Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson has announced that it has received five stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for the second consecutive year, the highest rating possible using data that evaluates outcomes, patient experience and process. Mather was one of only three Northwell hospitals and 381 hospitals nationwide to earn the top rating.
Northern Westchester and Glen Cove were the other five-star Northwell hospitals. Northwell achieved four-star ratings at Huntington Hospital, Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset and South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore.
CMS assigns star ratings to U.S. hospitals based on 46 hospital quality measures, which are divided into five quality categories: safety of care, mortality, patient experience, readmission rates, and timely and effective care
“I am exceptionally proud of the entire Mather team for this rating that reflects our culture of providing high-quality patient care and exceptional patient experience,” said Executive Director Kevin McGeachy. “By maintaining a five-star rating for a second time, Mather is distinguished in the minds of our patients and the community as the place to go for consistently providing the highest levels of care. We are committed to continuous improvement in safety and patient satisfaction and will continue to invest in resources and initiatives that enhance the care we provide to our community.”
To learn more about the CMS ratings and the hospital rating data base, go to https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/
Historically, the news predominantly focused on driving while impaired by the consumption of alcohol. However, driving while a person’s ability to do so is impaired by drugs, including marijuana, is equally dangerous and critical. This is especially so in light of marijuana being legalized for recreational use in New York. This month we will delve into the distinctions between driving while ability impaired by alcohol and drugs, specifically marijuana, under New York State law.
We all know that it is illegal to drive a vehicle while your ability to do so is impaired by drugs, including marijuana, as stated in the Vehicle and Traffic Law (VTL) § 1192(4). Even for a first-time offense, the penalties for violating this law can be severe.
Below is a helpful comparison of the penalties for driving while impaired by alcohol versus drugs.
It should be noted that a significant difference between these two offenses is the severity of the above consequences. A DWAI by marijuana conviction results in a criminal record from the first offense, whereas a first-time DWAI by alcohol does not. However, proving impairment due to marijuana can be more complex. Unlike alcohol, where Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) levels provide a straightforward measure of impairment, the presence of drugs like marijuana does not necessarily indicate impairment. The prosecution must demonstrate that the driver’s ability to operate the vehicle was actually impaired. However, there is a movement underfoot to lower the legal BAC limit, which would seriously affect the enforcement, prosecution, and defense of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) cases. More will be written about this in future articles.
Currently, there is not a universally accepted test equivalent to the breathalyzer for marijuana. This makes it more challenging for prosecutors to prove impairment beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, individuals charged with DWAI by drugs may have a stronger defense so long as they are prepared to challenge the prosecution’s evidence, including the legitimacy of the traffic stop.
However, let us remind you that while both substances can impair driving abilities, it is crucial to remember that smoking marijuana or drinking alcohol before driving isn’t illegal per se—impairment is the key factor. The law requires proof of impairment, not just consumption. As laws evolve, especially with the increasing legalization of marijuana, understanding these nuances becomes even more critical. If you’re facing charges related to impaired driving, it’s advisable to seek experienced legal counsel to navigate the complexities of the law.
A. Craig Purcell, Esq. is a partner at the law firm of Glynn Mercep Purcell and Morrison LLP in Setauket and is a former President of the Suffolk County Bar Association and Vice President of the New York State Bar Association
Josh Hartnett and Ariel Donoghue star in 'Trap.' Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Studio
Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel
Will it have the craft of The Sixth Sense? The clumsy mess that was Lady in the Water? Or the true horror of the disastrous Old? Few directors inspire the puzzling mix of hope, disappointment, and divisiveness than M. Night Shyamalan. As the director, producer, and screenwriter, the king of the “twist” must take complete responsibility for his work.
His newest film, Trap, focuses on firefighter Cooper Adams (Josh Hartnett), who happens to be a serial killer dubbed “The Butcher.” Cooper takes his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), to a Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) concert as a reward for her stellar report card. With a massive police presence, Cooper quickly learns that, somehow, law enforcement knows he is attending the concert. Under the guidance of Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills), an FBI profiler, every man of a certain age and type will be checked before they can leave the arena.
The premise is simplistic but not without interest. A concert setting is naturally charged—a closed universe of organized chaos—screaming teen fans, food counters, and a warren of dressing rooms, storerooms, and connecting doors. The scenario and location open a world of possibilities. Unfortunately, Trap fails to spring, plodding and creaking as the resourceful Cooper evades capture in a series of “close calls.”
Eventually, Trap builds to a half dozen false endings, one more predictable than the last. The film’s minimal tension escapes like the air from a bicycle tire (a specifically selected metaphor). The Oedipal layer to the killer’s motivation has played in myriad films since the 1970s, and the revelation lands with a thud.
Hartnett (exceptional in last year’s Oppenheimer) seems to be vying for the Most Excruciatingly Goofy Dad Award in a performance of painful grimaces, pasted grins, and “gosh-heck” incredulity. He punctuates every line with a waggle of the eyebrows that would make Groucho blush. In the opening moments, his daughter urges him to drive faster so they do not miss the opportunity to glimpse Lady Raven leaving her tour bus. He responds that they do not want to break any laws:“Trust me.” The aggressive lack of subtlety is almost impressive. Riley comments more than once, “You’re acting strange, Dad.” Strange acting, indeed.
Hartnett and company are failed by a script composed solely of cliches. A subplot about a mean girl, Jody, who has been freezing out Riley, amounts to several shrill exchanges between Cooper and the girl’s mother (Marnie McPhail). After Cooper manipulates Lady Raven’s uncle and promoter (M. Night Shyamalan), Riley goes onstage as Lady Raven’s “Dream Girl.” Outraged by her peer’s opportunity, we glimpse Jody throwing a cup of soda in her mother’s face.
Alison Pill is a strong actor but does not appear until the final act when she takes the mantle of clueless wife. Even with the character’s few extra shades, she cannot rescue the absence of surprise and dimension.
The concert portions are grating. In another film, the director might comment on pop culture’s empty self-indulgence and repetitive nature. However, one suspects Shyamalan is showcasing his daughter’s singing career. (Social media also helps to save the day.) As an actor, Saleka is decent, but like Pill, given few notes to play. As for Jonathan Langdon’s duped t-shirt seller, Jamie—the stereotype borders on offensive, especially in the film’s tag. Hayley Mills’ Dr. Grant amounts to an extended cameo, but she lends a hint of gravitas with her rich voice and regal bearing.
Shyamalan populates the world with enough police and SWAT extras to fill a Batman franchise. Visually, the shots are strangely static, often screaming, “Look here—he’s going to do something clever.” He liberally “borrowed” elements from The Hitcher, Silence of the Lambs, Dressed to Kill, Dexter, and even A Clockwork Orange.
In particular, he saddled Hartnett with elements of these famous psychopaths but then directed him to play Cooper with the vigor of a middle school Thanksgiving pageant. Trap is less Hitchcock and more Parent Trap.
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Fool the moviegoing public repeatedly—Shyamalan on all of us.
Rated PG-13, the film is now playing in local theaters.
Peter O'Toole stars in 'Lawrence of Arabia.'
Photo courtesy of Fathom Events
Fathom Events and Columbia Pictures celebrate the studio’s 100th anniversary with select screenings nationwide of the groundbreaking adventure epic Lawrence Of Arabia, on Sunday, Aug 11 and Monday, Aug. 12.
The screenings will include the exclusive “Columbia 100 Celebration” featurette, putting the spotlight on a century of world-class cinema spanning across the industry powerhouse’s illustrious past to its promising present.
Heralded as Columbia Pictures’ most-celebrated film, Lawrence Of Arabia is the winner of seven Academy Awards®—including Best Picture of 1962—and remains one of the most timeless and essential motion picture masterpieces. Considered the greatest achievement of its Oscar®-winning auteur director, David Lean (The Bridge on the River Kwai), the film introduced Peter O’Toole in his career-making performance as T.E. Lawrence, the audacious World War I British army officer who heroically united rival Arab desert tribes and led them to war against the mighty Turkish Empire.
The film also took home Oscars® for Best Cinematography and Best Score, among others, and boasts the talented ensemble of Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Jose Ferrer, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains, Arthur Kennedy with Omar Sharif as “Ali”. Produced by the legendary Sam Spiegel, the film’s screenplay is by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson.
Each Fathom screening of the film will be presented in the acclaimed 2012 version, brilliantly restored in 4K to its complete 224-minute version.
Exclusive to the Fathom screenings will be the special feature “Peter O’Toole Revisits Lawrence Of Arabia,” an intimate retrospective that finds the esteemed leading man reflecting not only on the role that would leave an indelible mark on his life and career, but on the history of film, itself.
Locally the film will be screened at AMC Loews Stony Brook 17, Island 16 Cinema de Lux in Holtsville and Showcase Cinema de Lux in Farmingdale. To view times and to purchase tickets in advance, visit www.fathomevents.com.
Jesús Pérez Ríos at the New York Public Library in 2023. Photo by Anne Martinez Hoth
By Daniel Dunaief
When he’s looking to relax, he builds and rebuilds some of the LEGO sets in his house in East Setauket. One of the things he likes best about being on Long Island, where he’s lived for the last two years, is that he can be alone to think and develop new ideas.
To hear Jesús Pérez Ríos describe himself, he is “just a kid having fun.” An Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University, Pérez Ríos enjoys bridging scientific knowledge, applying his physics background to questions, problems and puzzles in other fields.
Recently, the Stony Brook physicist, who is also an affiliated faculty member at the Institute for Advanced Computational Sciences, collaborated with Stefan Willitsch, Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Basel in Switzerland, to explore the forces that might be inhibiting the reaction between hydroquinone and neon.
In a paper published in the journal Nature Chemistry, Pérez Ríos, Willitsch and members of their teams described in detail several potentially opposing forces that affect the reactivity in the experiment.
Jesús Pérez Ríos at the Barnes and Noble in New York City in 2022 with Lego batman. Photo by Anne Martinez Hoth
“I started collaborating with [Willitsch] because he had accurate results, and it was hard to explain the observations,” said Pérez Ríos. “We had a hypothesis but needed to develop models to test it.”
Pérez Ríos described two interactions in detail. One is due to the long range atom-molecule interactions and the other comes from internal rotational dynamics.
With the experiments in Willitsch’s lab and the theory developed by Pérez Ríos and his colleagues, they highlighted the role of rotational quantum states in a hydroquinone-neon chemi-ionization reaction. A similar mechanism and approach may be suitable for other reactions as well, such as molecular ion-atom reactions.
These molecules are akin to puzzle pieces coming together. Instead of a two-dimensional alignment where pieces find each other and lock together in their complementary parts, these pieces also have rotational effects that can cause a misalignment.
“That is one of our key findings,” Pérez Ríos explained. “It is like the shape of the puzzle piece evolves depending on the molecule’s collision energy and internal state.”
The results presented in the scientific paper are in the realm of fundamental research, with no “immediate practical application in synthesis or catalysis,” explained Willitsch.
Nonetheless, the insights gained through this collaboration “leads to a better understanding of the relevant reaction mechanisms and thus enables a more efficient design of future chemical reactions.”
At this point, Willitsch has presented the work at several conferences, where he has found a receptive audience and expects it will “foreseeably stimulate further work in the field.”
A search for answers
Pérez Ríos explained that Willitsch had some possible explanations for his data, but he did not have a mathematical model to test his hypothesis.
Jesus Pérez Ríos in Port Jefferson in 2022. Photo by Anne Martinez Hoth
“He mentioned the experimental details to me and we discussed the data,” said Pérez Ríos, who has known Willitsch for about 12 years. “Then, we started to do calculations from our side.”
Pérez Ríos has a team of 7 PhD students, one postdoctoral researcher, one Master’s candidate and three undergraduates.
Members of his lab work on simulations of physical phenomena regarding atomic and molecular processes. Additionally, they work on machine learning applications to atomic and molecular physics, exploring ways to teach a machine classical mechanics or quantum mechanics through chemical reactions.
In the reaction he was studying, Willitsch was working with hydroquinone, which has two conformers. These are two molecules with the same chemical formula that have two different structures.
Willitsch was able to select for a particular type of conformer in its reaction with neon.
Pérez Ríos considered many possibilities and models, none of which was fully satisfactory.
An insight at a conference
When he was at an Air Force Office of Scientific Research review program in Washington DC, Pérez Ríos was considering the problem from numerous perspectives.
He had tried many possibilities, but none were convincing. He needed something new.
“I had the physical picture of the model during a conference: in a break, I started to work on the code, and, in a few hours, I had something ready to get some very preliminary results,” Pérez Ríos recalled.
Willitsch enthusiastically embraced the preliminary results and the group decided to make it more realistic, developing the version of the code to explain Willitsch’s data.
The dynamics simulations were ready in a month, with extra checks conducted for another month to ensure everything was correct. The joint effort took over a year and a half to produce a fulfilling explanation.
Many of Pérez Ríos’s collaborators come from different disciplines, which gives the Stony Brook Assistant Professor an opportunity to learn about a variety of topics. He has worked with particle, atmospheric, atomic and plasma physicists and spectroscopists and chemists.
Pérez Ríos suggested that a physics perspective can help in a variety of settings, even including household problems and daily challenges.
Echoing a theme from the main character Jason Nesmith (played by Tim Allen) in the movie Galaxy Quest, Pérez Ríos said, “you can never surrender.”
Pérez Ríos added that you “are the only one putting limits on yourself. However, you need to pick the battles worth fighting, which is a very difficult matter.”
More American than Americans
A resident of East Setauket where he lives with his wife Anne Martinez Hoth, Pérez Ríos grew up in Guardamar del Segura, a small town in Alicante, Spain.
The son of restaurant owners,Pérez Ríos said he didn’t travel during summers to the beach, the way many of his friends did.
When he wasn’t helping in the restaurant, he used his free time to learn about math, zoology, genetics, chemistry and physics.
He enjoys living on Long Island and in the United States. His wife suggests he is “more American than the Americans” because he likes the American job philosophy and the freedom.
At Stony Brook, Pérez Ríos teaches quantum mechanics to undergrads, some of whom say he is strict.
“I have a very particular approach focusing on learning to think rather than knowing how to solve a problem,” he said.
As a research partner, Pérez Ríos is an unusual find, bringing constructive and valuable insights to discussions.
“I have rarely collaborated with someone so energetic and broadly interested” as Pérez Ríos, Willitsch said. “I particularly value his pragmatic approach and that he is not afraid to leave his comfort zone to delve into totally new classes of problems, which have not been tackled before either by himself or others.”
Willitsch added that few scientists have the same broad knowledge of physics and chemistry, which is “vital to push this interdisciplinary frontier.”
'Pinocchio' at Theatre Three. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
'Pinocchio' at Theatre Three. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
'Pinocchio' at Theatre Three. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
'Pinocchio' at Theatre Three. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
'Pinocchio' at Theatre Three. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
'Pinocchio' at Theatre Three. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
Theatre Three’s Children’s Theatre closes its summer season with Pinocchio, a musical for the entire family.
Based on Carolo Collodi’s late nineteenth century Italian novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio, the story has been seen on stage and screen, both in animated and live action versions. As with all Theatre Three children’s theatre, the company creates its own musical based on the original material. Pinocchio has a book by Jeffrey Sanzel, with new songs by Jeffrey Hoffman and Douglas J. Quattrock.
Anabelle (Emilia Guzzetta), underling apprentice fairy—third class, is assigned by Ondine, Queen of the Fairies (Ginger Dalton), to help an angry and withdrawn woodcarver, Geppetto (Steven Uihlein).
After failing to change the recluse through song, the nervous fairy teams with the energetic and outgoing Cassandra, the Enchanted Cricket (Michelle LaBozzetta). Together, they enchant a stick of wood. Hearing the wood speak, Geppetto fashions it into a wooden companion, Pinocchio (Kiernan Urso). When they realize that the puppet is alive but lacks a sense of right and wrong, they cast a spell on his nose to grow when he does not tell the truth.
Meanwhile, two wily crooks—Carpacious Cat (Gina Lardi) and Ferdinand Fox (Ryan Van Nostrand)—set up their scam “Festival El Grande” to fleece the villagers. When they discover the magic wooden boy, the pair embark on yet another scheme.
Along with the professional acting company, Pinocchio features two dozen students from Theatre Three’s Summer Dramatic Academy.
The score features the original songs “Lovely Thoughts,” “Bad Harmony,” “You Can Count on Me,” “Taran-Tella Da Truth,” “Put Tomorrow in Your Hands,” “Keep Your Chin Up and Smile,” and the calypso “Festival El Grande.”
The production is directed by Sanzel whileQuattrock and Hoffman, who musically directed, form the two-keyboard combo. Choreography is by Kiernan Urso, costume design is by Jason Allyn and Melissa Troxler is the production stage manager.
Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson presents Pinocchio through Aug. 10. Running time is one hour with a 15 minute intermission. Photos with the cast are available in the lobby after the show. Final performances are Friday, August 9, at 11 a.m., and Saturday, August 10, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Children’s theater continues with Theatre Three’s annual productions of A Kooky Spooky Halloween from Oct. 5 to 19, and and Barnaby Saves Christmas from Nov. 23 to Dec. 28.
All seats are $12. Call the box office at 631-928-9100 or visit theatrethree.com for tickets and information.
New York Marine Rescue Center seeks volunteers to join them for a beach cleanup at Cedar Beach, 223 Harbor Road, Mt. Sinai on Sunday, Aug. 11 from 6 to 8 p.m.; and at Crab Meadow Beach, 90 Waterview St., Fort Salonga on Sunday, Aug. 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. Come join them in their effort to eradicate marine debris from our local beaches and help save our wildlife! To sign up, visit nymarinerescue.org.
Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace, 1108 Route 112, Port Jefferson Station welcomes Emmy award-winning television host, best-selling cookbook author, and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich on Sunday,Aug. 11 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Bastianich will be meeting fans and signing copies of her newest cookbook, Lidia’s From Our Family to Yours. For more information, call the store at 631-331-1706.
PSEG Long Island is committed to working safely to restore potential power outages and provide excellent service
PSEG Long Island is prepared for the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby to bring possible heavy rain and gusty winds across Long Island and the Rockaways Friday afternoon into Saturday. The weather system could bring up to 2.5 inches of rain and peak wind gusts of up to 50 mph, enough to potentially topple trees, bring down branches on wires and cause outages.
PSEG Long Island has personnel ready to respond safely and as quickly as possible throughout the storm. Additionally, 100 off-island utility personnel are being procured to work alongside PSEG Long Island’s highly trained crews.
“PSEG Long Island has been monitoring Tropical Storm Debby as it moves up the East Coast, and we are prepared for potential impacts on the system,” said Michael Sullivan, vice president of Electric Operations at PSEG Long Island. “We have performed system and logistic checks, and have a full complement of personnel who will mobilize for restoration in foul weather conditions. Our crews will work to safely restore any outages as quickly as conditions will allow.”
Downed wires should always be considered “live.” Please stay as far away as possible from them, and do not drive over or stand near them. To report a downed wire, call PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour Electric Service number at 800-490-0075 or call 911.
Electric current passes easily through water. If you encounter a pool of standing water, stop, back up and choose another path.
Never use a generator or any gasoline-powered engine inside your home, basement, or garage or less than 20 feet from any window, door, or vent. Use an extension cord that is more than 20 feet long to keep the generator at a safe distance.
Stay Connected:
Download the PSEG Long Island mobile app to report outages and receive information on restoration times, crew locations and more.
Report an outage and receive status updates by texting OUT to PSEGLI (773454). You can also report your outage through our app or our website at psegliny.com/outages.
To report an outage or downed wire, you can also call PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour Electric Service number at 800-490-0075.
Follow PSEG Long Island on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) to report an outage and for updates before, during and after the storm.
Visit PSEG Long Island’s MyPower map for the latest in outage info, restoration times and crew locations across Long Island and the Rockaways at mypowermap.psegliny.com/.
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PSEG Long Island
PSEG Long Island operates the Long Island Power Authority’s transmission and distribution system under a long-term contract. PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a publicly traded diversified energy company.
Our community has been blessed with so many extraordinary people who by the power of their example have inspired many of us to stay the course and continue to build bridges and not walls.
One of those powerful bridge builders who touched so many of us died on July 19 of ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, at the age of 76. Father Gerald Fitzsimmons, known to most of us as Fr. Fitz was a powerful preacher and teacher.
In 1974, Fr. Fitz came as an ordained deacon for the Montfort Missionaries and was assigned to Infant Jesus Catholic Church in Port Jefferson Village. In 1975, he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest. He was young and filled with tremendous energy with a powerful voice.
In 1979, another young Montfort Missionary came to Port Jefferson’s Infant Jesus Church to replace him. Yours truly was assigned as a parish priest. Fr. Fitz stayed an extra year. I learned so much from him about ministry, about priesthood and about basketball. We were both fierce competitors.
However, what impressed me most was his compassionate heart and his profound commitment to the most vulnerable and broken among us. After Infant Jesus, he served as the pastor of St. Mary Gate of Heaven church in Ozone Park, Queens. Also, during the years after he left Port Jefferson, he became known throughout the region as an extraordinary preacher and retreat master.
Father Gerald Fitzsimmons
His ministry extended around the world. He became a real agent of compassion and justice for those who were victims of clergy sexual abuse. He became internationally known for his compassionate heart and his wisdom.
Hope House Ministries was founded in 1980. In the 1990s, as we were experiencing a lot of growing pains, he was elected Provincial Superior of the Montfort Missionaries in the United StatesDuring his tenure, he was extremely supportive of my ministry in Port Jefferson and supportive of me personally. He always urged me to stay the course and I have.
Having accompanied a number of people who died from ALS, I have always been amazed with their courage, kindness and wisdom.
During the two years with ALS, Father Fitz never stopped working, preaching and healing. Quickly the disease caused him to be confined to a wheelchair; then he became unable to use only a few fingers. However, he continued to use his powerful voice of compassion through Zoom meetings with the international community and celebrating mass regularly for the Sisters of St. Joseph up until a week before he died.
His voice and compassionate heart will always be remembered. I am grateful that I got to know him and was able to walk with him on part of his journey. I know I am richer for it.
Father Francis Pizzarelli, SMM, LCSW-R, ACSW, DCSW, is the director of Hope House Ministries in Port Jefferson.
It should be noted that a significant difference between these two offenses is the severity of the above consequences. A DWAI by marijuana conviction results in a criminal record from the first offense, whereas a first-time DWAI by alcohol does not. However, proving impairment due to marijuana can be more complex. Unlike alcohol, where Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) levels provide a straightforward measure of impairment, the presence of drugs like marijuana does not necessarily indicate impairment. The prosecution must demonstrate that the driver’s ability to operate the vehicle was actually impaired. However, there is a movement underfoot to lower the legal BAC limit, which would seriously affect the enforcement, prosecution, and defense of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) cases. More will be written about this in future articles.
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