Hundreds of patrons gathered in the village Sunday, Feb. 4, for the finale of the 5th annual Port Jefferson Ice Festival. The first part was held Saturday, Jan. 27.
The festival, organized by the Port Jefferson Business Improvement District and the Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, had many activities, including live ice carvings, interactive games such as ice corn hole and ice mini golf, also horse and carriage rides. In addition, attendees could walk around and find ice sculptures purchased by local businesses.
Retailers could purchase the sculptures for about $300, only half of what they cost to make. Many stores are in full support of the festival because of the business it attracts.
“I’m totally in support, it brings people out certainly and this is a beautiful weekend,” said Mary Joy Pipe, the owner of East End Shirt Company. “People want something to do in the middle of winter and this is it. I mean, come out, be outside, bring your family and there’s a lot of activity — a lot of things to do.”
Pipe explained that her business did not purchase a sculpture this year because of their proximity to businesses that did, but they have bought sculptures in the past. However, they did participate in a raffle that store customers “were able to engage in and we were happy to see them.”
Other business owners shared their love for the festival as well. “It’s a terrific event that brings a lot of happy people,” Sue Hoeffner, owner of Sea Creations, said. “Gets everybody out of the house in the cold weather. It’s such a perfect day, the sun is out. Everybody has a smile.”
This week’s featured shelter pet is Kai, a 2-year-old grey and white bully/poodle/terrier mix available for adoption at the Smithtown Animal Shelter.
This uniquely looking boy is all love and fun all of the time. He knows no commands and is not yet fully house trained, but he is so eager to please. He was denied proper training and socializing and needs a patient family that will show him love and give him the time he’s been denied. To meet him is to fall in love!
If you are interested in meeting Kai, please call ahead to schedule an hour to properly interact with him in a domestic setting, which includes a Meet and Greet Room, the dog runs, and a dog walk trail.
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.
Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty (DGSIR) has announced that real estate advisor Catherine Wallack has joined its team of sales professionals in Northport. Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty Chief Executive Officer Deirdre O’Connell made the announcement.
“Catherine Wallack is an outstanding professional with a proven record of success in Northport and its surrounding communities,” said O’Connell. “Her background in property management and fine arts complements her ability to help her clients and customers realize their vision in both personal residences and investment properties.”
A native of Northport, Wallack was recruited to Daniel Gale Sotheby’s by Melissa Stark, sales manager for the Northport and Huntington offices. Wallack explains, “Melissa and I first met while working on a school project at our daughters’ school. I was drawn to her upbeat personality, work ethic, and initiative. When Melissa invited me to join Daniel Gale Sotheby’s, I saw her positivity and enthusiasm reflected in her sales team and determined that I wanted to be part of that community of agents.”
Wallack’s active board membership for the Board of Conservation of the Environment for the Village of Asharoken reflects her commitment to and love of her community. She also volunteers for the Daughters of the American Revolution.
“Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty’s world class marketing and digital tools, combined with its global reach and family feel, are exactly what I’m looking for to further my career development,” said Wallack.
ICR Program Team from left, Brittany Decker, LCSW; Christina Di Lieto, RDN, CDN; Neal Patel, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Medical Director of the ICR Program; Jennifer Cain, RN, ICR Program Administrator; Ashley Ryan, Unit Coordinator; Veronica Barat, MS, CEP, CISSN. Photo from North Suffolk Cardiology
North Suffolk Cardiology, a practice of Stony Brook Medicine Community Medical Group, has recently launched its Pritikin Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation Program (ICR). The first-of-its-kind initiative on Long Island marks a significant milestone in North Suffolk Cardiology’s mission, continuing its longstanding tradition of pioneering cardiac care.
“Unlike traditional cardiac rehab programs which are primarily exercise-focused, North Suffolk Cardiology’s ICR program offers patients comprehensive lifestyle education at every visit, plus one-on-one access to a multidisciplinary cardiac care team in a state-of-the-art location,” said Neal Patel, MD, ICR Program Medical Director at North Suffolk Cardiology. “Through dynamic interaction with a cardiac nurse, exercise physiologist, nutritionist and licensed clinical social worker, an individualized cardiac wellness plan is created, and patients are taught specific lifestyle methods to enact meaningful change.”
This program complements the existing comprehensive cardiac services offered by North Suffolk Cardiology, whose mission is to provide full-service exceptional cardiac care to improve a patient’s quality of life. The practice now offers an expanded array of services tailored to a patient’s unique care plan following a cardiac condition or procedure.
“This groundbreaking program will serve as a tremendous resource to our patients, families and community — both through its ability to help people live heart-healthy lives and because of the expertise, advanced approaches and compassion of North Suffolk Cardiology’s physicians and staff,” said William Wertheim, MD, MBA, Interim Executive Vice President for Stony Brook Medicine and President of Stony Brook Medicine Community Medical Group. “I am so proud that this program is part of Stony Brook Medicine.”
Located at 45 Research Way, Suite 108 in East Setauket, North Suffolk Cardiology is currently accepting new patients. For appointments, call 631-941-2000. For more information, visit northsuffolkcardiology.com.
The Stony Brook University men’s basketball team fell, 95-77, to Campbell on Feb. 10 afternoon at Gore Arena. in Buies Creek, N.C. Aaron Clarke and Dean Noll scored 16 points apiece, while Tyler Stephenson-Moore chipped in with 10, but it was not enough to overcome Campbell’s five double-figure scorers.
Stony Brook was firing on all cylinders out of the gate, jumping out to an early 10-point advantage, 12-2, in the opening three minutes of action. After Campbell pulled back within one possession of Stony Brook, the Seawolves extended the lead back to double figures as the first half neared the mid-way point.
The Camels responded with a 23-3 run, turning their nine-point deficit into a 11-point lead, with just under four minutes remaining in the opening period. Campbell’s hot shooting continued over the final four minutes, taking a 52-38 lead into the locker room.
Stony Brook’s deficit kept widening after intermission, falling behind 79-61 before a 6-0 shrunk the deficit to 79-67 with 6:05 to go in the contest. After being down as many as 23 points halfway through the second stanza, the Seawolves pulled within 12 points, but could not trim the deficit any further. Campbell cruised the rest of the way, clinching a 95-77 victory over the Seawolves in the inaugural meeting between two of the CAA’s newest members.
STATS AND NOTES
Noll scored a team-leading 16 points, reaching double figures for the ninth time in his last 10 games played. He connected on three shots from beyond the arc, the 11th time this season he has registered multiple three-point field goals made.
Clarke matched Noll’s effort with 16 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the floor. He shot an even 50 percent (3-6) from long range, adding five assists and four rebounds.
Stephenson-Moore rounded out Stony Brook’s double-digit point scorers, contributing 10 points.
Andre Snoddy grabbed a team-high seven rebounds across 22 minutes of action. He added six points on a 3-for-7 mark from the field.
As a team, Stony Brook connected on 11 three pointers for the second straight game. Stony Brook moved to 6-4 overall this season when making at least 10 shots from beyond the arc.
The Camels finished with a stark 54-22 advantage in paint points. Campbell dished out 29 assists, the second most by an opponent this season.
Campbell scored at a 64-percent clip in the contest, the highest field-goal percentage by a Seawolves’ opponent this year. The Camels’ 95 points were also the second-most points allowed by Stony Brook in 2023-24.
Today’s meeting was the first between Stony Brook and Campbell.
“Campbell did a great job of running their offense today at a high level. We were not sharp mentally on that end of the floor,” head coach Geno Ford said. “We had several good looks we couldn’t convert and when you combined those two issues it’s a really bad formula. In league games, you have to play well to have a chance to win. We certainly didn’t today.”
Kyra McFarland during last Saturday's game. Photo from Stony Brook Athletics
Stony Brook softball suffered a pair of shutout defeats on Feb. 10, falling 12-0 in the first game to FIU and 9-0 to Ohio State in the second game.
Stony Brook dropped to 1-3 overall for the season and the weekend.
GAME 1: FIU 12, STONY BROOK 0 (5 innings)
A two-out double gave FIU a 1-0 lead after an inning.
A bunt single and error gave FIU a 2-0 lead, and the Panthers tacked on two more on a single to center for a 4-0 lead after two.
With the bases loaded, a double to left field plated two more for FIU, as the Panthers extended the lead to 6-0.
The Panthers tacked on six more in the fourth, first on a three-run home run followed by a two-run double and an RBI single later in the inning.
GAME 2: OHIO STATE 9, STONY BROOK 0 (6 innings)
Ohio State got runners on first and third with one out in the second, before scratching across a run with a sacrifice fly.
With two on and one out, Church homered to centered for a 4-0 OSU lead. Later on in the same inning, a bases-loaded walk tacked on another run for the Buckeyes.
A pair of walks and a fielding error loaded the bases for the Seawolves in the sixth, but SBU was unable to capitalize.
A fielding error and a three-run double finished off the scoring in the bottom of the sixth.
Ohio State pitcher Emily Ruck recorded a no-hitter.
“We played a better ball game in game two, although the results were not what we wanted. We have the opportunity to improve again tomorrow and finish this weekend strong,” said head coach Megan Bryant.
Sara Annamaria Medved at Saturday's game. Photo from Stony Brook Athletics
Stony Brook tennis picked up its first victory of the 2024 season, starting off the match with a victory in doubles and winning four of the six singles matches for a 5-2 win at the Tennis Club of Trumbull on Feb. 11 in Fairfield, CT.
Stony Brook marked a historic victory, as head coach Thiago Dualiby earned his first collegiate head coaching win on Saturday.
The singles victories came courtesy of freshman Mia Palladino, Lobo-Corral, Boro and junior Sara Medved. Three competitors came back from a set down to win their respective matches.
“I’m really proud of our team today. We showed resiliency and resolve, overcoming difficult moments and believing in ourselves throughout the match. Winning the doubles point today was a result of that resiliency and the commitment to keep pushing through our comfort zone in our gameplay. We look forward to keep building one day at a time,” said head coach Thiago Dualiby.
The team heads back to Connecticut next weekend, beginning with a match with UConn on Friday, Feb. 16 with first serve at 6 p.m.
The Stony Brook University men’s lacrosse team fell to No. 14 Rutgers, 16-12, on Feb. 10 at LaValle Stadium. Six different Seawolves registered multi-point games, but Stony Brook’s late comeback effort fell short in the 2024 home opener.
The Scarlet Knights exploded out of the gates, scoring seven of the game’s first eight goals. Noah Armitage was responsible for the first two Stony Brook goals, the first coming on a man-up opportunity, but despite his efforts the Seawolves found themselves in an early seven-goal hole.
Freshman Justin Bonacci tallied a pair of goals to end the first half, trimming Stony Brook’s deficit to five heading into the halftime break. Tommy Wilk entered the contest with just under 10 minutes to play in the half, immediately making his presence felt and swinging the momentum back into Stony Brook’s favor. He made four saves in the final eight minutes of the half, conceding just one goal.
Jack Dougherty opened the second-half scoring off an assist from Nick Dupuis, but Rutgers responded with four of the next five tallies to build its lead back to seven, 13-6, with just over six minutes to play in the third frame. What ensued was a furious comeback effort from the Seawolves; the squad scored six of the game’s next seven goals, conceding the lone goal against on a man-down opportunity. Dupuis scored back-to-back goals and Dougherty’s man-up goal with 8:28 left to play whittled the Seawolves deficit to two goals, 14-12.
Rutgers locked in defensively from that point on, holding Stony Brook scoreless over the final eight-plus minutes and putting the game away with a pair of goals down the stretch.
“I think it was a tale of being disciplined and consistent,” head coach Anthony Gilardi noted after the game. “The first half got away from us in the cage and I thought Tommy Wilk did a great job coming in and settling us down.”
The Stony Brook women’s basketball team held Northeastern to just 17.6 percent from 3-point range and 27.5 percent overall from the field on their way to a 71-35 win over the Huskies on the road Feb. 11.
The 35 points that Stony Brook surrendered was their lowest against any opponent since they allowed 25 against Farmingdale State on Nov. 22, 2017. Also, this marks the least amount of points that the Seawolves have given up to a Division 1 opponent since Jan. 18, 2016 against Hartford (35).
The Seawolves (19-3, 9-2) had three players score in double figures, led by Khari Clark, who had 15 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Zaida Gonzalez tacked on 13 points and Gigi Gonzalez chipped in as well with 10 points and six assists. The squad dished out 16 assists on 25 made field goals, led by G. Gonzalez’s six assists for the Seawolves. The squad dominated on the glass and held the Huskies at ease in the paint as they finished with just six offensive rebounds and five second chance points while Stony Brook cleared 30 defensive rebounds.
After jumping out to a 6-3 advantage, Stony Brook went on a 10-0 run with 7:43 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Sherese Pittman, to increase its lead to 16-3. The Huskies would cut the deficit, but still entered the quarter break with a 21-11 deficit. Stony Brook was hot from three-point range in the period, knocking down five shots to account for 15 of its 21 points, including back-to-back three’s by Z. Gonzalez to begin the afternoon.
Stony Brook built that first quarter lead to 29-15 before going on a 9-0 run starting at the 5:49 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Clark, to increase its lead to 38-15, a score that would hold until halftime. Stony Brook continued to pour it from deep in the period, knocking down three three-point shots (G. Gonzalez, Pittman, and Brantley) to account for nine of its 17 points. A bucket by Clark with just .06 seconds left on the clock gave the squad their 23-point advantage heading into the break.
Following intermission, Stony Brook continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 49-18 before going on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Pittman, to expand its lead further to 56-18 with 55 seconds to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter. Stony Brook knocked down three three-pointers in the quarter to score nine of its 18 total points (Z. Gonzalez, G. Gonzalez, and Keenan).
The Seawolves kept its lead intact before going on a 5-0 run following the free throw from Clark to grow the lead to 69-33 with 2:22 to go in the contest. The Seawolves held onto that lead for the rest of the game for the 71-35 win. Stony Brook pulled down seven offensive rebounds to score five second chance points out of 15 total in the period.
“I’m proud of our team for the way we responded coming off a loss,” said head coach Ashley Langford following the victory over Northeastern. “I thought our defense was outstanding and it was nice to have multiple players make three’s.”
Blueberries have
been known to lower blood pressure. METRO photo
Over 77 percent of hypertension is uncontrolled.
By David Dunaief, M.D.
Dr. David Dunaief
You would think that, with all the attention we place on hypertension and all the medications in the market that focus on reducing it, we would be doing better in the U.S., statistically.
According to the latest data, almost 120 million U.S. adults, or 48.1 percent of the population, suffer from hypertension (1). Of these, only 22.5 percent have their blood pressure controlled to less than 130/80 mmHg.
For the remaining 92.9 million affected, their risk of complications, such as cardiovascular events and mortality, is significantly higher.
What has the greatest impact on your risk of developing hypertension?
In an observational study involving 2,763 participants, results showed that the top three influencers on the risk of developing high blood pressure were eating a poor diet, with 2.19 times increased risk; being at least modestly overweight, with 1.87 times increased risk; and cigarette smoking, which increased risk 1.83 times (2).
What increases our risk ofhypertension complications?
Being significantly overweight or obese, smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise, family history, age, increased sodium, depression, diabetes, low vitamin D, and too much alcohol are some of the factors that increase our risk (3). The good news is that you can take an active role in improving your risk profile (4).
Who is at greater risk of complications, men or women?
One of the most feared complications of hypertension is cardiovascular disease. A study found that isolated systolic (top number) hypertension increased the risk of cardiovascular disease and death in both young and middle-aged men and women between 18 and 49 years old, compared to those who had optimal blood pressure (5). The effect was greatest in women, with a 55 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease and 112 percent increased risk of heart disease death.
High blood pressure complications were not affected by onset age. Though this study was observational, it was very large and had a 31-year duration.
When is the best time to measureblood pressure?
Measuring blood pressure in the clinic can be useful. However, in a meta-analysis of nine studies, results showed that high blood pressure measured at nighttime was potentially a better predictor of myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) and strokes, compared to daytime and clinic readings (5).
For every 10 mmHg rise in nighttime systolic blood pressure, there was a corresponding 25 percent increase in cardiovascular events.
Does this mean that nighttime readings are superior in predicting risk? Not necessarily, but the results are interesting. The nighttime readings were made using 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurements (ABPM).
Masked uncontrolled hypertension (MUCH) is a factor that may increase the risk of cardiovascular events in the nighttime. MUCH occurs in those who are well-controlled during clinic readings for blood pressure; however, their nocturnal blood pressure is uncontrolled. In the Spanish Society of Hypertension ABPM Registry, MUCH was most seen during nocturnal hours (6).
The authors suggest that ABPM may be a better way to monitor those with higher risk factors for MUCH, such as those whose pressure is borderline in the clinic and those who are smokers, obese or have diabetes.
A previous study of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hypertension suggested that taking at least one antihypertensive medication at night may be more effective than taking them all in the morning (7). Those who took one or more blood pressure medications at night saw a two-thirds reduction in cardiovascular event risk. This could help explain those results.
Do berries help control blood pressure?
Diet plays an important role in controlling high blood pressure. Of course, lowering sodium is important, but what about adding berries?
In a study, 22 grams of blueberry powder consumed daily, equivalent to one cup of fresh blueberries, reduced systolic blood pressure by a respectable 7 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 5 mmHg over 2 months (8).
This modest amount of fruit had a significant impact in a small, preliminary, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial. Blueberries increase nitric oxide, which helps blood vessels relax and reduces blood pressure. While the study used powder, it’s possible that an equivalent amount of real fruit could lead to an even greater reduction.
In conclusion, high blood pressure and resulting cardiovascular complications can be scary, but lifestyle modifications, such as making dietary changes and taking antihypertensive medications at night, can have a big impact in reducing your risks.
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.
“Unlike traditional cardiac rehab programs which are primarily exercise-focused, North Suffolk Cardiology’s ICR program offers patients comprehensive lifestyle education at every visit, plus one-on-one access to a multidisciplinary cardiac care team in a state-of-the-art location,” said Neal Patel, MD, ICR Program Medical Director at North Suffolk Cardiology. “Through dynamic interaction with a cardiac nurse, exercise physiologist, nutritionist and licensed clinical social worker, an individualized cardiac wellness plan is created, and patients are taught specific lifestyle methods to enact meaningful change.” 
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