The Grand Republic, in front of the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Promenade, made a grand entrance into New York Harbor to mark the 160th anniversary of Bridgeport-Port Jefferson owner, McAllister Towing on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Founded in 1864 in New York Harbor with a single sail lighter, McAllister has grown into one of the oldest and largest family-owned marine towing and transportation companies in the United States.
“For 160 years, McAllister has called New York City home, growing alongside the port’s rise as a global maritime powerhouse and cementing its legacy as a cornerstone of the maritime industry. This milestone recognizes the company’s pivotal contributions to harbor towing, coastal towing, and bulk transportation, as well as its leadership in green technologies and its dedication to shaping the future of the maritime industry,” read a press release from the company.
Debate over arming school security guards continues
By Mallie Jane Kim
School building maintenance and improvement projects warrant considering a bond in Three Village Central School District, according to district officials.
A bond, which would need voter approval, would allow the district to borrow money over a 15-year term to address needs such as repairing the cupolas that top the aging brick buildings, updating science labs and adding air conditioning to elementary school cafeterias.
The annual increase in cost to the average taxpayer would be about $284, according to an estimate by interim Deputy Superintendent Jeffrey Carlson.
New York State building aid currently reimburses 66% of the cost and interest involved in building projects in Three Village, money that would be paid out over that same 15-year term as the loan.
“If we’re in agreement that work needs to be done, a bond is the fairest way for taxpayers to pay for it,” Carlson said at a Dec. 11 school board meeting. “No matter how you look at it, it’s a great deal that somebody else is paying two thirds of the cost of any of the projects that we have to do.”
The 66% reimbursement rate is high for a wealthier district like Three Village, due to a quirk in the building aid formula that states a district will get either the result of a wealth-calculation formula or the percentage it got the previous year, whichever is higher.
After Gov. Kathy Hochul’s attempts last year to cut state aid to many school districts, including about $8 million from Three Village, school officials wonder if the building aid formula may also face future adjustments. If so, Three Village building aid from the state could drop to 37.6% based on current wealth levels, according to Carlson, who added that voting to secure a bond would lock in the current aid rate. Any actual work would likely begin summer of 2026.
“Issuing a bond now should secure, in principle, this favorable reimbursement throughout the term of the bond,” said Tracy Harris, reading from a statement by a bond committee made up of parents, community members and stakeholders from district employee groups.
The committee visited each building for a firsthand review of projects that would fall under the bond and, after almost a year of discussions, unanimously recommended the board approve a referendum at the “earliest reasonable date.”
The committee also recommended a tiered approach with multiple propositions, separating out greater needs in one proposition and lower-priority needs in another, contingent on voters adopting the first proposition.
“This tiered approach empowers the community to support the level of investment they deem appropriate while maximizing the likelihood that critical projects are funded,” read Harris.
But Carlson cautioned the tiers could imply projects in a secondary proposition are not important. He said air conditioning in elementary school cafeterias and junior high school gyms may sound superfluous, except for a new state law requiring schools vacate rooms that reach 88 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot June or September days could render those spaces unusable.
“Air conditioning is not quite the luxury that it used to be,” Carlson said.
If the school board decides to approve a referendum at its January 8 meeting, residents could potentially vote on the bond in March, before the district begins its 2025-2026 budget planning.
Parents speak out against arming security guards
Debate among district parents about whether to arm school security guards continues to percolate after a student accidentally brought a parent’s loaded law enforcement weapon into a classroom at Ward Melville High School on Oct. 10.
District officials have said they are reviewing and updating security protocol, including working to acquire an AI weapons detection system. A newly formed parent group has called publicly over the past months for metal detectors and armed security guards, but now others are speaking against such measures.
“Actively bringing firearms to the school campus, regardless of whose hands they are in, is not the answer,” argued parent Ian Farber during the board meeting’s public comment section. “It’s incumbent on all of us to bolster effective security measures, not succumb to fears. For if we live in fear, we lose.”
One major concern was whether students with anxiety, ADHD or autism may, in a moment of crisis, inadvertently appear to be a threat to an armed security guard unfamiliar with how to appropriately deescalate such situations.
Others said armed guards and metal detectors offer a “false sense of security” and pointed to a 2021 academic study published on the JAMA network that found school shootings where armed guards were present had a 2.83% greater rate of deaths.
“There are more effective things that we can do before we go to the knee-jerk reaction of putting in metal detectors and armed guards,” said district parent Nadia Busseuil, who suggested preventative measures like addressing bullying and making sure kids are connected to caring adults like teachers, guidance counselors and psychologists.
To those who prefer arming guards, the option is not knee-jerk but a long time coming.
Three Village parent Alex Dicpinigaitis said district solutions like AI weapons detection are a waste of time.
“At the end of that project, we’ll still have the same situation but with a bigger tax bill: We’ll still have a bad guy with a gun and no good guy with a gun to stop him,” said Dicpinigaitis, whose Facebook group 3v Parents for Armed Security has over 200 members. “For a significantly lower price, we can arm our guards today.”
Groups on both sides of this issue are circulating petitions to present to the Board of Education.
Sean Cogan drives to the basket against North Babylon. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Brody Gazzo hits a short jumper. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Owen Boylan gets some air for two points. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Patrick Gimpel hits game-winning shot for Northport. Photo by Steven Zaitz
By Steven Zaitz
The Northport Boys Basketball team earned their first league win on Thursday, Dec. 12, on the road against North Babylon — but it certainly wasn’t easy.
Down by as many as 12 points to the Bulldogs, Northport came storming back with a dominant 17-9 4th quarter. But after a free throw by North Babylon guard Kameron Quinn, the Tigers were down by one point with 20 seconds remaining in the game.
Northport elected not to take a timeout and guard Shamus Burke rushed the ball up court and gave it to big man Sean Cogan in the corner. Double-teamed, Cogan handed it off to senior guard Patrick Gimpel, who drove diagonally through the lane and threw up a right-handed scooping layup that evaded the outstretched block attempt by North Babylon’s Logan Artherly. It gave Northport a 49-48 win and stopped the Tigers three -game losing streak.
Gimpel scored all 11 of his points in the second half — obviously none bigger than his last-second game winner. Senior forward Owen Boylan led the Tigers with 13 and Cogan had 10. Brody Gozzo had 9 and Burke 8.
Northport began its comeback when they scored 7 straight points midway through the third quarter. Boylan hit a short jumper in the lane and Gimpel spun out of a pick and roll and scored on a nice feed from Cogan, as North Babylon committed three turnovers in a two-minute span in that third quarter which allowed Northport to sneak back in.
The final ten minutes were hotly contested before Gimpel scored the final bucket of the game.
Northport moved to 2-3 overall on the year and 1-1 in the newly configured Suffolk County League 3. They play league contests against Copiague and Huntington this week.
Above, what Blydenburgh County Park could look like if the dam isn't put back ... this is West Brook in Bayard Cutting Arboretum several years after the dam failed and a beautiful stream valley with great biodiversity has emerged. Photo from John Turner
By John L. Turner
Due to the extensive development of Long Island, starting with European colonization nearly 400 years ago, virtually no species, natural area, or landscape has been untouched. Some of these “touches” have been minor, others moderate, while still others have been drastic or complete, like the virtual destruction of the Hempstead Plains, a once 40,000 square mile tallgrass prairie located in the middle of Nassau County. True too, for the timber wolf which was eradicated early in the Island’s settlement driven by a bounty paid during the 17th century for each dead wolf.
There are few places where these impacts have been more extensive than with the more than 100 streams and rivers flowing outward from the center of Long Island to the salty waters that surround it. For centuries these streams were viewed as only having commercial value; modified by dams the streams became artificial ponds to supply water for cranberry bogs and for the harvest of ice.
Mills were constructed in many places, taking advantage of the water funneled over constructed dams, to grind corn, saw wood or for fulling clothing fiber. Today, there are very few unobstructed streams on Long Island. (One of the few is Alewife Creek in Southampton which drains Big Fresh Pond, emptying into North Sea Harbor).
The ‘brook’ in Stony Brook. Photo from John Turner
Obstruction is the reality at “Cutsgunsuck,” the Setalcott Indigenous Nation’s name for a “brook laden with stones,” a brook that we know today as Stony Brook. This “stone laden” brook, fed by freshwater oozing out of the Upper Glacial aquifer on its northward flow to the harbor, was drastically altered about 275 years ago, with the construction of the dam to funnel water for the Stony Brook Grist Mill so only a limited section of the original brook remains. Predictably, as with all dams, the water backed up behind the newly constructed dam, creating a pond in the process and drowning much of the stream and streamside environment — and its interwoven array of plants and animals— that had evolved in place over many thousands of years. Same was the case with the dam in Blydenburgh County Park creating Stump Pond.
Victims of these dams were the migratory fish, American Eel and Alewife, a species of river herring, that undoubtedly used Stony Brook and the upper reaches of the Nissequogue River centuries ago to spawn and develop. These fish, known as diadromous species,live in two worlds — in the case of American eels spawning in the ocean (the Sargasso Sea), migrating inland to freshwater streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds to spend more than a decade growing and maturing before returning to the ocean. Alewife behave in the opposite fashion — coming inland to spawn with the adults and young leaving to develop in the ocean.
Eels and river herring are important components of the coastal food chain, nourishing cormorants, wading birds, eagles, and ospreys while back in the sea, a host of predatory fish such as striped bass, bluefish, and tuna. Mammals that prey on these species include river otters, making a slow comeback on Long Island, and seals. The dams created insurmountable obstacles to the completion of their life cycle so for these fish and the other species that feed upon them two ecological threads were severed.
The Northern Dusky Salamander found in the Stony Brook Mill Pond. Photo from John Turner
Other animals that prosper in cold and clear streams lost out too, seeing their habitat lost or substantially diminished.Remarkably, one of them is a species hanging on in the truncated stream segment south of the now drained portion of the Stony Brook Mill Pond — the Northern Dusky Salamander, an amphibian discovered by someone helping wildlife in the pond after the dam failure; a species which has not been seen on Long Island in nearly a century and was presumed extirpated here!
The northern dusky is one of nine native salamander species that call Long Island home and some naturalists wonder if this population constitutes a new species since it’s been reproductively isolated from other populations of the species, the nearest being in Westchester county, for some 12,000 to 15,000 years.DNA work is proposed to sort the genetics out.
The same adverse ecological impacts occurred when the dam was constructed to operate a grist mill at Stump Pond within Blydenburgh County Park in Hauppauge (which had its dam blow out due to the same storm event in August) but on an even larger scale. The two streams feeding Stump Pond, that is two headwater sections of the Nissequogue River, one beginning in the Hauppauge Springs area near the Suffolk County Center on State Route 454, the other emanating further afield in the Village of the Branch, disappeared with the construction of the dam that created Stump Pond, flooding many dozens of acres of riparian habitat including the killing of dozens of Atlantic White Cedar, a rare wetland tree species.
What if the dams at Stony Brook Mill Pond and Stump Pond are not reconstructed? What would this mean for the environmental setting there? Almost immediately wetland dependent plant species and wildlife would repopulate the stream and the adjacent low-lying floodplain and the wetland at West Brook in the Bayard Cutting Arboretum can provide insight. Here, the dam failed in 2019 draining an area about the size of the Stony Brook Mill Pond and naturalists have been studying the result ever since.
Migratory fish now have unimpeded access to the full length of the West Brook watershed. Plants have flourished, emerging from the seed bank that has laid dormant for many decades, awaiting just the right conditions to germinate. Within two years 108 native species of wetland-loving wildflowers began to fill in the mud banks on both sides of West Brook, including an extensive stand of cattails. These plants now support numerous insects including a number of pollinators.
Underappreciated concerns from dams and dam failures are property damage and loss of human life. These concerns are very likely to grow as the frequency and severity of storm events increases due to climate disruption.
For example, the National Centers for Environmental Information, part of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), keeps tallies of storms and for New York noted seven weather related disasters in the 1980’s causing $1 billion worth of property damage. By the 1990’s the total doubled to 14, the same number for the period of 2000 to 2009.
For the 2010’s? Twenty-nine such events. And in 2023 alone there were seven, the same number you’ll remember for all of the 1980’s. With slightly different circumstances it is not difficult to envision several houses and the occupants within them, living downstream from the failed dams at both the Stony Brook Mill Pond and Blydenburgh County Park, being destroyed and killed, respectively.
Then there’s the cost of maintaining dams and impoundments. The impoundments behind dams collect sediment which eventually have to be dredged, at considerable expense, or the pond becomes increasingly shallow and eventually disappears from the sediment load. And the warm, still waters in the impoundments are conducive to plant growth, especially by invasive species which often proliferate, eventually covering the entire water surface, compromising other recreational uses like boating and fishing.
For example, the Town of Brookhaven spent more than $4 million of taxpayer funds to combat Cabomba, a species of fanwort that’s a noxious weed, growing in the Upper Lake of the Carmans River (it wasn’t successful in eliminating the weed).
Suffolk County spent several million dollars more to dredge the sediments from Canaan Lake in Patchogue and Nassau County officials have committed significant staff and equipment in an effort to eradicate Water Chestnut from Mary’s Lake in Massapequa.
One last example is the state’s more-than-a-decade fight to control Ludwigia, also known as floating primrose-willow, an invasive species that’s proliferated an impoundment in the Peconic River. Multiply these fiscal impacts out to the more than 90 dams and impoundments on Long Island and pretty soon we’re talking real money. Fiscal conservatives like free-flowing conditions.
For these aforementioned ecological, public safety, and fiscal reasons, the dam at Blydenburgh County Park should not be repaired. A channel, forking from the stream currently,can be deepened to supply water to the mill wheel if the county ever makes the grist mill functioning again; it has laid dormant for nearly half-a-century.
The good news is that an alternative vision to repairing the dam at Blydenburgh County Park has emerged that would, some believe, enhance a visitor’s experience: construct a bridge over the stream where the dam gave way so hikers can once again walk around the park and the former pond and add two pedestrian footbridges over the two streams that flow through the park, providing scenic and panoramic views of the stream valleys and diverse wetland meadows that will form.
A slightly different vision can be advanced for the Stony Brook Mill Pond. Here, the Town of Brookhaven, other levels of government, and the Ward Melville Heritage Organization are moving to restore the dam, an understandable response to what the Mill Pond has meant to the local Three Village community — a landscape that’s loved and cherished.
The challenge, then, is to determine if there is a way to rebuild the dam and restore the pond but create a richer ecological setting. Can this be done? A good first step would be to incorporate a fish ladder and eel passage that effectively allows for migratory fish to access the pond; the natural-looking rock ramp fish ladder in Grangebel Park in Riverhead and the eel passage further upstream on the Peconic River serve as useful models. Also, establishing a lower pond level through a lower elevation dam would increase stream and streamside habitat for the betterment of the rare salamander and other stream dwelling species.
Two other actions that could improve conditions at the Mill Pond: 1) Soften the boundary along the eastern edge of the pond by removing the bulkheading encompassing much of the shoreline here, planting this transition area with native wetland plants and wildflowers, and 2) Better control road runoffinto the pond from Main Street.
A recent conversation I had with someone who assisted in the effort to free stranded wildlife said she noticed an oil sheen on the surface of the remaining pooled water in the southeastern section of the pond where a drainage pipe empties into the pond from Main Street; a number of ducks were swimming around in this water.On a recent visit, I noticed a few ducks preening and wondered if they weren’t ingesting toxic oil into their bodies in the process.
If we embrace the alternative described above, a better experience can be had at Blydenburgh County Park and if we make these modifications, a better, more environmentally sound Stony Brook Mill Pond can emerge from the ruins, to once again be enjoyed and valued by the local community. Here, these elements would create enhanced wetland habitat for the betterment of many of our wildlife neighbors — fish, birds, and salamanders alike. And in no small measure, it wouldallow for the landscape feature that gave the community its name —Stony Brook — to be enhanced and better protected. Indeed, we’d be putting a bit of the “brook” back in Stony Brook.
A resident of Setauket, author John L. Turner is a naturalist, conservation co-chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, and Conservation Policy Advocate for the Seatuck Environmental Association.
Chanukah is definitely not the “Jewish Christmas,” but the first of our eight nights does happen to coincide with Christmas day this year!
Did you know that we actually begin celebrating Chanukah on the 25th every year? The 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, that is. Each year, we tell the story of the Syrian-Greek King Antiochus IV, and how his soldiers raided Jerusalem, desecrating the Holy Temple in the process. Antiochus outlawed Judaism and its rituals, and affixed idols and altars upon its holiest spaces.
A famous group of Jews known widely as the Maccabees led the resistance against this tyranny. The story is famous for its underdog component; the small group of Maccabees were able to defeat the large and powerful Syrian-Greek army. The word “Chanukah” means “dedication,” and signifies the rededication of the Holy Temple in Judea (Israel) following these arduous battles. In fact, the Maccabee victory established the first Jewish monarchy to rule in Israel since the Babylonian exile occurred hundred of years prior.
The second Book of Maccabees, a book that exists outside of the Jewish Bible, claimed that the eight days of Chanukah were actually something of a “make-up” festival. Due to the restrictions of Syrian-Greek rule, the Jews had missed being able to celebrate the eight-day festival of Sukkot. The widely-known story of the miraculous oil actually came much later!
Today, Chanukah has transformed from a military story into a more spiritual one. It tells of a miracle wherein one day’s worth of oil, used to light the Temple’s “ner tamid” (eternal light), lasted for eight days. We symbolize this miracle with the lighting of a special kind of menorah called a “Chanukiyah,” which has nine branches as opposed to the seven on a typical menorah.
We also acknowledge our resistance against Hellenization and assimilation, characteristics that have kept the Jewish people for thousands of years. Just as the oil did not burn down against all odds, we celebrate the sustenance and light of our traditions; alive and thriving in the face of so many historical challenges.
While rich with history and tradition for all sensibilities, can we look at Chanukah a bit differently this year? In the midst of so much unrest in the Middle East, and in the wake of a tumultuous election season in our own country, don’t we all need a little bit of light to shine on us and our loved ones and friends? It is a mitzvah (good deed) to display your Chanukiyah in a place where it is easily seen by others. A window is a popular place.
How can we put our own inner lights on display for all to see and feel this holiday season? Can we “rededicate” ourselves to loving our neighbor, accepting our differences, and realizing that our community is so much richer when we approach challenges “b’yachad,” which means “together,” or “as one?”
So, no, Chanukah is not the “Jewish Christmas,” but we do celebrate as one this year! Consider attending a menorah lighting in your community, or reach out to your neighbors who might pray and think a bit differently from you. When we allow our individual lights to shine upon one another, we all benefit from the warmth of a united flame. I wish all of you a healthy and happy holiday season, and as we say in our tradition: Chag Urim Sameach — A Happy Festival of Lights!
The author is the Rabbi at Temple Isaiah in Stony Brook.
Italians have been sipping little cups of strong coffee for over 400 years, but the coffee we know as espresso — a thick, dark liquid with a foamy, creamy head, or crema dates from 1903. This is when machines (perfected simultaneously in Milan and Turin, Italy) made the rapid method of extraction possible.
The word espresso comes from the Italian for “fast,” since espresso results when pressure forces hot water through coffee grounds. Coffee was first brought to Italy in 1615 by Pietro della Valle.
In 1938, a Milanese coffee-bar owner named Achille Gaggia added a hand-operated piston pump to the elaborate steam-powered espresso machines, then in use. Gaggia’s invention increased the extraction pressure and added body and complexity to an otherwise thin brew. Later refinements replaced the piston with an electric pump.
It is interesting to note that Italy is the world capital of espresso, yet not a single coffee bean grows there. Italy imports coffee beans for roasting and blending, from Africa, Central and South America.
Espresso has an intense black color, with a concentrated, strong coffee aroma, and a thick, long-lasting crema (pale chestnut, creamy froth head, which should hold sugar on its surface for a few seconds before penetrating the coffee). It has well-balanced flavors and good body, with a thick “mouthfeel,” and a pleasing, bitter aftertaste.
Espresso. Pixabay photo
Although popular in the United States, serving a twist of lemon peel with espresso is not customary in Italy.
The most popular types of espresso or “caffè” are:
Doppio (double): Two shots of espresso served in a single cup.
Lungo (long): A weaker espresso, made by adding water.
Latte: A milky espresso typically consumed in the morning.
Macchiato: A shot of espresso spotted or marked with a scoop of foamed milk on top.
Ristretto: A thicker (restricted) more concentrated version of espresso; made by using less water.
Corretto: A ristretto espresso that is corrected (volume) by adding grappa or other types of distilled spirits, liqueurs or bitters.
Cappuccino is an espresso coffee served with a creamy head made from steamed milk and foam. Cocoa or powdered chocolate is often sprinkled on top. In Italy, cappuccino is a morning drink enjoyed before or with breakfast, and not consumed after 11 a.m.
The history of cappuccino is shrouded in legend. According to one account, the name cappuccino originated as a tribute to Father Marco d’Aviano, a seventeenth-century Capuchin monk. Monks covered their heads with the pointed brown hoods of their cloaks, known as a cappuccio in Italian, which is similar in color to coffee with milk.
Bob Lipinski is the author of 10 books, including “101: Everything You Need To Know About Whiskey” and “Italian Wine & Cheese Made Simple” (available on Amazon.com). He consults and conducts training seminars on Wine, Spirits, and Food and is available for speaking engagements. He can be reached at www.boblipinski.com OR [email protected].
This week’s featured shelter pet is Butterball, a smorgasbord of purr-fection and available for adoption at the Smithtown Animal Shelter. This handsome, portly, domestic short-haired brown tabby, is a six year old boy who comes equipped with a banquet of love to give one lucky family. Butterball lived in a home until the owner moved, only to abandon him and his other feline friend companions behind. Despite his heartbreak and desertion, Butterball is ever so sweet, and in search of his forever home where he can bring endless joy and laughter to one lucky family!
While at first encounters, Butterball may appear to be on the shy side. However, with a little patience and gentle persuasion to earn his trust, will culminate into a jumbo-sized dose of unconditional love and loyalty. If his rotund personality is the total package for you, then the sweet sound of Butterball’s endearing purr, and endless devotion is the icing on the cake. It is nearly impossible to resist Butterball’s charming nature once he trusts you. Simply put, this is one of the most lovable and huggable best buds you will ever meet!
Butterball would thrive in a serene home with older children, mellow dogs, and cats. While his size and stature make him unique and adorable, he will need a family that will support him in sticking to a healthy diet to help him meet his weight loss goals for the new year.
If you are interested in meeting Butterball, please fill out an application to schedule time to properly interact with your prospective soul mate in a domestic setting.
The Town of Smithtown Animal & Adoption Shelter is located at 410 Middle Country Road, Smithtown. Visitor hours are Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Sundays and Wednesday evenings by appointment only). For more information, call 631-360-7575 or visit www.townofsmithtownanimalshelter.com.
Carlow Wind Watch in Hauppauge. Image courtesy of Southern Land Company
Carlow Wind Watch in Hauppauge. Image courtesy of Southern Land Company
Carlow Wind Watch in Hauppauge. Image courtesy of Southern Land Company
Carlow Wind Watch in Hauppauge. Image courtesy of Southern Land Company
Carlow Wind Watch in Hauppauge. Image courtesy of Southern Land Company
Carlow Wind Watch in Hauppauge. Image courtesy of Southern Land Company
Carlow Wind Watch in Hauppauge. Image courtesy of Southern Land Company
Carlow Wind Watch, a new luxury apartment community at 1721 Motor Parkway in Hauppauge, has welcomed its first residents, according to a press release from Southern Land Company (SLC), a national real estate developer of master-planned, single-family, multifamily, and mixed-use communities, on Dec. 19.
Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Southern Land Company has market-leading projects in nine states, with regional offices in New York City; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Plano, Texas; Denver, Colorado; and Vallejo, California.
Carlow introduces “much-needed rental residences to the area and emphasizes impeccable design, comfort, and convenience, marking a new kind of residential experience,” stated the release.
“We are proud to introduce Carlow in this peaceful hamlet on Long Island and provide opportunities for residents to enjoy unparalleled luxury apartment living,” said SLC Founder and CEO, Tim Downey. “Carlow exemplifies luxury living through its sophisticated design, premium amenities, and idyllic views of Wind Watch Golf & Country Club, creating an environment where residents of all ages can cultivate meaningful connections and prioritize wellness.”
Carlow, comprised of two distinctive buildings—five and seven stories, respectively—features 150 pet-friendly one-, two-, and three-bedroom rental residences. Residents can choose from 12 different floor plans ranging from 935 to 1,755 square feet with monthly rent starting at $3,802. Carlow’s residences cater to residents seeking refined living spaces. Each residence, available in two different color schemes, showcases a designer kitchen with stainless steel appliances and finishes, and includes a gas range, washer and dryer, custom closet system, and spacious balcony or terrace.
In addition to its residences, Carlow offers residents a comprehensive collection of resort-inspired amenities designed to promote community and wellness. Carlow features full-time concierge services, a resort-style pool and heated spa, outdoor dining room with gas grills, a resident clubroom and lounge area, a convertible community table for game nights, a poker table, a pool table, shuffleboard, a co-working area with private meeting rooms, a contemporary fitness center and yoga studio, and a golf simulator.
“In keeping with SLC’s commitment to foster a true sense of community, residents will also enjoy unique programming and events,” read the release.
Additional features at Carlow include secured parking with two spaces designated per residence, access control home entry, and a package locker room for secure mail delivery and storage.
Adjacent to Wind Watch Golf & Country Club and Hyatt Regency Long Island, and just minutes from the Northern State Parkway, Carlow “is a peaceful suburban respite that provides convenient access to Hauppauge’s diverse selection of restaurants, retailers, and services,” as well as key Long Island transportation hubs, including Long Island MacArthur Airport and Fire Island Ferries, and charming nearby towns like Stony Brook and Port Jefferson.
Carlow marks SLC’s first multifamily community on Long Island and in New York, and the company has two additional New York projects that are on track to open in 2025:
Florentin Garden City, slated to open in January 2025
Juliettein White Plains, expected to open in spring 2025
A call for transparency and accountability in village leadership
I’m writing this opinion piece in response to a recently published opinion piece by former (appointed) trustee Drew Biondo [TBR News Media. Nov. 21]. In this instance, it’s important to recognize that this opinion is clearly a biased one in support of the very same mayor that appointed Mr. Biondo to the short-lived position he held in this village. It is commendable that he defends the actions of his mayoral friend.
However, there is a very shocking lack of accountability in this opinion. Is this not the same trustee that stood on a village soapbox passionately speaking of the importance of ethics and transparency? This same mayor unethically misled members of the current trustee board when discussing the very incident that sparked this change. Misled enough so that 3 of the 4 board members publicly said so. Frankly, an emergency meeting was called by the mayor and all trustees were not truthfully informed of the timeline that led to this emergency meeting. That is not to be ignored or glossed over.
While the complicated issue of guns can be debated for months, the unethical lack of transparency and honesty cannot.
Keith Ottendorfer
Resident and Admin of Healthy Conversations in Port Jefferson
Governor Hochul’s $3 billion proposed inflation refund to taxpayers funded out of a surplus of excess tax revenue is nothing more than a preelection bribe to grease the wheels of her upcoming 2026 reelection campaign. Offering those with income under $150,000, $300 comes to $25 monthly over one year. Offering joint filers with income under $300,000 dollars, $500 comes to $41.66 monthly over one year,
There are better alternatives such as reducing the state sales tax, using the funds as a down payment toward reducing Albany’s $423.4 billion long term debt, which represents $21,700 per citizen, or help fill the $33 billion shortfall in the MTA’s proposed $68 billion, 2025-2029 Capital Plan.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
A call for action on battery storage zoning
This is a call to our hires — to those with jobs we provide through taxes and elections at Brookhaven Town.
I urge the board to get to work. Create an appropriate zone for siting battery storage facilities so we can expand our use of alternative energy.
At best, the lack of action in creating zones for battery storage far from folks and forests, conveys a lack of insight. At worst, and I hope this is not the case, the lack of movement is deliberate, setting residents against applicants.
Whatever your challenges, kindly set them aside as your assignment is due.
Lab celebrates a year of scientific successes, from creating the biggest bits of antimatter to improving qubits, catalysts, batteries, and more!
With one-of-a-kind research facilities leveraged by scientists from across the nation and around the world, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory is a veritable city of science. Each year brings discoveries, from the scale of subatomic particles to the vastness of Earth’s atmosphere and the cosmos, that have the potential to power new technologies and provide solutions to major societal challenges. Here, the Lab presents, in no particular order, its top 10 discoveries of 2024 … plus a few major Brookhaven Lab milestones.
Antimatter sounds exotic, but it really does exist — just not for long. This year, scientists studying collisions of atomic nuclei at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) — an “atom smasher” that recreates the conditions of the early universe — discovered the heaviest antimatter nucleus ever detected. It’s composed of four antimatter particles: an antiproton, two antineutrons, and a particle called an antihyperon. It lasts only a fraction of a second before decaying into other particles. To find it, physicists from RHIC’s STAR collaboration searched through particles streaming from billions of collisions to find just 16 of the rare “antihyperhydrogen-4” particles. There used to be lots of antimatter, back when the universe first formed, but when antimatter meets ordinary matter, the two self-destruct. The ability to create new antimatter particles today, like these heavy antimatter nuclei, gives scientists new ways to test for matter-antimatter differences that might explain why the universe is made only of matter.
Low-temp, direct conversion of natural gas to liquid fuel
Brookhaven Lab chemists engineered a highly selective catalyst that can convert methane, a major component of natural gas, into methanol, an easily transportable liquid fuel, in a single, one-step reaction. This direct process for methane-to-methanol conversion runs at a temperature lower than required to make tea and exclusively produces methanol without additional byproducts. That’s a big advance over more complex traditional conversions that typically require three separate reactions, each under different conditions, including vastly higher temperatures. The simplicity of the system could make it particularly useful for tapping “stranded” natural gas reserves in isolated rural areas, far from the costly infrastructure of pipelines and chemical refineries, and without the need to transport high-pressure, flammable liquified natural gas. The team made use of tools at two DOE Office of Science user facilities at Brookhaven Lab, the Center for Functional Nanomaterials and the National Synchrotron Light Source II. They are exploring ways to work with entrepreneurial partners to bring the technology to market.
Plants’ sugar-sensing machinery
Proteins are molecular machines, with flexible pieces and moving parts. Understanding how these parts move helps scientists unravel the function that a protein plays in living things — and potentially how to change its effects. This year, a team led by Brookhaven Lab biochemists working with colleagues from DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory discovered how protein machinery in plants controls whether the plants can grow and make energy-intensive products such as oil — or instead put in place a series of steps to conserve precious resources. The researchers showed how the molecular machinery is regulated by a molecule that rises and falls with the level of sugar, the product of photosynthesis and plants’ main energy source. The research could help identify proteins or parts of proteins that scientists could engineer to make plants that produce more oil for use as biofuels or other oil-based products.
Tantalum is a superconducting material that shows great promise for building qubits, the basis of quantum computers. This year, a team that spans multiple Brookhaven departments discovered that adding a thin layer of magnesium improves tantalum by keeping it from oxidizing. The coating also improves tantalum’s purity and raises the temperature at which it operates as a superconductor. All three effects may increase tantalum’s ability to hold onto quantum information in qubits. This work was carried out as part of the Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage, a Brookhaven-led National Quantum Information Science Research Center, and included scientists from the Lab’s Condensed Matter Physics & Materials Science Department, Center for Functional Nanomaterials, and National Synchrotron Light Source II, as well as theorists at DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. It built on earlier work that also included scientists from Princeton University.
A team led by Brookhaven Lab atmospheric scientists made the first-ever remote-sensing observations of the cloud-droplet “birth zone” at the base of clouds, where aerosol particles suspended in Earth’s atmosphere give rise to the droplets that ultimately form clouds. The number of droplets formed in this transition zone will affect a cloud’s later stages and properties, including their reflection of sunlight and the likelihood of precipitation. The research was made possible by a high-resolution LIDAR system that sends laser beams into the atmosphere and measures the signals of backscattered light with a resolution of 10 centimeters. This tool, developed by the Brookhaven scientists in collaboration with colleagues from the Stevens Institute of Technology and Raymetrics S.A., will enhance scientists’ understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions and help them gain insight into how changes in atmospheric aerosol levels could affect clouds and climate — without having to fly up into the clouds.
Scientists at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) are experts at using DNA as a tool for “programming” molecules to self-assemble into 3D nanostructures. By directing molecular and nanoscale building blocks toward specific arrangements they’ve designed, the researchers create novel, functional materials that exhibit desirable properties like electrical conductivity, photosensitivity, and chemical activity. This year, a team of researchers from CFN, Columbia University, and Stony Brook University significantly improved this process and expanded its applications. By stacking several material synthesis techniques, the team developed a new method of DNA-directed self-assembly that enables the production of a wide variety of metallic and semiconductor 3D nanostructures — the potential base materials for next-generation semiconductor devices, neuromorphic computing, and advanced energy applications. It is the first method of its kind to produce robust and designed 3D nanostructures from multiple material classes, setting the stage for new breakthroughs in advanced manufacturing at small scales.
Scientists calculate predictions for EIC measurements
Nuclear theorists used supercomputer calculations to accurately predict the distribution of electric charges in mesons, particles made of a quark and an antiquark. These predictions will provide a basis for comparison in future experiments at the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), a facility that, among other goals, will explore how quarks, and the gluons that hold them together, are distributed within mesons, protons, and neutrons. The calculations also helped validate “factorization,” a widely used approach for deciphering particle properties. This approach breaks complex physical processes into two components, or factors, and will enable many more EIC predictions and more confident interpretations of experimental results. Calculations like these will help EIC scientists unravel how the fundamental building blocks that make up atoms stick together.
Atomic ‘GPS’ uncovers hidden material phase
Brookhaven scientists created the first-ever atomic movies showing how atoms rearrange locally within a quantum material as it transitions from an insulator to a metal. Their research marked a methodological achievement, as they demonstrated that a materials characterization technique called atomic pair distribution function (PDF) is feasible — and successful — at X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) facilities. PDF is typically used to observe materials that change over minutes to hours at synchrotron light sources, but the bright and short X-ray pulses produced by an XFEL facility enabled the capture of atomic movement on a picosecond time scale. With the new ultrafast PDF technique, which provides atomic routes like a navigation app, the researchers discovered a “hidden” material state, providing new insight into what really happens when certain quantum materials are excited by a laser.
Lithium-metal batteries, which have lithium metal anodes, can store more than twice the energy of lithium-ion batteries with graphite anodes. Yet most battery-operated devices are still powered by lithium-ion batteries. This year, Brookhaven chemists made significant contributions to DOE’s lithium-metal battery efforts by adding a compound called cesium nitrateto the electrolyte separating the battery’s anode and cathode. Their addition ultimately targeted the interphase, a protective layer formed on the battery’s electrodes and closely linked to the number of times a battery can be charged and discharged. The cesium nitrate additive made the batteries recharge faster while maintaining cycle life. However, closer analysis with tools at the National Synchrotron Light Source II and the Center for Functional Nanomaterials revealed two surprises: an unexpected interphase component and the absence of one previously considered essential for good battery performance. Though these findings challenge conventional battery beliefs, they create new opportunities for battery engineering.
Every plant, animal, and person is a complex microcosm of tiny, specialized cells. These cells are like their own worlds, each with unique parts and processes that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Being able to see the inner workings of these microscopic building blocks at nanometer resolution without harming their delicate parts has been a challenge. But this year, Brookhaven Lab biologists and scientists at the National Synchrotron Light Source II used a combination of X-ray methods to see inside cells in a whole new way. By using both hard X-ray computed tomography and X-ray fluorescence microscopy, they can reveal not just the structural details but also the chemical processes inside cells. This multimodal X-ray imaging approach could have significant implications in fields such as medicine, bioenergy, agriculture, and other important areas.
Other major milestones Brookhaven Lab celebrated this year
DOE gave the go-ahead for the purchase of “long-lead” equipment, services, and/or materials needed to build a state-of-the-art Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). This nuclear physics facility will be built at Brookhaven in partnership with DOE’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and a wide range of other partners to explore the inner workings of the building blocks of matter and the strongest force in nature. Purchasing materials and equipment needed for sophisticated components for the EIC accelerator, detector, and supporting infrastructure ensures that the team will be ready when construction begins. It’s an important step toward the ultimate goal of efficiently delivering one of the most challenging and exciting accelerator complexes ever built by the mid 2030s.
Scientific data storage record
The Lab’s Scientific Data and Computing Center now stores more than 300 petabytes of data — the largest compilation of nuclear and particle physics data in the U.S. For comparison, that’s far more data than would be needed to represent everything written in human history plus all the movies ever created. The cache comes from experiments at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, located at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. Thanks to a combination of relatively economical tape storage and a robot-driven system for mounting data to disks, the cache is easily accessible to collaborators all around the world. The system is set up to meet evolving and expanding data needs for a range of existing experiments at Brookhaven and beyond, including the future Electron-Ion Collider.
NSLS-II celebrates 10 years of light
On Oct. 23, the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) celebrated its 10th anniversary of first light, the moment when its first X-rays were delivered. Over the last decade, this ultrabright light source has grown from six beamlines to 29, ramped up its accelerator current from 50 milliamperes to 500 milliamperes, hosted nearly 6,000 visiting researchers from around the world, and published more than 3,200 research papers. Since 2014, NSLS-II has enabled researchers to study the physical, chemical, and electronic makeup of materials with nanoscale resolution. And with continual advancements over its 10-year history, the facility remains one of the world’s most advanced light sources, accelerating breakthroughs in fields ranging from biology to quantum information science.
Atmospheric observatory opens in Alabama
Brookhaven Lab’s world-leading atmospheric scientists led the plan to install a suite of DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility instruments at a new observatory in the Southeastern U.S. The Bankhead National Forest observatory opened on Oct. 1 and hosted its first scientific workshop and media tours earlier this month. For at least five years, the observatory will provide data for scientists to investigate the complex interactions among clouds, vegetation, and aerosols suspended in the atmosphere. The observatory will contribute valuable insights into aerosol-cloud interactions and feed data to weather and climate models for a more comprehensive understanding of Earth’s atmospheric dynamics.
The research described above was funded primarily by the DOE Office of Science. RHIC, CFN, NSLS-II, and ARM are DOE Office of Science user facilities.
Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit science.energy.gov.
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