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TBR News Media covers everything happening on the North Shore of Suffolk County from Cold Spring Harbor to Wading River.

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An interactive historical experience powered by TBR News Media

George Overin as Caleb Brewster. Production still from Circadian Studios and TBR News Media

By Alecsa Kazenas

The “Culper Spy Adventure,” a special presentation by TBR News Media, is an immersive digital attraction that will allow locals and tourists alike to be recruited into the ranks of General Washington’s secret Setauket spy ring. Accessed by scanning a special QR code on a panel of the Three Village map due out later this summer, you will begin an interactive 45-minute journey that puts you into the starring role of your very own secret spy adventure!

Become a time traveler as you arrive in the year 1780, crossing paths with legends and heroes: Abraham Woodhull, Anna Smith Strong, Caleb Brewster, George Washington himself! Enjoy interactive games between each episode that are filled to the brim with intrigue, action and fun! Created with the whole family in mind, the “Culper Spy Adventure” is great for all ages. We are also offering a special American Sign Language version as well a handicap-accessible edition! Join the revolution later this summer!

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with George Overin who plays Caleb Brewster in this interactive journey.

Tell us a little bit about Caleb Brewster. Who was he?

Caleb was a former whaler who didn’t like a humdrum life. He was an adventure seeker! He was his own man. He wouldn’t wear a uniform while serving his country and would fire at the British whenever he could. Being a trained whale boat captain, he could pilot his boat out of reach of the British guns quickly and safely. Though they wanted to capture him, the British never could.

What is your favorite memory from filming the “Culper Spy Adventure”?

Working with this wonderful cast and crew has been a joy that I will always remember! We all helped each other. Whether with character development or with something technical. The whole filming process has been a treat! Every scene I was involved in, every cast member I worked with, every direction given, everything just seemed to come together perfectly. Like it was meant to be. I hope we’ll be filming more in the near future!

What was it like bringing a character back to life two centuries after his death?

This was an honor for me! Growing up, I never even heard of a Long Island spy ring during the Revolutionary War. When I was approached by Michael Tessler about filming the “Culper Spy Adventure,” I knew I had to find out who Caleb Brewster was. I had gotten three books about the spy ring to read,watched the first season of “Turn” and attended a lecture on the subject. While I still only feel like I’ve just scratched the surface, I was able to start to “feel” Caleb. I will be looking for information on him for as long as I play him.

What do you think Caleb Brewster would think of this project?

I truly think Caleb would be proud of the efforts made. I’m sure he’d take me aside to discuss how he did what he did. Wouldn’t THAT be a great class to sit in on! When the Revolutionary War ended, the Culper Spy Ring just kind of dissolved. Everybody went their own way. Nobody really discussed what they did and the parts they played to help win the war. There were no parades or big honors given. If Caleb Brewster and the rest of the group could be here and see their history, their lives being exalted today, I believe they would be pleased. They would be modest and maybe a little embarrassed. After all, they were serving a Great Cause! And they all had the hearts to do what they did!

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Dar Williams
Dar Williams
Dar Williams

On Thursday,  June 21, the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook welcomed Dar Williams, called “one of America’s very best singer-songwriters” by The New Yorker for an outdoor concert. More than 200 people set up blankets and chairs on the museum lawn. Though the forecast was questionable in days leading up to the event, the weather Gods were kind and it turned into an amazing evening. Following her 90-minute performance, accompanied by New York jazz musician Brynn Roberts, Dar signed CDs and chatted with the fans. A select group of VIPs and sponsors were surprised when Dar popped in to shake hands and greet the guests prior to going on stage. For more information on upcoming concerts and events, visit wwww.longislandmuseum.org or call 631-751-0066.

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Local fire districts salute Thomas Lateulere, as HIS coffin is carried out of St. John the Baptist R. C. Church in Wading River on July 1. Photo by Wenhao Ma

By Wenhao Ma

The Wading River community bid farewell Friday to an impactful, friendly and unforgettable first responder.

Many gathered at St. John the Baptist R. C. Church in Wading River Friday morning to attend the funeral of Thomas Lateulere, the director of training and education for Suffolk County’s Regional Emergency Medical Services Council, and former commissioner of the Wading River Fire District.

Lateulere, 52, who by many was referred to as a “true gentleman” and “professional man,” died of an illness on June 27. A wake was held on June 30, at the Wading Fire Department headquarters.

“He was a selfless guy,” said Kevin McQueeney, first assistant chief of the Wading River Fire Department, who had known Lateulere for 35 years. “When he was sick, he didn’t tell anybody how sick he was. He’s just a selfless, selfless individual.”

Locals pay respect to Thomas Lateulere during mass outside St. John the Baptist R. C. Church in Wading River on July 1. Photo by Wenhao Ma
Locals pay respect to Thomas Lateulere during mass outside St. John the Baptist R. C. Church in Wading River on July 1. Photo by Wenhao Ma

Lateulere, who worked up until days before his death, joined the fire department right after high school, as a volunteer, in 1981, and by the following year, was a trained firefighter and emergency medical technician. He spent time as one of the first flight paramedics to fly with Suffolk County police’s emergency aviation unit, and according to Tony Bitalvo, second assistant chief of the Wading River Fire Department, Lateulere was an advocate for the pilot program, among other pilot programs. He served as an advocate at the state level.

Lateulere also convinced the department to get involved with cutting-edge technologies and ways to save lives, such as narcan, an anti-overdose treatment, which he pushed for as leader of Suffolk REMSCO.

“The things he brought to our department was unprecedented,” Bitalvo said. “He’s just somebody we always relied and counted on. It’s a tremendous loss for the Wading River Fire Department and the community in general.”

The Huntington Community First Aid Squad showed respect to Lateulere by thanking him “for all his service to our organization and the entire EMS community” on its official Facebook page.

Bitalvo said that Lateulere had influenced Emergency Medical Technicians across Long Island.

“His training and patience touched every aspect of the EMS field,” he said.

Bernice Bien-Aime, the Chief of Operations Wyandanch-Wheatley Heights Ambulance Corp., had one such experience with Lateulere. When the two first met in 1995, Bien-Aime was a rookie EMT. She remembers Lateulere as a humble, caring and passionate person.

“I’ve always heard of paramedics having the ‘Paragod’ complex,” Bien-Aime said, but immediately got the vibe from Lateulere that with him, it was quite the opposite. “Now here comes Tom, literally coming from the sky, and he was the kindest paramedic.”

The Wading River Fire Department honors Thomas Lateulere during mass, outside St. John the Baptist R. C. Church in Wading River on July 1. Photo by Wenhao Ma
The Wading River Fire Department honors Thomas Lateulere during mass, outside St. John the Baptist R. C. Church in Wading River on July 1. Photo by Wenhao Ma

She recalled Latuelere’s reassurance and help following taking the Suffolk County protocol exam to become a credentialed EMT. Although her Advanced Emergency Medical Technician -Critical Care certification was completed in Nassau County, she wanted to work in Suffolk.

After taking the test, Lauteulere, seeing she was nervous, called Bien-Aime to the side.

“Relax, you got this,” she recalls Lauteulere telling her.

“Oh, I passed?” she asked in response.

“No,” she remembers him answering, with a smile. “If this was Nassau County, yes. But this is Suffolk. Our protocols are different. You know this stuff. Now relax and remember you’re in Suffolk. Now, retake your test.”

Thousands of first responders went through Lauteulere directly, learning how to save lives from a man who demanded perfection and knew how to bring it out in his fellow emergency medical teams.

“[He was] patient with this rookie EMT,” Bien-Aime said. “That is a feeling I’ve never forgotten.”

Sharing a similar feeling was Branden Heller, who is now the third assistant chief of Wading River Fire Department. Fifteen years ago when he first came to the department, Lateulere was the chief.

“[He’s] a major inspiration and a natural leader,” Heller said.

Many at the funeral looked to Lateulere as not only an influential figure in the EMS community, but the community itself.

“He saved countless lives,” McQueeney said of Lateulere. “He’s irreplaceable, and I firmly believe that.”

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Residents from all over Long Island flocked to parades and firework celebrations happening in from Brookhaven to Huntington, in honor of Independence Day.

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Scenes from this year's 4ht of July parade in Port Jefferson. Photo by Alex Petroski
Scenes from this year's 4ht of July parade in Port Jefferson. Photo by Alex Petroski
Scenes from this year's 4ht of July parade in Port Jefferson. Photo by Alex Petroski
Scenes from this year's 4ht of July parade in Port Jefferson. Photo by Alex Petroski
Scenes from this year's 4ht of July parade in Port Jefferson. Photo by Alex Petroski
Scenes from this year's 4ht of July parade in Port Jefferson. Photo by Alex Petroski
Scenes from this year's 4ht of July parade in Port Jefferson. Photo by Alex Petroski
The American Flag blows in the wind along Heritage Park's Avenue of America during the Parade of American Flags on the Fourth of July. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Locals visit the Avenue of America to see the Parade of American Flags on the Fourth of July. Photo by Desirée Keegan
The Avenue of American at Heritage Park in Mount Sinai celebrates the nation's history, displaying facts about, and flags of each state. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Local artwork decorates the Avenue of America during the Fourth of July Parade of American Flags at Heritage Park. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Fred Drewes, on left, discusses his Court of American landscaping with a park visitor. Photo by Desirée Keegan
The Court of America at Heritage Park in Mount Sinai, which displays plants shaped into a map of the United States, is decorated with flags on the Fourth of July. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Locals visit the Avenue of America to see the Parade of American Flags on the Fourth of July. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Local artwork decorates the Avenue of America during the Fourth of July Parade of American Flags at Heritage Park. Photo by Desirée Keegan
A girl rides her bike down the Avenue of America, while her mother follows behind. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Festive decorations rest under trees throughout Heritage Park in Mount Sinai on the Fourth of July. Photo by Desirée Keegan
David and Kristin Masters of Smithtown smile with their America themed hats. David and Kristin Masters on Stengel ​place in Smithtown
Dr. Regina Glanzberg of Best Friends Veterinary Care in Nesconset stands proudly in a patriotic outfit. Photo by Kevin Redding.
A scene of Main Street in Smithtown. Photo by Kevin Redding.
Smithtown celebrates Independence Day. Photo by Kevin Redding.

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Scenes from the pet parade. Photo by Bob Savage

Over 120 patrons and their pets took part in Comsewogue Public Library’s 16th annual Pet Parade in Port Jefferson Station on Monday, June 27. The front lawn of the library was full of dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, birds, rabbits and even chickens who made a truce to get along for a day. A wonderful time was had by all.

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Scenes from the pet parade. Photo by Bob Savage
Scenes from the pet parade. Photo by Bob Savage
Scenes from the pet parade. Photo by Bob Savage
Scenes from the pet parade. Photo by Bob Savage
Scenes from the pet parade. Photo by Bob Savage
Scenes from the pet parade. Photo by Bob Savage
Scenes from the pet parade. Photo by Bob Savage
Scenes from the pet parade. Photo by Bob Savage
Scenes from the pet parade. Photo by Bob Savage
Scenes from the pet parade. Photo by Bob Savage
Scenes from the pet parade. Photo by Bob Savage

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Above, the cover of Darlene Sells Treadwell’s new book

By Colm Ashe

Above, the cover of Darlene Sells Treadwell’s new book
Above, the cover of Darlene Sells Treadwell’s new book

In terms of social prevalence, bigotry and sexism have decreased dramatically over the last century. However, many still remember a world where minorities and women were considered second-class citizens. Darlene Sells Treadwell is one of those people.

In her new book, “The Bittersweet Taste of the American Dream,” the 74-year Setauket native tells the true story of her grandmother — a Native American with African roots and a special knack for cooking who fell prey to a cutthroat corporate money game.

Treadwell, who currently resides in Georgia, will be traveling to Long Island this weekend to present copies of her book to the Emma S. Clark Memorial Library and the Three Village Historical Society. She will hold a book signing event where she will share her family story with the attendees. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Treadwell by phone.

What can you tell me about your grandmother?

Her name was Ms. Emma Francis Calvin Sells of Old Field, Long Island, New York, and she was apart of the Setauket Indian Tribe. She was also of African American descent. She was the daughter of Clifford and Abby, and married Charles Augustus Sells of Setauket on Jan. 11, 1917, at the age of 18. She was my heroine in the kitchen. I always imagined her as a Black Native American Julia Child. If she was around today she would be on all these new cooking shows! Instead, she died heartbroken and disillusioned from her trust in the big buys and the industry… that they would do the right thing.

How did the cooking industry take advantage of Grandma Em?

They stole her recipe. They began the process slowly, never blatantly, but persistently eased knowledge of the recipe away. I have a letter from The National Biscuit Company asking her to bring in four bags and to identify the ingredients. She even tried to reach out to her hero, Jackie Robinson, to intervene when she realized she’d been had. This transgression prevented her from accumulating her rightful place in history. I have all of the proof in the book: letters between attorneys and employees at the National Biscuit Company, names and signatures, her recipes.

When did she realize her recipe had been stolen?

1949. She was at the supermarket when she saw the first ever Ready-to-Use Corn Bread Mix on the shelf — with her recipe on the back of the box. She dropped to her knees crying in the middle of the aisle, realizing the last 12 years of working with the National Biscuit Company to make her dream a reality were nothing but a scam.

How was the story passed on to you?

When Grandma Em died at the age of 74, we slowly went through her list of belongings. We came across a blue hat box. And this was handed to me, that’s how I wrote the book. Upon opening, I unfolded years of sentimental holdings to her heritage, her recipes and her lost dreams. It was given to me to decipher what went wrong and slowly, piece by piece, I carefully, and tearfully, read her notes and recipes. And I could feel her frustration and pain and suffering as she waited patiently for news from patent attorneys and inventors. I read and wept as they lead her on and on, sent her to their New York offices in vain, to sit and wait and wait. From 1937 to 1949.

Why did you want to write this book?

I want to make peace with this injustice and I want to see if they want to right a wrong. No civil attorney can help me because the companies can change one ingredient and it’s no longer litigable. Plus, it’s too late. That corporation (now called Nabisco) benefited from the free labor and ideas of my little old grandma. I wanted to give Grandma Em the power and the humanity that was denied to her that time in history. I just wanted to … publicly honor her ingenuity and entrepreneurial achievements. I’m the last surviving member of the family. I’m 74. When I’m gone, that blue hat box is gone. I wanted to write the book so she could receive her accolades. I did not want to die with her story untold. I don’t want to publicize myself. I really just want to give honor to my Grandma.

Will you be holding any book
signings in our area?

I’m doing a book signing at the Three Village Historical Society. They have an exhibit on the Setauket Indians now — the tribe my grandmother was apart of. I’ll be there on Sunday, July 3, from 2 to 4 p.m., but the reading starts at 3.

You can join the Times Beacon Record at Darlene’s book signing as she recounts this tragic, yet hopeful story of a local Setauket legend who deserves her place in history. The Three Village Historical Society is located at 93 North Country Road in Setauket. For more information, please call 631-751-3730.

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Stony Brook University has changed its class policy during the coronavirus outbreak. File photo

By Colm Ashe

The general consensus among those who study the evaporating future of the global water supply is to blame population growth. However, a recent study out of Stony Brook University suggests climate change may be the dominant catalyst for future exposure to drought.

The number of people exposed to extreme drought would see a 426.6 percent increase by 2100 at the current rates of greenhouse gas emissions and population growth 

A team of scholars used 16 climate models and United Nation population growth projections to ensure a more accurate prediction. The study reported that the number of people exposed to extreme drought would see a 426.6 percent increase by 2100 at the current rates of greenhouse gas emissions and population growth. While many might agree that water scarcity will become increasingly more problematic in the future — especially if preventative actions don’t amp up fast — there is a difference between what each party suggests is the best approach: to focus on slowing population increases with socioeconomic development or to cut the rate of greenhouse gas emissions. This study states the latter may be the most efficient way to avoid widespread drought.

Their predictions attribute 59.5 percent of future drought to climate change and only 9.2 percent of the increase to population growth. The remaining 31.4 percent accounts for the combined effect of these two factors. According to Stony Brook University’s professor Oleg Smirnov, who was involved in conducting the study, the “results imply that top greenhouse gas-emitters have the greatest capacity to decrease future exposure to extreme drought.”

Though climate change mitigation policies may have the power to most effectively reduce the future effects of widespread drought, population growth is still an important factor to consider. “Population growth alone is responsible for over 35 million more people exposed to extreme drought globally per month by the end of the century,” Smirnov said. “However, we also found that, for the same period, climate change is responsible for about 230 million more people exposed to extreme drought.”

The conclusion that Smirnov and his team have come to portrays climate change as playing a more important role than population increase. However, each country is affected differently by each factor, so the solution is not as simple as just cutting emissions. The worst-case scenario would be to continue at the present rate of both greenhouse gas emissions and population growth. Regardless of which factor ranks in terms of importance, this study and many others like it suggest the same message: if we are to counter the effects of future global drought exposure, we need to act as soon as possible.

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Jim and Katie Ford at Good Shepherd Hospice when Katie received a promotion. Photo from Good Shepherd Hospice

By Ernestine Franco

On June 15, at 12:57 p.m., Jim Ford’s Facebook post said, “The journey continues. I’m off to Good Shepherd Hospice later today.” Just three days later, Sound Beach lost one of its best and brightest lights.

James Francis Ford was born in the Bronx on Dec. 3, 1947. He attended William Howard Taft High School and in 1967 he enlisted in the Air Force, where he was a mechanic and worked maintaining airplane while stationed in Charleston, South Carolina. Ford and his wife, Nancy, initially moved to Bayport. Again on Dec. 3, but in 1976, they moved to Sound Beach.

Jim Ford was a member of the Sound Beach Fire Department, holding various different positions. Photo from the Sound Beach Fire Department
Jim Ford was a member of the Sound Beach Fire Department, holding various different positions. Photo from the Sound Beach Fire Department

In Bayport, Ford served in the fire department as lieutenant of the Hook and Ladder Company, so when his family moved to Sound Beach, it was only fitting he’d join the Sound Beach Fire Department. There he became a lieutenant and made his way up the ladder to attain the rank of captain of Engine Company 1, a position he was very proud to hold. Over the years he held many positions in the department, including lieutenant and captain of the Fire Police Squad, president of the department for five years. He served on numerous committees, and was a life member of the department as well as president of the benevolent fund.

For the past 10 years, Ford could no longer be a responding member of the department. “While in and out of hospitals,” his good friend and ex-Chief Bob Pulick said, “being on the inactive list didn’t stop Jim from still being of service.” In fact, Pulick said, “he was single-handedly responsible for about 75 percent of all the funds the department received each year.”

Ford’s commitment to the community was not only through the fire department. He was also very active in his church, St. Louis de Montfort R.C. Church in Sound Beach, where he was a Eucharistic minister and an usher. He also coordinated baptisms with his wife.

A valued member of the Sound Beach Civic Association, Jim is remembered fondly by the Civic president Bea Ruberto.

“In April, the Civic held a Vets Memorial lasagna dinner fundraiser.” Ruberto said. “Because of his health issues, Jim couldn’t eat the lasagna, but he bought a ticket, then brought his own dinner, because he wanted to show support for our vets.”

Jim Ford and his wife Nancy at a family wedding. Photo from from Nancy Ford
Jim Ford and his wife Nancy at a family wedding. Photo from from Nancy Ford

What will be remembered by most people, though, is not just all that he did, but who he was. Patty Pulick, a lifelong friend, remembers meeting the couple nearly 40 years ago.

“He had a great smile and laugh, and was always thinking of everyone else before himself, many times taking me to physical therapy whenever I needed a ride,” she said of Ford. “If I called their home wanting to speak to Nancy and Jim answered, he always said, ‘Hey you’ and I would laugh. He was a wonderful guy and I still can’t believe he is no longer with us.”

The Pulicks and the Fords enjoyed a special bond as parents. Katie and Danny Ford and Kim Pulick came from the same adoption agency in Korea — Katie and Kim within days of each other.

“I will miss our birthday lunches at such gourmet restaurants as Wendy’s, McDonald’s or George’s Kitchen,” Bob Pulick said.

Ford was very proud of his daughter Katie, who was a member of the 106th Rescue Wing of the Air National Guard. When he was already at Good Shepherd, Air Force officers came to his bedside to officially promote his daughter, a veteran of two tours in Iraq, to technical sergeant. With that promotion, Katie now outranked her father, to which Ford answered, “If I could get out of bed, I would salute you.”

Councilwoman Jane Bonner (C-Rocky Point) also fondly remembers Ford.

Nancy and Jim Ford, and their grandchildren Colin and Andy. Photo from Maureen Ford Chorma
Nancy and Jim Ford, and their grandchildren Colin and Andy. Photo from Maureen Ford Chorma

“I think I have one word that describes him,” Bonner said. “He was a gentleman. He was a warm, kind and funny person, with an upbeat attitude right to the end. I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone.” Bonner said she will miss getting a hug from him, something he did every time they saw each other.

Jim and Nancy Ford celebrated their 45th anniversary on May 22. Both very caring and loving people, they were well known for their humor. They had fun together. Nancy remembers her husband being called “the mayor of the fire department and the mayor of their block,” and Nancy said she now knows he is the “mayor in heaven.”

Jim was the beloved husband of Nancy; loving father of Maureen Chorma (Timothy), Kathleen and Daniel; adored grandfather of Andrew and Colin; and dear brother of Michael Ford, Mary Walsh and Kenneth Ford. A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated at St. Louis de Montfort R.C. Church in Sound Beach. Internment followed in Calverton National Cemetery. Donations may be made in his name to Good Shepherd Hospice, Hope House Ministries or the Grumman Memorial Park.

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Consumers are being encouraged to bring reusable bags to the grocery store instead of plastic bags by one Suffolk County legislator. Stock photo

Plastic bags have replaced tumbleweeds as the de-facto street debris blowing across town, but the two have very different affects on our environment.

Environmental groups from all over the country talk about the consequences of plastic bags polluting our waterways and killing our marine life. Marine animals choke on these bags and try ingesting them, which often leads to death.

One North Shore legislator is working on reducing the amount of plastic bags we use by imposing a 5 cent tax on every bag. County Legislator William “Doc” Spencer (D-Centerport) first tried to introduce an outright ban on plastic bags in stores earlier this year, but has since amended the bill to put a tax on the bags instead.

We support Spencer’s resolution to tax the bags, and think the Legislature should act quickly to put it in place.

Organic and green labels have become trendier over the past few years, but not where it actually counts. A measure like this could impact the environment that we so often take for granted.

We’re always careful when it comes to trusting government to make personal decisions for its citizens — in this case, which bags to use while shopping — but we have also been historically supportive of governmental measures that aim to conserve, improve or save the environment. This is a case where we believe the government should get more involved in our lives and regulate what materials we are using because of the tremendous impact it could have on our environment and the animals that inhabit it.

Other places, including Washington D.C., have already reported a significant reduction in the use of plastic bags through new tax laws. We think Suffolk County should join in on this success for the environment’s sake.

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