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Hamlet pet food store owner hopes for a miracle

by Rita J. Egan - December 24, 2021

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Audrey-DiNiro — Audrey Hebert-DiNiro, above left, and her daughter Nicole stand in front of a board filled with photos of customers’ pets. Photo by Rita J. Egan

The owner of a Three Village staple is on the verge of closing the doors of her business permanently.

Audrey Hebert-DiNiro said she plans to close Hamlet Pet Food & Supply Co. in the new year, even though she hasn’t determined a date yet.

The Hamlet Pet Food shelves are emptying out as Hebert-DiNiro finds it difficult to order products. Photo by Rita J. Egan

The pet food store opened at 732 North Country Road in Setauket 30 years ago. Hebert-DiNiro said after three decades, she was hoping she wouldn’t have to worry about keeping her store afloat. However, through the years, websites such as Chewy and Amazon have taken business away from her.

“This was a lucrative business at one time, paying salaries and health insurance and so on,” she said. “Now, I can barely pay for myself. It’s heartbreaking, but I don’t know what else to do.”

Recently, the business owner said she started telling customers about her plan. She said she is hanging on to hope as customers have recommended fundraising sites such as GoFundMe.

“I could use a small miracle,” Hebert-DiNiro said.

The pet store owner said she has been negatively impacted by supply shortages, too. And, early on in the pandemic, while she was able to stay open due to being considered essential by the state, many people for months opted to stay home and order from online businesses.

In the past, she said she hasn’t done much advertising outside of The Village Times Herald, and she attracted new customers basically by word of mouth.

The business owner moved to the Three Village area in 1969 with her late husband, Joseph DiNiro, and their children Bobby and Nicole attended school in the district. Her son is currently the owner of Hamlet Wines & Liquors, while her daughter works with her mother in the pet store.

Joseph DiNiro opened the wine store in 1979. Hebert-DiNiro said at the time there were more mom-and-pops in the community. However, when the couple decided to open the pet supply store in the ‘90s, people told them they wouldn’t make it back then.

“What we started it with was basically a wing and a prayer,” she said.

If Hebert-DiNiro can sell the business, she will, but right now she thinks she may have to just close the shop that she leases. She recently sold her home and is now renting a house in Miller Place.

She added stock is low as she hasn’t been able to order anything due to finances, as pet food and supplies are cash on delivery. Due to many of her products being made in America or by small businesses, she said it’s been difficult for her customers to find those supplies elsewhere.

The store is a place where Hebert-DiNiro said she feels as if she’s in her element working with animals and their owners, and it will be sad for her to close the store, but she feels as if there is nothing else she can do.

“It’s not that I don’t want to work,” she said. “I love what I do.”

Stony Brook garage owner exemplifies the holiday spirit

by Rita J. Egan - December 23, 2021

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TEB1 — Brian Barton, owner of TEB North Country Car Care, and his employees and family organized a food drive that resulted in 250 Thanksgiving dinners this year. Photo from The Ward Melville Heritage Organization

A Stony Brook garage owner knows something about the gift of giving.

Brain Barton in front of his garage in Stony Brook village. Photo from The Ward Melville Heritage Organization

Brian Barton, owner of TEB North Country Car Care in Stony Brook Village Center, and more than a dozen employees and family members spearheaded a food drive that made 250 Thanksgiving dinners possible. The garage collected donations from community members that included canned vegetables, turkeys and more. Fifteen people joined in to help assemble 60 boxes, and then on Nov. 25, delivered them to homes of cancer patients and veterans from Plainview to Greenport.

Barton, who lives in Kings Park, said in addition to employees and family members chipping in to help, his customers have been extremely generous during the Thanksgiving drives. This year one regular donated 50 turkeys. Barton’s daughter Elaine, he said, is the one who makes all the phone calls and organizes where the meals need to go.

He has been heading up the food drives for a dozen years.

“It seems as if each year it’s getting bigger and bigger,” Barton said.

The proprietor, who is the former owner of Penney’s Car Care Center in St. James and Penney’s Waterside Car Care Center in Northport, is modest when talking about organizing the food drive as he says “it takes a village” to get it done.

“I would just like to thank everybody,” Barton said. “I can’t do this myself.”

He said this was the first year volunteers delivered meals to veterans after state Sen. Mario Mattera (R-St. James) became involved and connected them with the Northport VA Medical Center.

In a statement, Mattera thanked Barton and all of those who volunteered to help with the drive: “By donating Thanksgiving dinner to our veterans and those who are fighting cancer, his efforts helped show these men and women that their fellow Long Islanders support them.”

Gloria Rocchio, president of The Ward Melville Heritage Organization which oversees Stony Brook Village Center, described Barton as a modest and generous person who quietly helps others and donates to causes.

“He’s just amazing,” Rocchio said. “He’s constantly giving, and he’s always there for residents.”

East meets West in Smithtown

by Rita J. Egan - December 21, 2021

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It was the battle of the Bulls when Smithtown East traveled to Smithtown West High School where East faced an unrelenting defensive press by Smithtown West in a League III matchup Dec. 20. Smithtown West caused several turnovers that resulted in a 21-point lead at the half. West benched their starters and played the balance of their roster in the 62-36 victory to remain undefeated.

Smithtown West senior forward Patrick Burke led his team in scoring with a free throw and eight field goals for 17 points. Teammate Tyler Anderson followed netting 14, and Lorenzo Rappa banked eight.

Smithtown East sophomore Benjaman Haug hit a three-pointer five from the floor and six from the free throw line for 19 points.

Local bakeries, bagel stores experience cream cheese shortage

by Rita J. Egan - December 17, 2021

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Bagel-Express-Cream-Cheese-Case_121521_david-prestia — A portion of the cream cheese case in Bagel Express in Setauket. Photo from David Prestia

Across the North Shore of Suffolk County, bagel shops and bakeries have found that it has been a little difficult getting cream cheese.

While customers can still get their favorite spread on a sandwich or buy a cheesecake or Danish pastry, local bakery and bagel shop owners are having a difficult time procuring cream cheese, and the price of the product has increased over the last few weeks. The shortage has been felt across the nation.

David Prestia, owner of Bagel Express in Setauket, said he first heard about the shortage on the news. It was a bit concerning to him as his restaurant uses cream cheese often for their bagel sandwiches, even though they offer other options such as butter, egg salad and more.

Prestia said he deals with several distributors so he has only been slightly affected by the shortage. When a couple of them couldn’t fulfill his cream cheese order, he was able to go to another distributor. However, the amount he could order was limited. He said this distributor told him that they would have to limit orders until they could assess the situation.

Cream cheese comes in 50-pound blocks, and while it’s the norm to order a few blocks at a time, he and others have been lucky if they can get one or two per order.

Prestia said he also noticed the price was going up recently. He estimated, based on his experience, that it cost 20% more to buy the spread.

Cream cheese blocks can last 45 days if the seal isn’t broken, so Prestia said he should be good through the remainder of the year. He added that cream cheese is not the only thing in short supply and he has had trouble finding other products, including napkins and plates.

“It’s been so many different things that we’ve been short on and then when the stuff appears, then the price goes up and that’s the problem,” he said. “Prices are changing so rapidly. It’s hard to keep up with what’s going on.”

Cemal Ankay, owner of Bagelicious Cafe in Port Jefferson Station, has been experiencing the same issues as Prestia. He said he has been reaching out to different distributors throughout the state to get cream cheese.

Ankay said he always tries to have two-weeks inventory, and while he hasn’t been able to get as many blocks of cream cheese as he has in the past such as four or five, he has been able to get one or two here and there. He said it’s important to be proactive as the year winds down.

“Christmas week, that’s our busiest days of the year,” he said.

Product shortages have seemed to become the norm lately, Ankay said.

“After this pandemic happened, we always have different kinds of product shortages,” he said, adding at one point he had trouble getting bacon then cups for iced tea. He, too, has had trouble getting napkins.

Ankay has seen the prices skyrocket for cream cheese. He once paid $1.90 a pound but then last week it was around $2.49, and the other day he was told it would be more than $3.

“You’re lucky to get it,” he said. “I don’t want to say to my customers, ‘Sorry, I don’t have any cream cheese.’”

In Northport, Copenhagen Bakery & Cafe owned by Flemming Hansen has been facing similar problems getting cream cheese for items such as cheesecake, Danishes and their red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, according to employee Jessica Greenbaum. Like Bagel Express, they deal with a few distributors and have options regarding ordering. Recently, they ordered cream cheese from a distributor that they haven’t ordered the product from in the past.

“I hope it doesn’t come to, when in the morning you crave a cheese Danish, that we don’t have one,” she said, adding that the bakery has enough to get through the holidays as they don’t use as much of the spread as a bagel store would.

Grocery stores

The cream cheese shortage has affected local grocery stores, too.

Stefanie Shuman, external communications manager for Stop & Shop, said, “Like many retailers, we are seeing some shortages because suppliers are experiencing labor and transportation challenges due to COVID-19. With cream cheese, Kraft specifically has been having supply issues on Philly and Temp Tee [products] due to impacts from Hurricane Ida.”

King Kullen, which has stores in St. James and Wading River, is experiencing similar problems, according to Lloyd Singer, spokesperson for King Kullen.

“While we are in stock on most varieties, supply is tight and is expected to remain so through the end of the year,” Singer said.

Losquadro discusses local roadways at civic meeting

by Rita J. Egan - December 16, 2021

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Herb-Mones_Dan-Losquadro_120621_3V-Civic-meeting — Herb Mones, of the Three Village Civic Association, presents Superintendent of Highways Dan Losquadro with a certificate of community appreciation. Photo from George Hoffman

Attendees of the Dec. 6 Three Village Civic Association had local roads on their minds.

Town of Brookhaven Superintendent of Highways Dan Losquadro (R) was on hand for the meeting at the Emma S. Clark Memorial Library to talk about what was going on with Brookhaven roads and answered a few questions from attendees and those who sent in inquiries before the meeting.

The job is one that he described as “the best job I’ve ever had” as well as the hardest. Regarding making decisions about what gets done, he said it’s all about funding availability and prioritizing.

“I steal Supervisor [Ed] Romaine’s [R] line every chance that I get when he says every issue of government is an issue of budget,” he said. “It’s just that simple. If I had unlimited funds, I would do all the work. This year, we all know that’s not the case.”

Losquadro said deciding what needs to be done is a mixture of listening to the community and balancing it against engineering assessments and needs.

“What may not seem obvious to the average resident, when we select a road or a neighborhood or a project to complete, it usually serves a greater purpose,” he said. “If we don’t do that, we may suffer deterioration … that might cause us to have to spend more money if we waited another couple of years to do it.”

Streetlights

Losquadro said recently he has worked with The Ward Melville Heritage Organization in Stony Brook which has brought a lot of concerns to his attention, including problems with streetlights. WMHO is currently working with state-elected representatives to see if there is funding to restore the sidewalks that need to be disrupted to fix underground wiring.

He said one thing residents need to know is that when post top streetlights go out, it’s not as simple as changing a bulb.

“In a lot of older communities, we get a lot of underground breaks,” he said. “When these areas were put in, they just did direct burial cables. They didn’t put any conduit in the ground. This wire is aging out.”

He said with supply chain disruptions this year, the department has not been able to get enough poles and streetlights needed to accelerate the town’s LED replacement program. However, because money wasn’t spent in that area, he was able to repurpose the money to replace a lot of underground wiring next year.

“I’d more than double our budget from $150,000 to $300,000 for next year to replace underground wiring,” he said, adding the wiring problem is significant and townwide.

Stony Brook Road and 347

Nelson + Pope, a Melville engineering firm, has been brought “on board to begin the engineering process for the improvements at Stony Brook Road and 347,” Losquadro said.

“It’s a very important project,” he added. “One that obviously we’re going to have to coordinate with New York State, because we’re just talking about the improvements on the Stony Brook Road side, but with the businesses there, especially the expansion of the medical park to the west side of the road there, you get a lot of cross traffic.”

The highway superintendent said there have been a large number of collisions at the intersection and the goal is to make it safer and more efficient. He added there will be traffic studies conducted in the area.

“We’re going to measure all the turning movements, in and out, of those businesses and see how we can best improve again the efficiency and the safety of moving vehicles through that confined and heavily traveled space,” he said.

Losquadro added that a physical barrier between the north and southbound traffic on Stony Brook Road could also be possible, hopefully something stone stamped like the barriers on 347 which are more aesthetically pleasing.

Sidewalks

Losquadro said there isn’t room in the budget for new sidewalks in the town. He said when sidewalks are added, it’s usually due to federal, county or state grants.

“We’ll certainly work with the councilman [Jonathan Kornreich (D)] to identify them and find funding sources,” he said. “I assure you, whenever I get the money for something, I build it.”

Three Village holiday parade returns to Main Street

by Rita J. Egan - December 16, 2021

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The Three Village Holiday Electric Parade returned to Main Street in East Setauket Sunday, Dec. 12. Last year a drive-thru version of the annual tradition was held at Ward Melville High School to comply with COVID-19 health protocols.

This year, David Prestia, owner of Bagel Express in Setauket, led the 25th annual parade presented by the Rotary Club of Stony Brook. Hundreds lined the street to catch a glimpse of lighted cars and floats, while Ward Melville and Stony Brook University students marched down the street along with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and members of local organizations and businesses.

Musical and dance performances at the Setauket Firehouse kicked off the early evening festivities, and the parade ended with a visit from Santa escorted by the fire department’s vehicles.

Residents take a holiday walk down the avenue in St. James

by Rita J. Egan - December 15, 2021

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On the evening of Saturday, Dec. 11, a couple of hundred shoppers checked out the stores along Lake Avenue in St. James.

The inaugural Lake Avenue Winter Walk was organized by Erica Rinear. The longtime St. James resident said she wanted to show support for local businesses that have suffered during the pandemic and through roadwork on the roadway. She added she was able to pull off the event thanks to the help of volunteers and the cooperation of the local businesses, many that stayed open later than usual for the walk that ran from 6 to 9 p.m.

Besides shopping, attendees enjoyed raffles, musical performances, free hot cocoa and snacks, a giant Jenga game and more.

Bellone announces nomination for next Suffolk County police commissioner

by Rita J. Egan - December 15, 2021

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Bellone-and-Harris — Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Suffolk police commissioner Rodney Harrison. File photo

At a press conference Dec. 14 in Hauppauge, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) named Rodney Harrison as his nominee for county police commissioner. Harrison is the outgoing New York Police Department chief of department.

According to the Suffolk County Police Department, Harrison is a 30-year veteran of the NYPD. His appointment will go before the county Legislature Dec. 21.

Stuart Cameron has served as acting commissioner since former police commissioner, Geraldine Hart, stepped down in May.

Theatre Talk with Lily Tamburo from ‘Annie Live!’

by Rita J. Egan - December 10, 2021

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By Rita J. Egan

For one young North Shore resident, the last few months have been like a dream.On Thursday, Dec. 2, one of the actresses playing an orphan in NBC’s Annie Live! was Lily Tamburo of East Setauket. The 11-year-old has been acting for years and has graced the stage at The John W. Engeman Theater in Northport as the young orphan Molly in Annie in 2017, Ivanka in Once in 2018 and Amanda Thripp in Matilda in 2019.

She was watching her favorite movie Mamma Mia! when she found out she got the role in Annie Live!

“I was literally crying when I heard that I got the part, because I really didn’t think that I would even get that far,” Lily said.

The role is her first in a television production. Lily was ready to return to Broadway in the musical Mrs. Doubtfire. Before COVID-19 restrictions shut Broadway down, Lily had appeared in the ensemble in the three previews of the show and was also the understudy for the role of Natalie Hillard.

With the lights of Broadway shining once again, Mrs. Doubtfire was ready to open, and Lily was set to rejoin the cast. However, to take on the role in Annie, she wouldn’t be able to be in the Broadway play at the same time. She said while in one way choosing one over the other was a difficult decision to make, in another way it was an easy decision to go for Annie.

“I thought it would be a really good opportunity to make new friends and to get that TV experience, and it really was,” she said. “I made the right choice.”

As for the auditions, which were virtual, Lily said everyone tried out for the Annie role first, which eventually went to 12-year-old Celina Smith, and then were called back to audition for a specific character. Her first callback was for Molly/Kate. In the end, she gained the role of Orphan One in the ensemble.

“It didn’t really make a difference to me because I was still in everything that all the other orphans were in [and] still on the screen a lot,” she said.

Besides singing, dancing played a huge part in the role, something Lily said she didn’t have much experience in. “That’s why I was also really surprised when I got the role,” the actress said, adding that being part of the production improved her dancing skills.

The Annie Live! cast rehearsed for seven weeks at various locations in the city until the first run-through of the entire show at Gold Coast Studios in Bethpage, where it was broadcast from on Dec. 2. Despite Lily’s excitement about being part of the show, the cast couldn’t announce their participation until closer to the air date.

Lily shared the TV experience with big names including Harry Connick, Jr. as Daddy Warbucks, Taraji P. Henson as Miss Hannigan, Nicole Scherzinger as Grace Farrell and Tituss Burgess as Rooster Hannigan. She said she wasn’t nervous to be around the actors and singers at all. “All of them are so down to earth,” she said.

Lily added all of them interacted with the young actors through rehearsals. Connick even stopped by one day while the young actors were being tutored and talked to them about music and Mardi Gras, the celebration that takes place in his home state of Louisiana.

Family and friends were on hand the day of the show; some were able to watch the dress rehearsal, while others watched the live show. Lily’s mother, Lauren Zummo, was one of them. The mother said she’s glad that her daughter has had the experiences she has had at Long Island regional theaters, where she added there are many talented child actors.

“They work so hard,” Zummo said. “Sometimes they think, because some people tell them, ‘Oh it’s a waste of time.’ It’s never a waste of time because you just never know.”

She added one of the people who gave Lily a chance was Antoinette DiPietropolo, the director and choreographer of Annie when Lily played the role of Molly at the Engeman Theater. DiPietropolo texted her after the 11-year-old was on TV. Everything came full circle for the mother when she heard from the person who gave her daughter her first chance, Zummo said. The Annie role at the Engeman led to Lily appearing in the national tour of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! in the role of Cindy Lou. The production was also directed and choreographed by DiPietropolo.

“You just need one person to believe in you to keep going to the other positions,” said Zummo.

Lily returned to classes at Setauket Elementary School earlier this week. However, she has been auditioning for various parts including Sarah Silverman’s The Bedwetter.

In the meantime, she is left with the wonderful memories of Annie Live! and the experience that she described as the “time of her life.”

Some North Shore school districts experience faculty shortages

by Rita J. Egan - December 9, 2021

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This year as students returned to the classrooms full time, school officials are facing problems hiring enough faculty members.

Even before the pandemic, organizations such as New York State United Teachers, known as NYSUT, addressed the decline of people enrolling in the state’s teacher education programs. According to its website, enrollment has declined by more than 53% since 2009.

Gary Dabrusky, Three Village Central School District assistant superintendent for human resources, said the district “has experienced a shortage of teachers, which is reflective of regional and state trends.”

He said there has been a general decline in “the number of employees who have chosen to seek employment in the educational field. This includes areas such as tech, family and consumer science, global languages, substitute teachers, monitors, aides and food service workers.”

Smithtown Central School District is also experiencing shortages of certified and noncertified staff members, according to Neil Katz, assistant superintendent for personnel. In the Cold Spring Harbor district, Superintendent Jill Gierasch said her schools are also among the ones facing hiring issues. The superintendent said while they haven’t had major problems with their teaching staff, finding substitute teachers, special education and library aides has been a challenge for the district that has 1,700 students, which she added is small compared to others.

“We even increased the salaries to try to draw more folks for the first time,” she said.

Reaching out

Gierasch said while they have advertised in local publications, the district has also taken out ads in The New York Times “to try to spread our scope.”

Dabrusky said he “created a human resources Facebook page to help cast a wider net in an effort to reach a greater number of potential candidates.” The search has also led to the Three Village assistant superintendent revamping the human resources tab on the district’s website and using other sites such as the BOCES online application system, SchoolFront and Indeed.

In addition to online and social media, Katz said the Smithtown district also seeks “new and creative ideas on how to promote our vacancies in an effort to attract the most highly qualified candidates to join our staff.”

He added recommendations are also welcomed.

“While many online sources attract candidates, referrals from current staff are also very helpful,” he said. “The use of virtual interviews has also allowed us to meet with candidates from a farther distance more easily and to interview more candidates quicker in order to expedite our onboarding process.”

Solutions

Katz said the district has been utilizing all staff members.

“Many part-time aides are working double shifts and covering various positions as lunch monitors and classroom aides,” he said. “We have hired a number of full-time aides to provide the necessary support. Teachers are covering classes during their lunch and preparation periods. Other certified staff are providing coverage in classrooms, as necessary.”

Gierasch said the Cold Spring Harbor district has put together skeleton crews to ensure each space is covered. In the past, for example, when the school librarian would go to lunch an aide would cover the break. Now, the library is closed during the librarian’s lunch period.

The superintendent said they have also looked at the IEP [individualized education program] aides for students who need them to see if they require someone for all periods or just certain ones so they can adjust who the aides work with throughout the course of the day.

Dabrusky said Three Village has been resourceful in managing the shortage as he described student instruction and supervision to be of “paramount importance.”

“For example, in our elementary schools, every teacher volunteers for two coverage periods,” he said. “In the secondary schools, extra class coverage is offered to our teachers to cover a class during their lunch and preparation periods. In addition, we employ permanent substitute teaching staff, and human resources leadership has expended robust effort to recruit and maintain substitute teaching staff.”

Possible reasons

Gierasch said some of the faculty positions aren’t always high paying and many people take them for health insurance coverage. With COVID-19, she feels many are hesitant to take a position due to health concerns.

“I don’t think it’s just germane to school districts,” Gierasch said. “I think, in all industries, staffing is an issue.”

Dabrusky agrees that many may be reluctant to return to the field due to the health crisis.

Katz also pointed to the overall decline.

“It appears that fewer people are entering the profession and that has caused some difficulty with securing teachers in certain areas of certification,” he said. “The number of vacancies that are posted for school districts throughout NYS is much greater now than I’ve seen in years. There definitely seems to be a supply and demand issue.”

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