Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit detectives are investigating a hit-and-run crash that killed a man in Farmingville on Dec. 11.
A man was crossing northbound on Horseblock Road, near Raymond Avenue, when he was struck by an unknown vehicle traveling westbound at approximately 6 p.m. As he was lying in the roadway, a Subaru Impreza struck the victim, then spun and crashed into a fire hydrant, a tree, and a parked Hyundai Tucson.
The pedestrian, Alberto Perea Vazquez, 56, of Farmingville, was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. The two male drivers of the Subaru and Hyundai were transported to Stonybrook University Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Police are asking anyone with information on this crash to contact Major Case Unit detectives at 631-852-6555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls can remain confidential.
Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate two women who allegedly used stolen credit cards in Selden.
A woman reported two unknown women went through her unlocked vehicle, parked on Merrick Street, Holtsville, at approximately 2 a.m. on September 9 and stole a pocketbook containing credit and debit cards. At approximately 5:30 p.m. that day, two women used the credit cards at several stores, including Walgreens, located at 655 Middle Country Road, Selden.
Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.
Chelsea Gomez, a Three Village native and chef, is ready to serve patrons at the newly unveiled Level Up Kitchen Library Café at Emma S. Clark Memorial Library. Photo courtesy Emma S. Clark Memorial Library
Emma S. Clark Memorial Library has unveiled its new café, the much-anticipated final phase in a construction project announced in 2021. It includes the café, a new outdoor terrace and better flow for the library’s main reading room.
This two-year undertaking is helping to make the library even more of a community center than before, inviting those to come and stay while meeting the various needs of the library’s constituents.
The café, now open to the public, is run by Level Up Kitchen, a local business selected from a pool of candidates to be the food and beverage vendor, as was publicized by the library in May.
Owned and operated by Three Village native and chef Chelsea Gomez, Level Up Kitchen Library Café promises fresh coffee and healthy, handcrafted fare that meets various dietary needs. The menu includes nut-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan items, avoiding cross-contamination with allergens.
Gomez places importance on sustainability, working with local farms and purveyors where possible to stimulate the local economy and provide the freshest, highest-quality ingredients. Gomez possesses extensive food safety knowledge, and all her employees are Suffolk County Department of Health-certified food managers.
In addition to the outdoor terrace, which opened last summer, a new indoor seating area was added adjacent to the café. Architect John Cunniffe, a Stony Brook resident with experience in preserving historical accuracy, ensured that the café and seating area showed architectural sensitivity to the historic section with the same refined feel.
Urban Village Contracting, a local company, executed the construction. The library completed the entire construction project without closing for its patrons.
A café is a very popular addition among today’s libraries. It allows for more flexibility and options for the public to visit the library more often and extend their stay.
The library is not solely a building full of books but a place where individuals or groups may leisurely enjoy the beautiful space. Those studying or working may now take a break for a quick snack or meal without having to leave the library.
Before or after a library program, attendees may have something to eat or drink. Those who live or work in the neighborhood may stop in to grab a coffee or a bite to eat. Friends may meet at the library for coffee or a meal and browse books together. The café enhances that welcoming feel and accommodates those who want to stay longer.
This “new” Emma Clark Library is not so much a transformation as a rejuvenation of the library, staying true to its historic roots while accommodating its 21st-century constituency. The library’s Board of Trustees and staff are thrilled to offer these improvements to the community here in Three Village.
It’s been a bumpy year for the financial markets — which means that some of your investments may have underperformed or lost value. Can you use these losses to your advantage?
It’s possible. If you have some investments that have lost value, you could sell them to offset taxable capital gains from other investments. If your losses exceed gains for the year, you could use the remaining losses to offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income. And any amount over $3,000 can be carried forward to offset gains in future years.
This “tax-loss harvesting” can be advantageous if you plan to sell investments that you’ve held in taxable accounts for years and that have grown significantly in value. And you might receive some gains even if you take no action yourself. For example, when you own mutual funds, the fund manager can decide to sell stocks or other investments within the fund’s portfolio and then pay you a portion of the proceeds. These payments, known as capital gains distributions, are taxable to you whether you take them as cash or reinvest them back into the fund.
Still, despite the possible tax benefits of selling investments whose price has fallen, you need to consider carefully whether such a move is in your best interest. If an investment has a clear place in your holdings, and it offers good business fundamentals and favorable prospects, you might not want to sell it just because its value has dropped.
On the other hand, if the investments you’re thinking of selling are quite similar to others you own, it might make sense to sell, take the tax loss and then use the proceeds of the sale to purchase new investments that can help fill any gaps in your portfolio.
If you do sell an investment and reinvest the funds, you’ll want to be sure your new investment is different in nature from the one you sold. Otherwise, you could risk triggering the “wash sale” rule, which states that if you sell an investment at a loss and buy the same or a “substantially identical” investment within 30 days before or after the sale, the loss is generally disallowed for income tax purposes.
Here’s one more point to keep in mind about tax-loss harvesting: You’ll need to take into account just how long you’ve held the investments you’re considering selling. That’s because long-term losses are first applied against long-term gains, while short-term losses are first applied against short-term gains. (Long-term is defined as more than a year; short-term is one year or less.)
If you have excess losses in one category, you can then apply them to gains of either type. Long-term capital gains are taxed at 0%, 15% or 20%, depending on your income, while short-term gains are taxed at your ordinary income tax rate. So, from a tax perspective, taking short-term losses could provide greater benefits if your tax rate is higher than the highest capital gains rate.
You’ll want to contact your tax advisor to determine whether tax-loss harvesting is appropriate for your situation — and you’ll need to do it soon because the deadline is Dec. 31. But whether you pursue this technique this year or not, you may want to keep it in mind for the future — because you’ll always have investment tax issues to consider.
Michael Christodoulou, ChFC®, AAMS®, CRPC®, CRPS® is a Financial Advisor for Edward Jones in Stony Brook. Member SIPC.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a very common problem with a stigma. In fact, I have had several patients who resisted telling me they suffered from this malady. Because it can be a symptom of other diseases, it is crucial that you share this information with your doctor.
ED affects approximately 1 in 10 men on a chronic basis. If it occurs less than 20 percent of the time, it is normal; whereas if it occurs more than 50 percent of the time, there is a problem that requires therapy, according to the Cleveland Clinic (1).
There are oral medications for ED. You’ve probably seen ads for them everywhere. Its prevalence has led pharmaceutical companies to saturate the airwaves, especially during sporting events. Approved medications include sildenafil (Viagra, or the “little blue pill”), tadalafil (Cialis), vardenafil (Levitra, Staxyn), and avanafil (Stendra). These drugs work by affecting the endothelium, or inner layer, of blood vessels and causing vasodilation, or enlargement of blood vessels, which increases blood flow to the penis. Unfortunately, this does not solve the medical problem, but it does provide a short-term fix for those who are good candidates for treatment.
ED’s prevalence increases with age. In a multinational MALES study, ED affected 8 percent of those aged 20-30 and 37 percent of 70-75-year-olds (2). What was surprising was that advanced age had the least association with ED, increasing the odds by only five percent. So, what contributes to the rest of the increase as we age? Disease processes and drug therapies.
What is the relationship betweenmedical conditions and ED?
Chronic diseases significantly contribute to ED. The opposite may also be true; ED may be a harbinger of disease. Typical contributors include metabolic syndrome, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and obesity. In the Look AHEAD trial, ED had a greater than two-fold association with hypertension and a three-fold association with metabolic syndrome (3). In another study, ED was associated with a 2.5-times increase in cardiovascular disease (4).
A randomized clinical trial (RCT) showed that patients with ED had significantly more calcification, or atherosclerosis, in the arteries when compared to a control group (5). They were more than three times as likely to have severe levels of calcification. They also had more inflammation, measured by C-reactive protein.
How do medications contribute to ED?
About 25 percent of ED cases are thought to be associated with medications, such antidepressants; NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen sodium; and hypertension medications. Unfortunately, the most common antidepressant medications, SSRIs, have the greatest impact on ED of all antidepressants.
The California Men’s Health Study, with over 80,000 participants, showed that there was an association between NSAIDs and ED, with a 38 percent increase in ED in patients who use NSAIDs on a regular basis (6). The authors warn that patients should not stop taking NSAIDS without consulting their physicians.
Also, high blood pressure drugs have a reputation for causing ED. Beta blockers were thought to be the main culprit. A meta-analysis of 42 studies showed that beta blockers have a small effect, but thiazide diuretics (water pills) more than doubled ED, compared to placebo (7).
How does diet affect ED?
The Mediterranean-type diet has been shown to treat and prevent ED, improving one’s health and sex life at the same time. It’s the green leafy alternative to the little blue pill. The foods are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and high in monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, as well as in fiber. Components include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, walnuts, and olive oil.
In two RCTs lasting two years, those who followed a Mediterranean-type diet saw improvements in their endothelial functioning (8, 9). They also had reduced inflammation and decreased insulin resistance.
In another study, men who had the greatest compliance with the Mediterranean-type diet were significantly less likely to have ED, compared to those with the lowest compliance (10). Even more impressive was that the group with the highest compliance had a 37 percent reduction in severe ED versus the low compliance group.
A study of participants in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study looked more closely at both the Mediterranean-type diet and an Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010 diet, which emphasized consuming vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and fish or other sources of long-chain fats, as well as avoiding red and processed meats (11). At this point, it probably won’t surprise you to hear that the greater participants’ compliance with either of these diets, the less likely they were to experience ED.
Therefore, it is important to bring ED to the attention of your physician.
There are very effective lifestyle alternatives to oral medication that provide positive overall health effects and treat associated chronic diseases, while also helping patients eliminate medications that contribute to ED.
References:
(1) clevelandclinic.org. (2) Curr Med Res Opin. 2004;20(5):607. (3) J Sex Med. 2009;6(5):1414-22. (4) Int J Androl. 2010;33(6):853-60. (5) J Am Coll Cardiol. 2005;46(8):1503. (6) Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 Jul;97(28):e11367. (7) JAMA. 2002;288(3):351. (8) Int J Impot Res. 2006;18(4):405-10. (9) JAMA. 2004;292(12):1440-6. (10) J Sex Med. 2010 May;7(5):1911-7. (11) JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Nov 2;3(11):e2021701.
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 or consult your personal physician.
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
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The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center hosts its annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 1. Photo by Bill Landon
The Holtsville Ecology Center held its annual Christmas Tree lighting Friday night, Dec. 1, an event during which, in years past, Santa Claus would make a grand entrance by helicopter.
Due to the inclement weather, the guest of honor was picked up at the airport and delivered to the event by the Holtsville Fire Department.
There were indoor activities for the kids, the hot chocolate was piping hot, and the dance team from the Michelle Ferraros Dance USA studio took centerstage, wowing the crowd with their holiday performance.
Town of Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro (R) emceed the event while Suffolk County Executive-elect Ed Romaine (R) wished the gathered faithful holiday good cheer.
Despite the steady drizzle and all the umbrellas, the spirit of the holiday season prevailed.
Last week, tech giant Google reached an agreement with the Canadian government that will allow the search engine to continue publishing links to local news outlets under select conditions. As part of the bargain, Google will pay out roughly U.S. $73.5 million annually to Canadian news companies.
We regard this development as a significant victory for local journalism, setting a powerful precedent we can follow here in the United States.
The local press is a vital institution for sustaining democracy. We know that in news deserts — or places not served by a local newspaper — communities generally have less civic engagement and more governmental mismanagement.
Without local news, we become alienated from the democratic process. Distant bureaucracies in Washington and Albany — over which we have little influence as private citizens — dominate our mental space and shape our worldviews.
Without local news, we can consume only the most polarizing, partisan content from mainstream media outlets that prosper and profit from a national culture of division.
At TBR, we are committed to a ground-up style of democracy. A stable federalist system requires a solid foundation. Like the food chain, community journalism is the primary producer, giving life to all other levels of democracy. Without the local press, our entire democratic ecosystem could collapse.
Local journalists reporting on civic matters and informed citizens engaging in the political process are the pillars of a thriving democracy. But how our industry is changing.
Today, local outlets fight just to survive — much less thrive and expand. Local newspapers have simply struggled to adapt in this digital age. Meanwhile, tech conglomerates are cannibalizing the local media landscape, circulating and monetizing our content without equitable compensation while siphoning away precious advertising dollars from small businesses — the lifeblood of the local press.
We find this dynamic deeply problematic. Fortunately, we have recourse.
Right now, the state Legislature is considering the Local Journalism Sustainability Act. This measure would create tax credits for local journalists and monetarily reward local news subscribers.
We regard this legislation as a positive first step toward attracting and retaining talent in our industry while counteracting the declines faced by many of our shuttering peers. We ask each of our state legislators to support this measure and invite readers to lobby them on our behalf.
But the work doesn’t end in Albany. Local news outlets in the U.S. deserve compensation from Big Tech, similar to our Canadian counterparts. If Canada can defend its local press, our federal government can, too.
The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate earlier this year by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) with broad bipartisan support, would allow local outlets to jointly negotiate fair compensation for access to our content by Google, Facebook and other large corporations.
We urge our U.S. Congressman Nick LaLota (R-NY1) to pick up the measure, guiding the slim House majority toward enactment.
As local press members, we are staring down an extinction-level event. The monopolistic, plagiaristic, predatory tactics of Big Tech must end. We ask for a level playing field.
To our readers and public officials alike, we urge you to do what you can to stand up for local news.
Picture Stony Brook University Hospital. It’s over a million square feet of facilities provide a wide range of medical services. The people who run the operations in this complex have created policies and procedures that make the entire hospital much greener than the distinctive two-tone building that’s visible from a distance along Nicolls Road.
For the hospital’s plethora of policies that protect the planet, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently recognized Stony Brook, among others, for a commitment to decarbonize its operations and improve its resilience amid climate change.
Barbara Boyle is the director of Healthcare Safety at Stony Brook University Hospital. Photo from Stony Brook Medicine/ Jeanne Neville
During the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference, called COP28 in Dubai, HHS recognized Stony Brook as one of more than 130 organizations that joined the White House-HHS Health Sector climate pledge, which committed to reduce emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and have net zero emissions by 2050.
The recognition is “validating” and “wonderful” and provides the kind of excitement that “pushes you along a little further,” said Barbara Boyle, Director of Healthcare Safety at Stony Brook University Hospital.
Carol Gomes, chief executive officer and chief operating officer at Stony Brook University Hospital, added that green practices were not only good for the university, but were also supportive of the bottom line.
“When you reduce bio hazardous waste from the waste stream, it reduces expenses related to carting away” the more dangerous refuse, Gomes said. Such actions are part of the school’s fiscal responsibility.
Numerous measures
Stony Brook University Hospital has taken a wide range of steps to reduce its carbon footprint, to minimize toxins, and to reuse and recycle materials to encourage sustainability.
One of the first initiatives was to install motion and LED lighting. While the cost of a bulb might be higher initially, the lights last much longer.
“You have to think longer term, not shorter term in terms of savings,” said Gomes. “I was so proud of that project” which included retrofitting every light in the hospital, parking garage and on the roadway on the campus.
Carol Gomes is the chief executive officer and chief operating officer at Stony Brook University Hospital. File photo
Hospital efforts include using cleaning materials that are better for the environment. In 2022, 76% of the housekeeping chemicals were green, well up from 18% in 2021.
Additionally, electricity use at the hospital declined by 13 percent from 2020 to 2022.
In the operating room, anesthesiologists use considerably less desflurane, which is damaging to the atmosphere, with an extended lifetime in the atmosphere that has 20 times the environmental impact of other gases. The use of desflurane declined by 80 percent from 2017 to 2022.
The hospital also recycled 1,635 tons of paper. Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts of energy and 7,000 gallons of water. That means, among other benefits, the hospital saved about 28,000 trees and 11.5 million gallons of water. That is 10,000 more trees than are in all of Central Park.
Coordinating emergency care
Stony Brook has also worked on a climate resilience plan to ensure that it can remain operational in case of a major climate event, such as a hurricane, an extended heat wave, or a nor’easter, among others.
“We need to make sure the hospital can continue to remain operational,” said Boyle, which includes anticipating the needs of communities that are at a disproportionate risk of climate harm.
The hospital also has extensive plans in case Stony Brook needs to provide shelter for staff who can’t return home and return to work.
Hospital staff recently joined a discussion with community members, the Suffolk County Department of Health, emergency services such as the Red Cross, and volunteer organizations to discuss how to ensure efficient and effective communication pathways and resource allocation.
Boyle explained that she learned the specifics of Red Cross shelters and cooling centers in Municipal Buildings.
Changes in personal habits
Such professional efforts are consistent with the lessons Gomes learned from her grandmother, who herself grew up during the Great Depression. Gomes recalled how her grandmother encouraged her to turn off lights when she left a room and to shut off the faucet in the kitchen sink in between cleaning dishes.
Boyle explained that her mother-in-law Beryl Ellwood Smith, who grew up in England during World War II and had lived with Boyle’s family for the last two years, didn’t believe in throwing things out. She believed everything had a second or third use, repairing and mending items to keep them longer.
“In my family, we’ve really taken this to heart, recycling and eliminating waste,” Boyle said.
The hospital encourages staff to take similar approaches to saving and recycling in their own lives.
Staff recently received a note about ways to think about sustainable holiday decorations.
People who work in the hospital can offer their friends and family experiences rather than adding to the collection of material goods often packaged in styrofoam or plastic for holiday gifts.
The hospital is encouraging its staff to “make the connection between the workplace and the home and the importance of protecting the Earth in general,” Gomes said.
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council put on the 27th annual Charles Dickens Festival Dec. 2-3. Photo by Julianne Mosher
Nearing three decades, the village of Port Jefferson turned once again into a Dickensian storyland for the annual Charles Dickens Festival.
Kickstarted by a parade down East Main Street on Saturday, Dec. 2, dozens of people dressed to the nines in their best Victorian-era suits and gowns joined characters from Dickens’ books like “Oliver Twist” and “A Christmas Carol” to march to
the Village Center.
“This really is the unofficial kickoff to the holiday season,” Mayor Lauren Sheprowsaid. “Walking through the Village Center is literally like a movie set, and what the arts council has done in such a short period of time, I’m overwhelmed and amazed by it.”
Spearheaded by the Village of Port Jefferson and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council, there were plenty of things to do and see.
Different dance troupes performed throughout the day in different locations, while a blacksmith was melting iron in front of the Frigate store. For the first time ever, the arts council created Santa Claus Central, located inside the Methodist Church.
Sheprow said she was looking most forward to watching her nephew perform at the Presbyterian Church with his school’s orchestra, “and see how residents and visitors really appreciate this event.”
And it wouldn’t have been a Dickens Festival without sporadic performances from “Oliver Twist” and “A Christmas Carol” scheduled throughout the day on Main Street.
Other fun events that followed into Sunday, Dec. 3, despite the wet weather, included ice skating, checking out the festival of trees inside the Village Center, a magic show, horse and carriage rides and performances from all levels of the Port Jefferson school district choirs and orchestras.
Thanking community for solidarity around farm animals
Dear Community,
I want to thank you, the community, for coming together to keep the animals at the historic Sherwood-Jayne Farm on Old Post Road in East Setauket.
A special thank you to those who stopped by on Nov, 8, while Preservation Long Island [the farm owner] was trying to take away the animals. There was no notice that they were coming that day. Your presence was deeply appreciated.
Even though the farm animals — the four sheep and Snowball the pony — will be removed at some time soon, your commitment to try to keep them at the farm brought our community together in a beautiful way. It was a deep disappointment that the director of Preservation Long Island hardened her heart to not let the animals live out their lives at the Sherwood-Jayne Farm.
No one knows when the director is planning to remove the animals. You may want to take some “Grandma Moses”-style photos before the animals are taken away.
Again, my sincere thanks.
Bonnie Dunbar
Setauket
Three Village school board’s regressive decision on Regents exams
At the Nov. 29 meeting of the Three Village Central School District Board of Education, a decision was made to regress to the pre-COVID era in terms of how Regents exams will figure into our students’ grade point averages.
Instead of permanently instating the “do no harm” policy that has been in place since the pandemic, a slim majority voted to do away with it altogether. The “grading committee” apparently felt it was far more important to simply lower the percentage that the exams will count in a final course GPA from 12% to 10% rather than take into consideration the considerable damage these flawed exams can do to one’s final course grade.
The simple truth is that most students who will be taking Regents exams this year are either first timers or those who have not been tainted by the tests because of the policy that has been in place. I applaud the one board member, Karen Roughley, who delivered an extremely comprehensive argument for why the “do no harm” policy was the most advantageous opportunity for our students to be successful.
Students who excel all year and achieve mastery in their quarter grades should not have the average destroyed by one test. There are innumerable factors that can alter how students perform on their Regents, including test anxiety and/or other mental health issues, illness, outside distractions and so forth. Yet the board ignored the opportunity to ensure that our students do not suffer if they are unable to regurgitate information during a three-hour state exam.
New York State neither requires nor recommends that Regents exams be counted in a student’s final course grade. Several districts, including Jericho — that Three Village chooses to compare themselves to — do not count Regents exams in their final GPA.
Why then, with this information, does this district insist on continuing down this archaic rabbit hole? Is it not enough that the Chemistry Regents includes a downward curve or that the ELA and United States history exams have formats now that even the strongest students struggle with?
The grading committee’s claim that our students wouldn’t put forth the same effort if they knew the scores wouldn’t count was completely disproven by the data presentation at the meeting. The mere suggestion is insulting to our kids and those responsible for preparing them for the exams.
The board’s decision was one of cowardice and a disregard for our children’s success. To say I am disappointed, as a great many parents are, would be a huge understatement.
Stefanie Werner
East Setauket
Miller Place fire commissioner bid
Dear Residents of the Miller Place Fire District,
My name is Kyle Markott and I’m writing to ask for your support as I run for Miller Place Fire District commissioner. I believe my skills, knowledge and experience of fire district operations make me an ideal candidate for the position of fire commissioner.
I joined the Miller Place Fire Department as a .junior member in 1994 at the age of 14. After serving four years in the juniors, I was honored to be sworn in as an active member. As years went by, I rose through the ranks serving as chief driver, lieutenant and then captain of the Engine Company. In 2007 I was elected as 3rd assistant chief. I went on to serve eight years in the chief’s office attaining the rank of chief of department in 2013-14.
I believe what sets me apart is my experience with fire district operations. For the past four years I have served as a fire district manager. I handle all aspects of the fire district on a day-to-day basis including the management of a 20-person staff, creation of the annual budget, truck and building maintenance, overseeing a 24/7 dispatch and EMS operation, and daily interaction with all our vendors.
Having knowledge of what is happening in other fire districts and the county is also an important trait of an effective commissioner. For the past nine years I have served on the Suffolk County Fire Rescue & Emergency Services Commission, and I currently serve as chairman. This commission makes recommendations to the county executive and Legislature regarding fire and EMS services in the county.
I hope my over-26 years of experience in the fire and EMS service makes me the best candidate for the commissioner position.
The commissioner election is on Tuesday, Dec. 12, from 4-9 p.m. at the Miller Place Fire Department headquarters located at 12 Miller Place Road.
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