiza grew up on the western shores of Lake Victoria, where strong waves don’t favor the development of snails. He currently lives in East Northport with his wife Catherine Kentuha, who works in the United Nations Development Program. The couple has three children — Philip, Johnathan and Mulokozi.
Lwiza has worked at Stony Brook University for 29 years and has lived in Port Jefferson Village and East Setauket.
When he lived in Port Jefferson Village, he was pleased and surprised by how his neighbors brought him candles during a brown out and made sure he and his family were okay.
“It was like, ‘Wow, this is really great. This is like Africa,’” he recalls thinking.
When he’s not working, Lwiza enjoys riding a bike and listening to Indian, Arab, African and Latin music. He is also interested in computer programming.
As this study of Schistosomiasis progresses, Lwiza hopes the incidence of disease decreases and that the science helps protect the population against a widespread illness.
I have a friend who says I’m crazy to have a will rather than a revocable trust because probating a will is so time consuming and expensive.
THE QUESTION:
Is she right?
THE ANSWER:
In certain situations, probating a will may be more expensive and time consuming than having your assets pass pursuant to a trust. However, unless there is a will contest or your executor elects to take commissions, getting a will admitted to probate is generally a relatively quick and inexpensive process.
While I do not recommend a will to a client who is estranged from family members or who anticipates a will contest, I do recommend a will for clients whose heirs are easy to locate and on good terms, and whose executor is a family member or friend who is unlikely to take commissions. That is because under those circumstances, the probate process is straight forward and the legal fees associated with the process are generally quite modest.
The probate process is started when the person named as the executor under the will files a short petition with the surrogate’s court seeking letters testamentary. The petition provides information about the decedent, his heirs and his assets. Individuals in line to inherit and people named in the will must get notice of filing and/or sign a consent form.
The consent forms are filed with the court along with the petition, the original will and death certificate and a fee that ranges from $45 to $1,250. Even during the pandemic we are now experiencing, the surrogate’s court has been processing probate petitions and issuing letters testamentary within a few weeks.
Once letters are issues, the executor has the authority to sell property, close accounts and otherwise marshal the decedent’s assets to ultimately distribute those assets in accordance with the terms of the will. Provided the executor choses to forego commissions, the process of obtaining letters testamentary often costs less than $3,000, including the filing fee.
Although it may cost less to distribute your assets pursuant to a trust, creating a trust often costs more than will and there are frequently expenses involved in funding the trust that are not incurred when you have a will prepared.
In addition, having a trust does not guarantee that your entire estate will pass to your beneficiaries without court intervention. It is not uncommon for people who opt to have a trust created to forget to put some of their assets into the trust.If they do not retitle an account or a vehicle, for example, the trust will not govern how those asset are distributed. In that case, someone will have to petition the court for the authority to dispose of those assets.
Getting back to your question, you are not crazy for having a will rather than a trust. Although your friend’s circumstances may dictate that a trust is the better option for her, as I mentioned above, I generally recommend that my clients have me prepare wills as part of their estate plans. That being said, if after hearing the pros and cons of having a trust a client choses to have me prepare a trust, I am happy to do so. The important thing is that the client makes an informed decision.
Linda M. Toga, Esq provides legal services in the areas of estate planning and administration, real estate, small business services and litigation. She is available for email and phone consultations. Call 631-444-5605 or email Ms. Toga at [email protected].
From left. Wading River Fire Dept. Chief Branden Heller, Suffolk Count Legislator Sarah Anker, Fire Commissioner Joesph Moren, Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar, Fire Commissioner Kevin McQueeney, Covanta Huntington Facility Manager Ken Hinsch, Brookaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner, Fire Commissioner Jim Meier, Fire Commissioner Michael Harrigan, Fire District E.M.S. Supervisor Brian Danowski. Photo from Anker’s office
Local Electeds joined fire department members to celebrate a North Shore power plant for donating PPE during the height of the pandemic.
Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) recently joined Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar, Brookhaven town Councilwoman Jane Bonner (R-Rocky Point) and local fire department members at the Wading River Fire Department to thank and honor Ken Hinsch and Convanta Energy of Huntington for their donation of personal protective equipment to the Wading River, Ridge and Rocky Point Fire Departments during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Covanta Energy of Huntington’s donation included over 15 cases of Tyvek suits and N95 masks that were distributed to Wading River, Ridge and Rocky Point Fire Departments. The donation was estimated to be between $5,000- $6,000 in supplies.
“This pandemic has brought many challenges to our community, including the availability of much needed PPE for our emergency responders,” Anker said. “I am so thankful to Covanta and their Facility Manager, Ken Hinsch, for donating PPE to our local fire departments, and to our fire department
volunteers who have continued to protect and provide emergency services to our community members throughout the pandemic.”
Covanta is a waste management company that regularly uses PPE. In April, Wading River Fire Commissioner Kevin McQueeny reached out to Covanta’s Facility Manager, Ken Hinsch, when the department was nearly out of the life-saving equipment. Ken Hinsch coordinated with the Wading River, Ridge and Rocky Point Fire Departments, donating several cases of Tyvek suits and N95 masks. A member of the Ridge Fire Department drove to the Huntington location to receive the initial donation, while the remaining donation was given to the Wading River Fire Department. The Wading River Fire Department then distributed a portion of the donation to the Rocky Point Fire Department.
“The Board of Fire Commissioners, the Chief’s office and the volunteers of the Wading River Fire Department would like to thank Covanta Energy of Huntington and their Facility Manager, Ken Hinsch, for the generous donation of much needed PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Wading River Fire Commissioner Kevin McQueeney.
PJ village meeting videos are available for 24 hours after their livestreamed. Image caputred from YouTube
Meeting videos available online from the Village of Port Jefferson are being taken down after 24 hours. Though as the village points to the lack of any law that mandates a government or agency keep recordings up for any length of time, some residents said it’s a matter of transparency as well as allowing more residents the opportunity to participate in village government.
Since the start of the pandemic, Port Jefferson has been livestreaming every board of trustee, planning, zoning and zoning board of appeals meeting live on YouTube to the village’s account. Those livestreamed videos were then left up as videos for the public to view.
Sometime within the last few months, those videos have started to be taken down after a 24-hour period. No public announcement was made that past videos would no longer be available.
Officials said the point of them using YouTube is not to set up a permanent library of meetings, adding the meeting minutes remain the official documentation of prior meetings.
The village board of trustees hosts meetings every other Monday, where one takes place in the afternoon around 3:30 p.m., which does not allow public comment, and another meeting in the later evening around 7 p.m., which does allow public comment. During the pandemic, residents were able to ask questions to the board via a chat window on the YouTube page, via email or by being invited to the board’s Zoom meeting. Currently, meeting videos from the past few months still exist on the village’s YouTube channel in several different playlists, but all are currently set to private and are inaccessible by the public.
Before the pandemic, Port Jefferson did not record any meetings either live or for viewing after the fact.
In comparison, the Town of Brookhaven allows people to view the bimonthly Zoom meetings and offer comments via email or through Zoom chat. Those Zoom meetings are posted to YouTube where each can be
viewed indefinitely.
New York State’s Open Meetings Law has changed due to the pandemic, eliminating the mandate that meetings need to be held in person and be available to the public. New open meeting guidelines do relay that an agency or authority “to the extent practicable and within available funds, streamed on such website in real time, and posted on such website within and for a reasonable time after the meeting.”
Village Attorney Brian Egan said neither Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) COVID-19 executive orders nor the state Public Officers Law require a village to keep a perpetual archive of meeting videos.
“The YouTube videos were done to fulfill the requirement of the ‘real-time’ viewing requirement of the executive orders but were never intended to form a video meeting library,” Egan said via email. “Once the meeting time passed, the videos were removed shortly thereafter. The official record has been, and remains, the officially adopted meeting minutes.”
Egan added that once after the pandemic passes and the executive orders expire the village will look to return to in-person meetings and will no longer need to use YouTube.
Rebecca Kassay, the village’s most recently elected trustee, said she would like to see those videos become available again.
“While we have this temporary platform, why not utilize the benefit of increased accessibility?”Kassay said in an email. “We’re proud of what we do for the community; I’d like for more folks to be able to tune in at their convenience and see how local government is working for them. It’s always impressive to hear just how much my fellow trustees and the mayor have to report on a very wide range of Port Jefferson community efforts, from safety issues to the [Port Jefferson] Country Club to environmental protection.”
Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey star in 'Holidate'. Photo courtesy of Netflix
Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel
“Boy, I hope there’s a really unfunny rom-com to kick-off the holiday season,” said no one ever. But that’s what the Netflix offering Holidate delivers. In place of wit, there is … not wit. Holidate is not even worthy of a deprecatingly clever simile.
The premise is simple and has probably been seen dozens of times. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There are many plots that have been revisited over the years. The goal, of course, is to find something fresh, unusual, or intriguing in the situation. Unfortunately, Tiffany Paulsen’s terribly clunky, crass script is further exposed by John Whitesell’s clumsy and pedestrian direction.
Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey in a scene from ‘Holidate’ Photo courtesy of Netflix
Holidate opens with Sloane (Emma Roberts) still reeling from her break-up six months prior. She is having a Christmas from hell in which she is plagued by her family’s constant harping on her singlehood. Sloane is offered advice from her man-chasing Aunt Susan (Kristin Chenoweth) to always have someone to date for the holiday. In Susan’s case, she has brought home a mall Santa.
Across town, Jackson (Luke Bracey) is having a nightmare of his own, spending the holiday with the family of a girl whom he has only dated three times. It is apparent that the young woman thinks that they are in a much more serious relationship, one that she has shared with her eager family.
The next day Sloane and Jackson meet on a department store return line. What comes of this chance encounter is an agreement to be “holidates” for New Year’s Eve. There is not a great deal of background given to either characters. He is a golf pro; she works remotely. She eats junk food; he does not. He’s Australian; she isn’t. And they’re off.
Freed of expectations, this “mismatched” couple has a good time on New Year’s Eve. There is a cute send-up of Dirty Dancing, evoking a smile if not a full-on laugh. The evening ends awkwardly with Sloane deciding it isn’t worth pursuing.
On Valentine’s Day, Sloane runs into her ex with his new, younger girlfriend.Jackson (who just happens to be walking by the store) rescues her from complete embarrassment by swooping in, pretending to be her significant other. Realizing that the situation will work for them, they agree to be friends without benefits, committing to all calendar celebrations for the foreseeable future.
The film now begins to traverse a year’s worth of holidays: St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, etc. Each seems to be centered around drinking and almost — but not quite — having sex. While their friendship grows, Sloane’s mother (Frances Fisher) is desperately trying to set her up with the new neighbor, nice guy doctor Faarooq (Manish Dayal).
Fourth of July is particularly eventful with Jackson having a finger blown off as the men launch M-80’s. Sloane takes him to the hospital (where the Faarooq happens to be on-call). His finger is re-attached. There are the stirring of sparks between Sloane and Jackson. Will they? Won’t they? Do we care?
Since this is a rom-com, they get their wires crossed, resulting in a crisis with a Labor Day wedding where they choose to bring other dates. Sloane takes the doctor; Jackson brings Aunt Susan. (The resulting aunt-doctor hookup at the wedding becomes a subplot that can be kindly described as cringeworthy.)
Halloween sees them taking their relationship to the next step. But not before a disgusting laxative encounter. Thanksgiving shows their divide, with a dramatic confrontation that aims for soul-searching but winds up to be just being embarrassing. And guess what happens at Christmas?
Emma Roberts and Kristin Chenoweth in a scene from ‘Holidate’
None of this would be a problem if the film showed a single spark of originality, charm, or warmth. Holidate instead is consistently tasteless — what is less than single entendre? Basically, it’s watered-down Hallmark with an R rating. A raunchy, crude comedy attempting to make a bigger, heartfelt statement. It achieves being the worst of both worlds. Occasionally, they seem to be sending up the genre but this just confuses and contradicts the majority of the film when they are “being real.” You can’t have it both ways. Or at least they can’t.
The problem is further acerbated by performances that lack subtlety and dimension. Emma Roberts is better than this. Of the cast, she comes across the strongest, but she was given a lot of action but little to play. Luke Bracey is handsome but stiff. Kristin Chenoweth, a truly wonderful performer, is painfully miscast as the vamp; every moment feels excruciatingly forced. If she took the role on to expand her range, she didn’t succeed. If she needed the paycheck, a Go Fund Me would have had more dignity.
The rest of the characters (mostly trope cooky family members) come and go but the director’s complete lack of vision gave no consistent style in which the actors could invest. As a bonus, there are the requisite precocious children who make adult observations and occasionally inappropriate comments.
In the final scene, there was one of maybe three genuinely funny moments in the movie. It involves a Christmas choir at the mall. But one bright note does not a symphony make just as ten clever seconds don’t erase and hour and forty minutes of vulgarity.
Spoiler Alert: Sloane and Jackson end up together. Now you don’t have to watch the movie. You’re welcome.
Town of Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Daniel P. Losquadro has announced the sale of personalized video messages from Santa, in lieu of the annual Holiday Light Spectacular featuring in-person visits with Santa at the Holtsville Ecology Site. All proceeds from the sale of the video, which costs $25, will go directly to the feeding and care of the more than 100 animals residing there.
Parents or loved ones can visit www.BrookhavenNY.gov/Holiday to complete a brief questionnaire about their child or children. In the spirit of Christmas magic, they will then receive a unique, personalized video message from Santa via email. Messages may include up to five children. The videos also include behind-the-scenes footage of Santa visiting with the animals who reside at the Holtsville Ecology Site year-round.
“While we are very disappointed that we are unable to host our Holiday Light Spectacular this year, we came up with an alternative that would still allow children to experience that special visit with Santa Claus in a very personal way,” said Sup. Losquadro.
A OneDrive link to your customized Santa video (MP4 file) will be sent to you via email as soon as production is complete. You will receive your video no later than Dec. 23. Please note, only a limited number of videos will be sold/produced; order early to insure you receive a message from Santa. For more information, please call 631-451-9276.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. Photo by Julianne Mosher
Just as many areas in the rest of the country are experiencing a rise in positive tests for the coroanvirus, Suffolk County has now completed a week in which the numbers have climbed quickly.
The seven-day moving average of new cases is over 300, compared with an average of 119 the prior week.
“For a full week, we’ve seen an alarming spike in new COVID-19 cases,” County Executive Steve Bellone (D) said on a conference call with reporters.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has issued new guidelines starting this evening for restaurants, bars and fitness centers. Starting at 10 pm, each of those businesses is required to close from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Restaurants are allowed to offer curbside dining for pick up only after 10 p.m., but they can’t serve alcohol after that time.
At the same time, gatherings are limited to 10 people, in part because smaller collections of people have contributed to the rise in positive tests.
Starting today, the county will also deploy six teams, consisting of one fire marshal and one staff member from consumer affairs to boost ongoing compliance.
These teams will speak with businesses about new restrictions. The first focus will be on gaining compliance and informing and educating the public. These new teams will have the authority to issue citations if they “detect or observe egregious violations,” Bellone said.
These new restrictions are the first in the county since the spring.
“We don’t want to see new restrictions take effect that will slow the recovery more,” Bellone said. “That will all be dependent on what we do in the next couple of weeks.”
The county has a “short window” in which to get these numbers under control, the county executive continued.
The county has activated 200 additional case investigators and has 1,000 contact traces following up on positive tests within the county.
The goal is to get index cases as quickly as possible within a 24-hour period, Bellone added, to reduce the spread of the virus.
Bellone urged people to avoid gatherings this weekend to the greatest extent possible.
“We are entering a dangerous period for this virus,” Bellone said. “We have long talked about the possibility of a second wave in the fall. It very much feels like that’s where we are.”
With two weeks left until Thanksgiving, Bellone reminded residents that the time to quarantine is limited.
People need to follow best practices, which includes social distancing, mask wearing and hand sanitizing, even as the weather gets colder and residents spend more time indoors.
“No one wants their Thanksgiving gathering to be the next super spreader event,” Bellone said.
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