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Yearly Archives: 2025

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Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD
Do you recognize this woman? Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate two people who allegedly stole from a Lake Grove store in February.

A man and woman allegedly stole assorted clothing from Dick’s Sporting Goods, located at the Smith Haven Mall, at approximately 7 p.m. on February 1. The merchandise was valued at $1,285.

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.

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The historical structure at Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe underwent significant structural damage after a fire on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. Photo courtesy Tesla Science Center

The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe in Shoreham was recently awarded $500,000 from New York State Parks to support the restoration of Nikola Tesla’s only known surviving laboratory in the world. This crucial funding provides a much-needed boost to recovery and rebuilding efforts following a devastating fire in November 2023.

The grant comes at a pivotal moment as Tesla Science Center launches a renewed push for its Capital Campaign to restore the laboratory and complete its transformation into a world-class educational and innovation hub. The total cost of the project, originally estimated at $20 million, has risen to $24 million due to additional fire damage and adjustments for inflation. To date, $14 million has been raised toward this goal.

“This grant is a tremendous step forward in our recovery journey,” said Marc Alessi, Executive Director of Tesla Science Center. “We are deeply grateful to New York State Parks for their support in preserving this iconic site and advancing our vision for its future.”

Update on the Fire Investigation and Insurance Dispute

The 2023 fire caused extensive damage to the historic 10,000-square-foot laboratory, destroying critical features of the 1901 building, including its roof, chimney, and iconic cupola, with damages exceeding $3 million. Nearly a year after the blaze, its official cause remains undetermined, though evidence points to contractor error. Sparks from contractors using blowtorches likely ignited the fire, according to Alessi.

While the nonprofit organization’s insurance company has issued a payout, it falls short of covering the damage. Tesla Science Center has removed the contractor responsible for the work and is actively appealing the contractor’s insurance denial of liability.

Steps Toward Recovery and Restoration

Despite these challenges, Tesla Science Center is making steady progress in restoring the site and advancing its mission. Immediate priorities include clearing debris, assessing the building’s structural integrity, and protecting it from further weather-related damage. The $500,000 grant from New York State Parks provides critical support for these efforts, allowing the organization to stabilize the site and preserve its historic significance for the local community.

Tesla Science Center is also working closely with the Town of Brookhaven to secure permits for the new welcome center, which will include exhibit space and a classroom. Construction is expected to begin in 2025, offering new educational opportunities for students across Long Island.

Join Them in Securing Tesla’s Legacy

Once fully restored, the 16-acre Tesla Science Center campus will become a global hub for innovation, education, and imaginative thinking, featuring a museum, science labs, and a business incubator. The restoration is expected to bring significant economic benefits to Long Island’s North Shore, creating new opportunities for local businesses and revitalizing the region’s tourism sector.

The site’s transformation will benefit nearby restaurants, hotels, shops, and service providers, while also generating jobs, attracting new investment, and enhancing the region’s visibility as a premier destination for cultural and educational tourism. By preserving this iconic landmark and sharing Tesla’s legacy with the world, the project will foster a stronger, more vibrant local community while inspiring future generations to pursue advancements in science and technology.

“Preserving Tesla’s legacy right here in Shoreham is not only an opportunity to inspire future generations, but also a way to drive economic growth and strengthen our community,” said Alessi. “We invite Long Islanders to join us in this effort to restore a global treasure.”

Individuals, organizations, and communities can support Tesla Science Center by donating to the Capital Campaign, attending upcoming fundraising events, and spreading awareness of this important initiative.

To join the Capital Campaign or learn more about Tesla Science Center’s recovery efforts, visit www.teslasciencecenter.org.

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'Turn Around' by Edward Acosta

Up next at Gallery North, 90 North Country Road, Setauket is an exhibit titled Contours & Currents: Recent Works by Edward Acosta, on view from Feb. 20 to March 30.

Contours & Currents is Edward Acosta’s first solo exhibition at Gallery North. The exhibition features a selection of large and medium-scale acrylic paintings inspired by views of sunrises and sunsets on Long Island. 

‘United in Division’ by Edward Acosta

Influenced by Pop Art, Street Art, and Geometric Abstraction, Acosta’s work is defined by vibrant and dynamic compositions with precise linework and layered refined organic forms. His bold designs appear to place the viewer on expansive topographic contours of an island or within the strikingly prismatic currents of the atmosphere and ocean. Acosta’s juxtaposition of shapes and tones are used to create regions of tension, tranquility, motion and harmony.

Born in Puerto Rico, Edward Acosta is a New York-based visual artist whose paintings have been exhibited at notable institutions, including the Heckscher Museum of Art and The Long Island Museum, where one of his works is part of the permanent collection. He has also collaborated with leading brands to create innovative, immersive art installations. Acosta currently works from his studio in Commack.

An opening reception will be held on Feb. 20, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. As a complement to the exhibition, Gallery North will host an ArTalk on March 15 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibition, reception and ArTalk will be free and open to the public.

This exhibition is generously sponsored the Field Family, Pet ER, Jefferson’s Ferry, and Suffolk County’s Department of Economic Development and Planning. 

For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit www.gallerynorth.org.

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File photo

Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives are investigating after a man shot and seriously injured a woman before killing himself at a home in Ridge  on Feb. 15.

Seventh Precinct officers responded to an incident involving a gun at 28 Woodbrook Drive at 12:56 p.m. following a 911 call from that location. A 68-year-old woman and resident of the home was found with two gunshot wounds and transported via police helicopter to an area hospital for treatment of serious physical injuries.

Gerard Senatore, 66, also a resident of the home, barricaded himself inside the house. Emergency Service Section officers entered the home and found Senatore dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on this incident to contact Homicide Squad detectives at 631-852-6392.


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Inside the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Yaphank. File photo by Kevin Redding

By Nancy Marr

New York is home to one of the largest prison populations in the nation. Nine thousand New Yorkers are currently serving life sentences, with 10,000 who have sentences of ten or more years in prison, according to a report issued by The Sentencing Project. Despite overwhelming evidence that incarceration is one of the least effective strategies to improve public safety, New York taxpayers spend three billion dollars a year incarcerating people. 

The Center for Community Alternatives (CCA), founded in 1981 by Marsha Weissman and directed since 2015 by David Condliffe, is part of a statewide network of direct services, advocacy and organizing groups and directly impacted people and their families, founded with the belief that solutions to poverty, addiction and violence rest in communities, not incarceration. In addition to working with prisoners and their families to provide court support and advocacy, sentencing mitigation and re-entry advocacy, it supports the creation of rehabilitative programs that support re-entry of incarcerated people into their communities. It has worked with New York State legislators to write bills that advocate for reform of drug laws expanding earned time, allowing a second look at a prisoner’s sentence, and an end to mandatory minimum sentencing.

Three pieces of legislation that have been introduced and are in committee would support prisoners’  reintegration and re-entry: The Earned Time Act, introduced by Jeremy Cooney (S.774) and Anna Kelles (A.1128), and now in the Corrections Committee, would expand eligibility for merit time earned for participating in vocational, educational, and rehabilitative  programs. 

New York is behind other states where people can gain earned time allowances, and where earned time programming and job-training has resulted in a notable reduction in recidivism. The Act would expand the access to educational programs for persons who are eligible, offered by many colleges as online and in- person classes to students.  (During the 1990’s New York State slashed programs for incarcerated people by eliminating financial aid for them, and decimating college programs held in prison.) By incentivizing good behavior and program participation, the Earned Time Act would provide correctional offices with tools to help reduce conflict within the prison. 

The Second Look Act, submitted by Julia Salazar (S.321) and Latrice Walker (A.531), now in the Codes Committee, would allow incarcerated persons to petition for re-sentencing if they have already served a certain amount of time, permitting a new judge to revisit and possibly reduce sentences for prisoners after they have served ten years, or over half of their sentences (if their sentence is more than a decade). 

The law would create a presumption that resentencing will be granted if the person is over 55 years old or was under 25 years old at the time the crime occurred. There are over 8,000 people in New York prisons today over the age of 50 and  44% of New Yorkers in state prisons who struggle with chronic health conditions. Those who are serving lengthy sentences have no opportunity  to demonstrate to a judge that they have changed after years in prison, or that, given changed laws and norms, the sentence is no longer appropriate. 

Decades-long prison terms have become the norm in New York. Every year, 1,000 people are sentenced to ten or more years in prison, and 5,000 people have been there for fifteen years or longer. 

The Marvin Mayfield Act, sponsored by Zellnor Myrie (S.6471A) and Gregory Meeks (A.2036), now in the Codes Committee, would eliminate the mandatory minimum sentences for prisons, jail, and probation. They began in the 1970’s for drug offenders with the Rockefeller Drug Laws but were  expanded to cover non-drug-related cases; they contribute to the pleas whereby prisoners forfeit their rights  to a trial. The law would allow judges to consider the individual factors and mitigating circumstances in a case before sentencing. 

The CCA is looking for support for these initiatives to come out of committee by June to be considered by the Governor for this year’s budget.  For more information,  visit CommunitiesNotCagesNY.org or CommunityAlternatives.org. 

Nancy Marr is Vice-President of the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County, a nonprofit nonpartisan organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

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Cherry Filled Crepes

By Heidi Sutton

What better way to celebrate Presidents’ Day on Feb. 17 than with delicious cherry-inspired recipes in salute of George Washington’s birthday!

Martha Washington’s Cherry Bread and Butter Pudding

Recipe courtesy of Martha Washington

Martha Washington’s Cherry Bread and Butter Pudding

YIELD: Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS: 

12 slices white bread (Pepperidge Farm or similar works best)

Butter or margarine

Cinnamon

10-oz. cherry preserves

4 eggs

2 and 2/3 cups milk

2 tablespoons of sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 8 x 2-in pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cut crusts from 12 slices white bread or leave crusts on, depending on your preference. Spread butter on one side of each slice. Arrange 4 slices bread in bottom of dish and sprinkle each lightly with cinnamon. Spread a spoonful of cherry preserves on each slice. Repeat, making two more layers. Beat eggs in a medium mixing bowl. Add milk and sugar and stir until well mixed. Pour over bread and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until top is golden brown and the custard is set. Serve warm from the oven or serve cold.

Cherry Filled Crepes

Recipe courtesy of Milk Means More

Cherry Filled Crepes

YIELD: Makes 8 crepes

INGREDIENTS: 

For the Cherry Sauce:

16-ounce bag frozen unsweetened tart cherries

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup water, divided

2 tablespoons cornstarch

For the Crepes:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 cups milk

4 eggs

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Powdered sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS:

To make the cherry sauce, bring the cherries, sugar, and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup of water and cornstarch and a small bowl until smooth and add to the boiling cherries. Return the mixture to a boil, stirring often, and cook until thickened. Remove from the heat and keep warm. 

To make the crepes, add all of the ingredients to a blender and puree until the mixture is smooth. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.

Heat a crepe pan or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and lightly coat with butter. Using a 1/3 cup measure, add batter to the pan and quickly swirl it around to completely cover the bottom of the pan evenly. Cook until the underside of the crepe is golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Loosen an edge of the crepe with a rubber spatula, then using the spatula and your fingertips, quickly flip. Cook another minute more. Slide the crepe out of the pan and repeat with the remaining batter, coating the pan with more butter as needed. 

To serve, lay two crepes open on a plate. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the cherry sauce into the center of each crepe. Fold over each side to close the crepes. Add a little more cherry sauce to the top, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

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By Dylan Friedman

A proposed 48-unit apartment complex in Port Jefferson Station, Brook Meadows, has sparked a potential boundary restructuring between Brookhaven Town and Port Jefferson Village. Developer Northwind Group wants to annex the project site on Baylis Avenue to Port Jefferson Village. 

This unusual move comes after Northwind’s initial attempt to secure a zoning change from Brookhaven Town for the 5.6-acre parcel at 16 Baylis Ave. failed amid community and official opposition.

Baylis Avenue, a dead-end street with only 6 properties, presents a unique situation. While physically located within the Town of Brookhaven, its sole access point is via Sheep Pasture Road, which lies within Port Jefferson Village.

If both the town and village consent to the annexation, Brook Meadows would be assessed by Port Jefferson’s land-use boards instead of those of Brookhaven’s.

However, Ira Costell, president of the Port Jefferson Station-Terryville Civic Association, said in a recent Newsday article that he thinks the annexation “has the feel of a backdoor move to circumvent both the town and the residents of Port Jefferson Station” to bypass town zoning laws. 

“If this was a constant process and policy now, we are eating away at the margins of what’s been long-term, long-established as the governmental jurisdiction. It still remains part of our school district. Everybody around that parcel will be Port Jeff Station residents. I mean, what’s the logic behind this,” Costell said.  

There is a public hearing, scheduled for March 6 at Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville, is poised to be pivotal in determining the fate of the Brook Meadows development and its implications for municipal boundary adjustments. 

Ultimately, the fate of the annexation and the Brook Meadows project will hinge on a joint decision by Brookhaven Town and Port Jefferson Village.

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METRO photo

By Thomas M. Cassidy

Thomas M. Cassidy

As a former senior investigator for the New York State Attorney General’s Office who spent twenty years investigating health fraud, I was truly annoyed when I discovered how hospitals are paid, and not paid, by insurers and individuals.

Keep in mind that hospitals are required by federal law to provide emergency care and stabilize all patients regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. As a result, hospitals provide more than $40 billion a year in unpaid care for patients who can’t afford to pay their hospital bill.  When patients don’t pay for their hospital care, those costs are shifted to health insurers who are charged higher rates by hospitals to make up for the losses from non-paying patients.

However, uncompensated hospital care is not shared equally by private and government health insurers. According to a study by the Rand Corporation, private plans pay hospitals 241% more than Medicare for the same service. This amounts to a sneaky tax on the 216 million Americans covered by private insurance plans.

American taxpayers fund all or part of government health insurers such as Medicare and Medicaid. Yet, the American Hospital Association reports that hospitals received payments of only 82 cents for every dollar that was spent on Medicare patients in 2022. I get it. Medicare negotiates rates for more than 60 million people, and they squeeze every drop of leverage out of hospital administrators.

But wait, why are American workers being forced to pay higher premiums for their private health insurance when they are also funding the government plans? Whoa, wait a minute! That would be like selling a car for $50,000, but if you were a stockholder in the company the same car would cost more than $100,000. It sounds ridiculous, because it is. Especially, when a commonsense solution is within reach.

Simplify hospital reimbursement rates by having Medicare negotiate the same rate for all private and government insurers as a volume purchaser for 330 million Americans. By negotiating fair and reasonable reimbursement rates with just one insurer, hospitals would save money by reducing the number of administrators and consultants that are needed to negotiate with numerous private and government health insurers year after year.

Hospitals throughout the United States are in dire economic straits due to workforce shortages, inflation, cyber-attacks, unfunded government mandates and oppressive bureaucratic regulations. For example, the American Hospital Association reported in September 2024, “Recent data from Strata Decision Technology show that administrative costs now account for more than 40% of total expenses hospitals incur in delivering care to patients.” 

A Medicare, “one-size-fits-all,” hospital reimbursement program would streamline administrative costs, save taxpayer money, reduce health insurance premiums and ensure that America’s hospitals remain best in class. 

Thomas M. Cassidy, an economist, is the author and creator of the independent feature film, Manhattan South, which is in development. (ktpgproductions.com)

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Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

Stony Brook men’s lacrosse played a strong first half, but fell to No. 11 North Carolina, 9-4, on Feb. 14 at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill, N.C.. Carson Boyle tallied a pair of goals and Jamison MacLachlanmade a season-best 17 saves in net.

Stony Brook opened the scoring on the strength of a Tanner Williams shot at the 7:37 mark of the first quarter.

MacLachlan stopped all four of UNC’s first quarter shots on goal, holding the Tar Heels scoreless for the entire opening 15 minutes of play.

Boyle converted on a man-up opportunity for the Seawolves, with Williams assisting on the goal. Stony Brook carried a two-goal advantage into the second quarter.

The Tar Heels were held off the board for an additional 50 seconds to start the second half before a Ty English goal to slash their deficit in half.

MacLachlan stopped two more Tar Heel attempts on goal before UNC’s Dominic Pietramala got going offensively. Pietramala scored the game’s next three goals, two of which were unassisted, to put North Carolina ahead 4-2.

Ray O’Brien got involved in the action late in the first half, beating the UNC goalie with 1:44 to play to make it a one-goal game.

The second half went more than 11 minutes before the icebreaker, with MacLachlan making five more stops over the opening 10 minutes of second-half action.

English scored a pair of goals in a 44 second span to give the Tar Heels a 6-3 cushion. North Carolina added two more tallies before the end of the third quarter to build a five-goal lead heading into the final stanza.

Boyle added another goal on another man-up opportunity for the Seawolves, but it would stand as Stony Brook’s lone tally of the second half.

UNC’s Michael Gianforcaro made five of his 11 total saves in the fourth quarter, closing out a 9-4 victory for his side.

“I am proud of the effort and toughness. I thought we played really hard and I thought our defense and JaMo kept us in the game all night long. There were just too many mistakes, especially when you don’t have the ball that much. You have to capitalize when you have it and score on extra man opportunities,” head coach Anthony Gilardi said.

“We have a really young team and our focus from day one is all about focusing on the process of getting better. We need to improve and progress each rep, each practice and each game. We are excited to get back to work for a quick turnaround versus a rested Queens team on Sunday,” Gilardi added.

Up next, the team stays in North Carolina, heading to Charlotte to face Queens University on February 16. The contest is slated to begin at noon and will stream live on ESPN+.

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Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

Stony Brook men’s basketball battled in a 79-69 loss to Monmouth on Thursday evening at Stony Brook Arena. CJ Luster II scored 28 points, connecting on seven trifectas, but the Seawolves’ late comeback attempt fell just short.

Monmouth jumped out to an early 22-13 point lead, extending its advantage to 13 points after a 7-0 run capped by a Jaret Valencia alley-oop.

Stony Brook trailed by double-figures for much of the latter portion of the first half before an 8-0 run that spanned 1:20 and trimmed Monmouth’s lead to 35-29 with just over four minutes remaining.

Late baskets by Jack Collins pushed the Hawks’ advantage back to 11 points heading into the intermission.

Luster caught fire to begin the second half, scoring 12 of Stony Brook’s first 16 points in the second stanza to make it a one-point game, 48-47, in favor of Monmouth.

An 11-3 run by Monmouth pushed Stony Brook’s deficit back to nine points with 10 minutes to play.

The Hawks maintained the nine-point advantage before Stony Brook’s late push in the final five minutes of play.

Baskets from Andre Snoddy and Collin O’Connor made it a one-possession game, 68-65, with 3:12 to play.

A pair of Madison Durr free throws were offset by a Snoddy basket on the other end, keeping it a three-point game with less than two minutes on the clock.

Durr took control of the contest with back-to-back and-ones to extend the Hawks’ lead to nine points again, closing things out on Thursday on Long Island.

“We had the game to one possession and we couldn’t get a stop. They drove us, and it wasn’t Bashir; we did a really good job on Bashir for the game, but when it’s 70-67, we don’t get a stop and they get the and-one. We go down, don’t score, and come back down and allow a transition basket and it’s ballgame in that sequence,” head coach Geno Ford said postgame. “When we’re inside two minutes and it’s a one-possession game, we gave ourselves a heck of a chance to win and just didn’t make enough plays over the last 90 seconds.”

The team  heads to New England to face off with Northeastern on February 15 in another nationally televised game. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 pm in Boston and will air nationally on the CBS Sports Network.

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