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Castle Connolly has named New York Cancer & Blood Specialists its #1 Physician Practice in New York for Most Top Doctors in Cancer Care. Nationally, only 7 percent of more than 950,000 practicing doctors in the United States earned Castle Connolly’s “Top Doctors” designation this year.

“Having our physicians recognized as ‘Top Doctors’ by Castle Connolly is a testament to the unmatched dedication and remarkable expertise of our physicians at New York Cancer & Blood Specialists,” said Jeff Vacirca, MD, Chief Executive Officer, New York Cancer & Blood Specialists. “This accolade highlights not only their individual excellence but also the collective strength within our practice where every day our physicians are committed to providing world-class patient-centered affordable care in their own communities,”

All Castle Connolly Top Doctors are nominated by their peers, and then the Castle Connolly research team evaluates important criteria to determine who makes the list, including professional qualifications, education, hospital and faculty appointments, research leadership, professional reputation, disciplinary history, interpersonal skills and outcomes data (where available).

Castle Connolly Accolades recognizes health systems, hospitals, and physician practices that provide an outstanding level of high-quality healthcare through their top-ranked Castle Connolly

About New York Cancer & Blood Specialists:

New York Cancer & Blood Specialists (NYCBS) is a leading oncology practice in the New York Metropolitan area committed to providing world-class, patient-centered, affordable care to patients with cancer and blood disorders in their own communities, close to family and friends. NYCBS has more than 30 locations and 35 hospital affiliations throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties, in the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn and Upstate New York. We offer a multidisciplinary and comprehensive approach to care that utilizes the most advanced imaging, state-of-the-art therapies, cutting-edge clinical trials, on-site pharmacies, and an in-house laboratory with a full range of pathology services. Advocating for and ensuring the health and well-being of our patients is and always will be our top priority. For more information, visit www.nycancer.com.

Castle Connolly

With over 30 years’ experience researching, reviewing and selecting Top Doctors, Castle Connolly is a trusted and credible source. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Medical Research found that across several specialties evidence indicates that Castle Connolly’s peer-reviewed directory is methodologically more reliable than sites that just relied on patient reviews when it came to identifying quality care. Our mission is to help people find the best healthcare by connecting patients with best-in-class healthcare providers. For more information, visit https://www.castleconnolly.com.

Stony Brook University admissions office where about 10,000 students applied through the school’s first early action program. Photo courtesy Stony Brook University

By Daniel Dunaief

For Stony Brook University, 2024 will be the year of more, as in more college counselors, more classes, more study abroad opportunities, more artificial intelligence and more faculty.

The downstate flagship university, which is a member of the Association of American Universities and has been climbing the rankings of colleges from US News and World Reports, plans to address several growing needs.

“We have invested heavily in new advisors,” said Carl Lejuez, executive vice president and provost at Stony Brook, in a wide ranging interview. These advisors will be coming on board throughout the semester.

With additional support from the state and a clear focus on providing constructive guidance, the university is working to reduce the number of students each advisor has, enabling counselors to “focus on the students they are serving,” Lejuez said.

Advisors will help students work towards graduation and will hand off those students to an engaged career center.

At the same time, Stony Brook is expanding its global footprint. Lejuez said study abroad options were already “strong” in Europe, while the university is developing additional opportunities in Asia and Africa.

The university prioritizes making study abroad as affordable as possible, offering several scholarships from the office of global affairs and through individual departments.

Students aren’t always aware that “they can study abroad in any SBU-sponsored program for a semester and keep all of their existing federal aid and scholarships and in many cases the full cost of that semester abroad is comparable and sometimes even less expensive” than what the student would spend on Long Island, Lejuez explained in an email.

Stony Brook University Executive Vice President and Provost Carl Lejuez. Photo courtesy Conor Harrigan

As for artificial intelligence, Stony Brook plans to expand on existing work in the realm of teaching, mentoring, research and community outreach.

In efforts sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Learning and the Library, the university is holding multiple training sessions for faculty to discuss how they approach AI in their classrooms.

The library opened an AI Lab that will enable students to experiment, innovate and work on AI projects, Lejuez said. The library plans to hire several new librarians with expertise in AI, machine learning and innovation.

The library is training students on the ethical use of AI and will focus on non-STEM disciplines to help students in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

Artificial intelligence “has its strengths and weaknesses,” said Lejuez. “We are not shying away from it.”

As for the community, the hope is that Stony Brook will use the semester to develop plans for kindergarten through 12th grade and then launch the expansion later this spring.

Additional classes

Lejuez acknowledged that class capacity created challenges in the past.

Stony Brook is using predictive analysis to make decisions about where to add classes and sections. At this point, the university has invested in the most in-demand classes in fields such as computer science, biology, chemistry, psychology and business.

The school has also added capacity in writing, math and languages.

Stony Brook is focused on experiential opportunities across four domains: study abroad, internships, research and entrepreneurship.

The school is developing plans for additional makerspaces, which are places where people with shared interests can come together to use equipment and exchange ideas and information.

New hires

Stony Brook is in the middle of a hiring cycle and is likely to “bring the largest group of new faculty we’ve had in many years” on board, the provost said. “This is going to have a big impact on the student experience” including research, climate science, artificial intelligence and healthy aging.

The additional hires will create more research experiences for undergraduates, Lejuez said.

Stony Brook recently created a Center for Healthy Aging, CHA, which combines researchers and clinicians who are focused on enhancing the health and wellness of people as they age.

Amid a host of new opportunities, a rise in the US News and World Report rankings and a victory in the city’s Governors Island contest to create a climate solutions center, Stony Brook has seen an increase in applications from the state, the country and other countries.

This year, about 10,000 students applied to Stony Brook’s first early action admissions process, which Lejuez described as a “great success.”

Amid a world in which regional conflicts have had echoes of tension and disagreement in academic institutions around the country and with an election cycle many expect will be especially contentious, Stony Brook’s Humanities Institute has put together several programs.

This includes a talk on “Muslim and Jewish Relations in the Middle Ages” on February 15th, another on “The Electoral Imagination: Literature, Legitimacy, and Other Rigged Systems” on April 17th and, among others, a talk on April 18th titled “The Problem of Time for Democracies.

True to the core values

Amid all the growth, Stony Brook, led by President Maurie McInnis, plans to continue to focus on its core values.

Lejuez said some people have asked, “are we still going to be the university that really provides social mobility opportunities in ways that are just not available in other places? We will always be that. Everything else happens in the context” of that goal. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul announces Smithtown-Kings Park as the Long Island winner of the seventh round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, receiving $10 million. Photo courtesy Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul

By Aidan Johnson

Kings Park will receive $10 million after Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced the hamlet as the Long Island winner of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative’s seventh round.

Hochul, who shared this information on Jan. 18 at Kings Park High School, congratulated Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R), along with everyone who was involved in applying for the grant. 

“I look forward to coming out and seeing the realization of not my vision, not Albany’s vision, but your vision,” Hochul said.

The Downtown Revitalization Initiative was started in 2016 to allow downtown areas across the state that won the grant money “to undertake a bottom-up community planning process and to implement key projects recommended by the community,” the DRI Guidebook explained.

According to an announcement from the governor on the New York State website, the Town of Smithtown has already taken “significant steps toward revitalizing Kings Park that will support Governor Hochul’s housing and economic development goals and catalyze future transformation through the DRI.”

These steps include the township making zoning changes in the DRI designated area that will enable 300 more housing units and more future development, along with applying for a Pro-Housing Community designation from the New York State Office of Homes and Community Renewal, the press release states.

Wehrheim believes that Kings Park, which applied three other times for the DRI grant, was chosen due to its business district having a Long Island Rail Road station in it, along with its location between two state parks. Additionally, the installation of sewers — due for completion around the end of 2025 — will allow for more revitalization of the area.

“The first order of business with the DRI grant is to put together a committee of community members, civics, chambers of commerce, town planning professionals, and then my understanding is that the state also brings in a number of folks on that committee as well, and then we will start the planning process,” Wehrheim said in an interview.

“When we get the committee together, we’ll be contacting the state and then we can begin to move forward from there,” he said.

Kings Park isn’t the only place that will receive grant money. Mineola and North Bellport were each awarded $4.5 million from the NY Forward Program. 

“My administration has made the redevelopment of North Bellport a priority and we are deeply appreciative of the governor’s commitment to this mutual goal,” Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico (R) was quoted as saying in Hochul’s press release. 

“We must work to lift up our communities and the people who reside within them, and this grant will take us a step closer to realizing the bright future that North Bellport so rightfully deserves,” Panico added.

The Public Libraries of Suffolk County recently announced that its patrons reached a new milestone: 3.6 million digital books borrowed on Livebrary.com in 2023. Consisting of over 56 libraries in Suffolk County, Livebrary.com is #15 of all public library consortia and one of 152 total public library systems worldwide that surpassed one million checkouts last calendar year.

Livebrary.com member libraries have been providing readers 24/7 access to e-books, audiobooks, comic books and other digital content for several years through the award-winning Libby app, the library reading app created by OverDrive. Member libraries include Smithtown Library, Sachem Public Library in Holbrook, Emma S. Clark Memorial Library in Setauket, Middle Country Public Library in Centereach and Selden, Longwood Public Library in Middle Island and Northport–East Northport Public Library. 

“The Public Libraries of Suffolk County continue to meet the needs of their communities by providing patrons with much-needed access to a wide variety of entertainment and learning opportunities through e-books and audiobooks,” said Kevin Verbesey, Director of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System. 

The highest-circulating title Livebrary.com readers borrowed in 2023 was Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. The New York Times bestseller tells the story of Elizabeth Zott, who becomes a beloved cooking show host in 1960s Southern California after being fired as a chemist four years earlier.

The top-circulating genre, romance, represents the most popular in a vast catalog that also includes thriller, suspense, mystery, children/young adult and more. 

The top five e-book titles borrowed through Livebrary.com’s digital collection in 2023 were:

1. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

2. Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult

3. It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

4. Verity by Colleen Hoover

5. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

The top five audiobook titles borrowed through Livebrary.com’s digital collection in 2023 were:

1. Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex 

2. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 

3. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 

4. It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover 

5. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Suffolk County residents just need a valid library card from a member library to access digital books from Livebrary’s OverDrive-powered digital collection.  Readers can use any major device, including Apple(R), Android™, Chromebook™ and Kindle(R) (U.S. only). Download the Libby app or visit livebrary.overdrive.com to borrow e-books, audiobooks and more.

This article originally appeared in TBR News Media’s Prime Times senior supplement on 01/25/24.

Bonita Mexican Steakhouse grand opening. Photo courtesy of Councilwoman Bonner's office

On January 11, Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Jane Bonner (second from right) attended the grand opening of Bonita Mexican Steakhouse & Latin Inspired Grill, located in the Crossroads Plaza West shopping center at 47 Route 25A in Rocky Point. 

Photo courtesy of Councilwoman Bonner’s office

The new 3000-square foot restaurant is a diverse culinary experience, drawing inspiration from Argentina, Brazil, and Cuba and can seat up to 100 diners. The owners Steve (with scissor) and Mariella Salazar (third from right), emphasize the international flair with specialty dishes from around the world. 

Bonita’s journey to opening day has been well-documented on social media and it now radiates with a lively atmosphere, reflecting the diverse and flavorful offerings patrons can expect. 

“I am happy to welcome Bonita Mexican Steakhouse to Rocky Point and encourage everyone to stop in, say hello and sample what they have to offer. It’s a great addition to the community and I wish them the best of luck,” said Councilwoman Bonner.

The restaurant is open 3 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Monday, Saturday from 1 to 10 p.m., Sunday from 1 to 9 p.m. and Tuesday from 3 to 9 p.m., closed on Wednesdays. For more information, call 631-849-2344 or visit bonitamexican.com.

 

Three Village Central School District Superintendent Kevin Scanlon. File photo

Superintendent warns cuts would impact programs, class sizes and staffing

By Mallie Jane Kim

Superintendent of Schools Kevin Scanlon sent a dire warning last week to Three Village Central School District families over proposed state funding cuts, calling for Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to reconsider her calculations for state education aid — which would decrease funding for the district by $8.9 million — and requesting advocacy from district residents.

“At a time when expenditures continue to rise beyond the district’s control and federal COVID funds are set to expire, any loss of school funding poses significant challenges for our district and will have far-reaching implications for students, staff and our entire education system,” Scanlon wrote. 

Hochul’s budget proposal for the 2024-25 school year includes an increase of $825 million in state aid to schools overall – but cuts for some districts, including Three Village, which would lose 17.86% of its aid if the budget passes as is. This pullback in aid would mark an end to the “hold harmless” provision, which had assured districts they would not receive less aid than the previous year, a policy that helps long-term budget planning because districts aren’t left guessing as to how much the state will provide in coming years.

The governor touted her budget proposal during her Jan. 16 presentation as marking “the highest level of education funding in state history,” but acknowledged the jump is far more modest that the past two years, which combined saw a $5 billion increase, according to state data. 

“As much as we may want to, we are not going to be able to replicate the massive increases of the last two years. No one could have expected the extraordinary jumps in aid to occur annually,” she said, adding that it is “common sense” to allot money based on current school enrollment rather than that of past decades.

The cuts for Three Village come despite the state Comptroller’s Office in January 2023 designating the district as “susceptible to fiscal stress,” which district officials have previously said is due to money from district reserves spent to keep schools open during the pandemic.

Scanlon’s email painted a bleak picture of the district’s future under the proposed decrease in funds, suggesting it “could mean catastrophic, long-lasting results for our school system. When schools face funding cuts, it often leads to a reduction in resources, extracurricular programs and support services, as well as the potential for building closures. … Steep reductions such as the one proposed will not only require reductions to staffing, but also increased workloads, larger class sizes and the elimination of essential educational opportunities — all pillars of strength that our district has prided itself on providing.”

The superintendent also urged district residents to use contact details provided at contact.3villagecsd.org to write to the governor and local representatives, though some of those representatives have already taken notice.

Both state Assemblyman Ed Flood (R-Port Jefferson) and state Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) made statements against the funding cuts for some districts. 

Flood suggested the governor was prioritizing the migrant crisis instead of helping schools overcome learning loss from the COVID-19 pandemic. “Gov. Hochul claims education for our younger generations is her top priority yet at the same time schools are lowering their testing standards,” he wrote.

For his part, Palumbo indicated that during upcoming budget talks, he plans to “ensure that Long Island receives its fair share of state funding for education, transportation, housing and workforce development.”

A Change.org petition started by the Three Village Parents Alliance, an advocacy group that includes several school board members, calls on Hochul to reconsider. “We cannot overemphasize how disruptive the proposed 18% reduction in state aid to the Three Village school district will be for the education, health and safety of our students. There is no mechanism to manage a cut of this magnitude in a single year that will not be damaging to our students,” the petition states. More than 200 district parents signed on within the first day, Jan. 20, and by Wednesday morning, Jan. 24, the petition had garnered nearly 500 signatures. 

According to Scanlon, administration officials plan to expand on the potential impact of the change in funding at a Jan. 24 school board meeting. He invited parents to attend or watch the livestream on the district’s YouTube channel.

Smithtown Township Arts Council’s Mills Pond Gallery in St. James highlights the talents of 87 of its artists with its annual Member Artist Showcase exhibit of original fine art for sale from Jan. 27 to Feb. 24. 

Celebrating the creativity and rich tapestry of talent that defines our communities, the exhibit features works were created in a wide variety of mediums including acrylic, alabaster, bronze, charcoal, graphite, conte, gauche, ink, medium, mixed media, monotype print, oil, pastel, pencil, photography, photomontage, stained glass mosaic, watercolor and wood.

Juror Susan Van Scoy will select this year’s Member Artist Showcase winners. The four selected winners will be invited to exhibit in next year’s Winners Showcase. Van Scoy is an Associate Professor of Art History at St. Joseph’s College where she teaches courses on the history of photography, and American and Modern art. 

The exhibiting artists hail from 53 communities…Suffolk County, Nassau County, Queens, Yonkers, and Westchester and include Adriena Masi, Amal, Angela Stratton, Anne Eckel, Annette Napolitano, Barbara Bilotta, Barbara V. Jones, Barry Feuerstein, Bart DeCeglie, Bobbie Ludwig, Carol Ceraso, Christopher Buckley, Cliff  Miller, Constance Sloggat Wolf, David P. Doran, Debra Baker, Diane Motroni, Diane Oliva, Don Weber, Ellen Ferrigno, Eugene Adamowicz, Felecia Montfort, Frederic  Mendelsohn, Gabriella Grama, George Junker, Gia Horton, Hillary Serota Needle, Jacqueline DuBarry, Jacques Garant, Jane Corrarino, Janine Menlove, Jeanette Martone, Jim Minet, JoAnne Dumas, John Hunt, Joyce Bressler, Judy Stone, Karin  Dutra, Kirsten DiGiovanni, Kusuma Bheemineni, Kyle Blumenthal, Lisa Marie Scrima-Castelli, Liz Kolligs, Lori Scarlatos, Lou  Deutsch, Lynn Kinsella, Lynn Staiano, M. Ellen Winter, Madeline Stare, Mark Levine, Marsha  Abrams, Mary Ann Vetter, Mary Waka, Matthew Lombardo, Merle McGarrett, Michael Hennessey, Myungja Anna Koh, Nicholas Valentino, Oscar Santiago, Pamela Waldroup, Pat Forie, Patricia  DiGiovanni, Patricia  Morrison, Patty Yantz, Paul Edelson, Paul Mele, Renee Caine, Robert Roehrig, Robert Tuska, Robert Wallkam, Roberta Rodgers, Roger Kramer, Ron Becker, Sean Pollock, Sebastian McLaughlin, Shain Bard, Stephen Shannon, Susan Guihan-Guasp, Teresa Idelowitz, Terry Tramantano, Theodora Zavala, Thomas DiCicco, Tina Anthony, Tracey Alemaghides, Tracy Mahler-Tekverk, Vivian Hershfield and William D. Reed. 

The public is invited to an opening reception on Saturday, Jan. 27 from 1 to 4 p.m. to meet the artists and enjoy their art.

The Mills Pond Gallery is located at 660 Route 25A, St. James. Gallery hours are Wednesdays to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call 631-862-6575, or visit www.millspondgallery.org.

The Port Jefferson Rotary Club and “Call Brian” Senior Services will sponsor a Restock the Pantry Food and Personal Care Items Drive in front of the Open Cupboard Pantry at Infant Jesus Church, 110 Hawkins St., Port Jefferson on Sunday, Jan. 28 from 9 a.m. to noon. The holidays are always a busy time at the pantry, and many of the basic items they distribute are in critically low supply.

Currently the pantry is in extreme need of juice, pancake mix (complete), pancake syrup, macaroni & cheese, healthy snacks, pasta, pasta sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, Maseca flour, cooking oil, Chef Boyardee meals, ramen, peanut butter and jelly.

They are also in need of personal care items such as shampoo, conditioner, feminine products, baby wipes, soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste. For more information, call 631-938-6464.

Over 90 restaurants will be participating in Suffolk County including Limani Grille in Commack.

The tri-annual and award winning Long Island Restaurant Week is ready to kick off an exciting winter season and bring in customers to Long Island restaurants. The promotion will take place from Sunday, Jan. 28 to Sunday, Feb. 4 with several prix fixe options. Over 90 restaurants in Suffolk County will take part in the dining experience.

Participating restaurants may offer a $24 two-course lunch, a $29 three-course dinner menu, a $39 three-course dinner menu and/or a $46 three-course dinner prix fixe all night every night they are open (or during lunch hours) from Sunday to Sunday, except Saturday when it will be offered until 7 p.m. Many restaurants will be offering the promotion for takeout as well. 

“We are excited to kick off 2024 with Winter Restaurant Week! On the heels of a great fall restaurant week that saw over 170 restaurants participating, winter is already lining up to be an exciting mix of cuisines and locations throughout the island. It’s the perfect time of year to try those restaurants you have been wanting to try” shares Nicole Castillo of Long Island Restaurant and Hospitality Group.

For a full list of participants and to view their menus, visit www.longislandrestaurantweek.com. For more information, call 631-329-2111.

Goroff speaks to supporters at fundraising event on Jan. 18. Photo by Lynn Hallarman

By Lynn Hallarman

Talk to anyone about why they attended Nancy Goroff’s kickoff fundraiser event for the U.S. House of Representatives Democratic primary election for New York District 1, and they will mostly say the same thing: “She is smart, and she’s sane.”

Goroff, a Stony Brook resident, worked on perfecting her stump speech in front of a friendly crowd of supporters last Thursday night, Jan. 18, at the Port Jefferson Village Center. She seemed unconcerned about her primary competition, aiming most of her comments at incumbent Nick LaLota (R–NY1). 

“LaLota likes to talk about stuff but hasn’t done anything for the district,” Goroff said, in an interview with TBR News Media. 

A newcomer to politics in 2020, Goroff lost the House race by 55%-45% to four-time incumbent Lee Zeldin (R). But now Goroff sees this election cycle as winnable against first-termer, LaLota, who won the seat against former Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming (D-Noyac) in 2022. 

Goroff’s concerns now are the new redistricting maps currently being drawn by the state’s bipartisan Independent Redistricting Commission to be filed by Feb. 28. 

“We’ll deal with whatever we get, but we feel pretty good about where the district is right now,” she said. 

Goroff, 55, has spent her adult life in Suffolk County, raising her two children and building a career as a scientist at Stony Brook University. Her pedigree is pure university professor. Starting with a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1990 and a doctorate in chemistry from UCLA, Goroff then devoted her career to basic science research as faculty in the Department of Chemistry at SBU and then the department chair. She retired from her position in 2021 to focus on her political career. 

Goroff looked nonplussed at the assertion from some of her primary opponents that her academic credentials do not add up to enough experience working in government. 

Anyone that thinks that “hasn’t worked at a university,” she said. 

She sees her years navigating a career as a woman scientist and educator in a large state university as an asset. “I’m also the daughter of small business owners,” she said. “These things give me knowledge and experience that will be helpful as a policymaker.” If she wins in the general election in November, she will be the first woman basic research scientist in the House of Representatives.

Several of her former Stony Brook colleagues showed up for the event, commenting to TBR that Goroff’s leadership superpower is her ability to coalition build and work as a team member. They believe this makes her candidacy especially strong in the politically purple landscape of eastern Long Island. 

After losing the house race to Zeldin, Goroff did not retreat into an academic ivory tower, instead, she leveraged her skills to co-found the nonprofit Long Island Strong Schools Alliance. 

“Most candidates disappear after they lose— not Nancy,” said longtime supporter Shirley Hudson. 

Goroff explained that LISSA focuses on making sure Long Island public schools are places where children are welcomed regardless of their background. 

“We saw right-wing extremists win three school board seats in Smithtown in 2021, who had no interest in supporting public education,” she said. “They were trying to undermine it and make it fit their extremist ideology.” 

Goroff places the protection and well-being of children at the center of most of her policy positions, arguing that Long Island needs to be a safe and affordable place to work and raise a family.

“People are struggling,” she said. “Housing is a chronic issue on Long Island because of the cost.” 

Besides Goroff, other declared Democratic primary candidates to date are construction worker Andy DeCecco, former state Sen. James Gaughran (D-Northport), administrative law judge Craig Herskowitz and former Capitol Hill senior legislative aide Kyle Hill. 

The Democratic primary election is scheduled for June 25.