It’s time to bring your hay-game! The Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) is currently accepting submissions for its annual Scarecrow Competition. This will be the 33rd year the spooky and silly six-foot creations will adorn the pathways of picturesque Stony Brook Village Center for visitors to enjoy and vote for their favorite. Register as an individual, group or professional and create a scarecrow masterpiece.
You can pick up a registration form at any of the shops in Stony Brook Village, or you can download it digitally from the events section of the Stony Brook Village Center website. To enter this competition, please return the completed registration form to The Ward Melville Heritage Organization, P.O. Box 572, Stony Brook, NY 11790, with the entry fee of $30 by Sept. 20.
Vote for your favorite scarecrows by picking up a ballot at any of the shops and restaurants at the Stony Brook Village Center from Sept. 30 to Oct. 25. Winners will be notified on Oct. 27 by 5 p.m. and will be announced during the WMHO’s Halloween Festival on Oct. 31.
For more information, please call the WMHO at 631-751-2244.
United States defense and intelligence leaders agree that climate change is a threat to U.S. national security and is affecting global stability, military readiness, humanitarian crises, and the risk of war.
Scott Mandia. Photo by Victoria Sinacori
As part of Suffolk County Community College’s Faculty Talks series, nationally recognized climate change authority and twice featured National Geographic documentary expert, Suffolk County Community College Professor of Physical Sciences Scott Mandia will speak about Climate Change & National Security Implications on Monday, September 18 at Suffolk County Community College, Kreiling Hall Room 203, 533 College Road, Selden at 11:15 a.m. (Parking lot by water tower)
Mandia, the founder of the Climate Science Rapid Response Team that matches journalists with scientists to enable the media to better explain climate change and meteorological phenomenon will cover a range of topics including:
Evidence of a warming planet
Scientific evidence of the human cause
Who’s emitting the most greenhouse gases?
Who’s impacted the most? The poorest among us.
Super Storm Sandy
The World’s regions most impacted by climate change and implications
Solutions and taking action
Mandia has been called upon by The White House to present research about the impact of large-scale climate change on severe thunderstorms and tornadoes after a EF5 multiple-vortex tornado struck Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011. The tornado killed 158, injured 1,150 and caused $2.8 billion in damages – the costliest single tornado in US history. In addition to climate change, Mandia has written about Long Island hurricanes including the New England Hurricane of 1938, known locally as the “Long Island Express” and the future vulnerability of Long Island to hurricanes. He co-authored a book with Hunt Janin titled: Rising Sea Levels that was released before Hurricane Sandy hit Long Island and warned about the devastating effects of such a storm on New York.
Hurricane Lee, left, and Hurricane Margot churn over the Atlantic. Satellite photo from NOAA
City planners all along the eastern seaboard, meteorologists and people living in flood plains are all hoping the current projections for Hurricane Lee prove correct.
As of earlier this week, the hurricane, which became the fastest system to transition from a tropical storm into a Category 5 hurricane, was not expected to make direct landfall.
That, however, may only be a temporary reprieve, as the conditions that made such a rapid intensification of this monster storm, which, at one point, had wind speeds of 165 miles per hour, continue to exist during the rest of this hurricane season and will likely continue in future years.
Earlier this summer, a sensor off the coast of Florida recorded an ocean temperature of 101.1 degrees Fahrenheit, the highest ever recorded. That creates conditions that threaten marine life and provides the energy that fuels the growth and intensity of hurricanes.
“We know that the warmer the sea surface temperatures are that a storm interacts with, the increased likelihood that a storm will undergo rapid intensification,” said Kevin Reed, associate professor at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University. As the Earth continues to warm, Reed added, he expects those conditions to persist.
The exact timing of when a storm will intensify “remains a significant challenge to the weather community,” Reed added. “These types of events continually remind us that we have some way to go in forecasting the intensity of storms, even over a couple of days’ time scale.”
While most of the models predict the storm will head north before tracking toward a potentially dangerous landfall, Reed added that “there remains a possibility that the storm could take a track that interacts with New York or New England” and that the hurricane is still multiple days away from the region.
At this point, Reed believes such a landfall is not impossible but is unlikely.
Even without a landfall nearby, forecasters warn that the storm could produce dangerous rip currents and rough waters around the middle Atlantic states toward the latter part of this week.
NOAA forecast
One of the first things Reed does each morning and the last thing he does in the evening is check the National Hurricane Center site, among others.
A month ago, the hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, was relatively quiet.
At that point, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association updated its seasonal projection to suggest that the hurricane season would be above normal.
“Here we are, in the thick of things,” with multiple storms out there and high activity levels, Reed said. “It’s important to keep an eye on those storms. All it takes is one to make landfall in our region to have a lasting impact.”
Hurricane Lee is the fourth hurricane of the season and the 14th named storm, six ahead as of Sept. 9 of the average over the last 30 years, according to the National Hurricane Center data.
A Category 1 storm, Hurricane Margot, is moving northward in the Atlantic, where it is not expected to make landfall. Another two disturbances may also combine and form a tropical storm. If they do, the disturbance would be named Nigel.
Reed is currently working on a few projects in which he hopes to use climate information to help inform potential impacts of future storms in the local area and coastal regions.
He is looking back retrospectively at various storms to determine how those hurricanes might differ in a warmer world. Those projects, he said, are still in the early stages.
Well aware of the potential for strong storms to hit the area, Reed has looked at a flood map around his house to know where flood waters would go amid different conditions.
He has also talked with his family about what they would do during a storm and where they would get information in the event of an evacuation from New York.
On Saturday afternoon, Sept. 9, 28 people were made ill due to the mishandling of cooked rice served at Kumo Sushi & Steakhouse on Nesconset Highway, Stony Brook.
A group of 13-year-olds were at the restaurant celebrating a birthday when some girls started projectile vomiting. Sixteen others, celebrating a baby shower, got sick after leaving the restaurant.
“I’m extremely angry with the business,” the mother of one of the girls told News 12. “We all go out to eat all the time. We never think we’re going to eat somewhere, and the food is going to be contaminated.”
Employees at Kumo deferred comment to their lawyer, John Ruggiero of Garden City, who said that health officials thoroughly checked the kitchen. Ruggiero said the restaurant “immediately implemented” a new rice cooling procedure.
He added, “All steps have been taken to ensure that this never happens again and the restaurant is fully operational with the blessing of the health department.”
According to Suffolk County Department of Health guidelines, “If the food is not cooled in accordance with the sanitary code requirement, pathogens may grow to sufficient numbers to cause foodborne illness.”
Suffolk County spokesperson Marykate Guilfoyle told Newsday that 12 of the 28 people were hospitalized at Stony Brook University Hospital and released without staying overnight. She also said that the health department issued 15 violations. Eight of the violations were for foodborne illnesses, Guilfoyle said, while others were more minor.
“All of the corrective measures were taken and the restaurant is open,” she said.
“We are committed to learning from this incident, enhancing our practices and ensuring that every visit to Kumo is not just a meal but a memorable and safe experience,” owners Tony and Bobby Lam said in a statement to Fox News.
These images reveal the striking similarities between real candy and edible products containing THC. Photos from the Suffolk County Department of Health Services
Children are getting into their parents’ supplies of edible marijuana, leading to an increase in illnesses and emergency room visits.
Stony Brook Pediatric Hospital treated 14 children in 2022 and 13 in 2021 — up from about one or two a year before 2020.
Dr. Candice Foy, a pediatric hospitalist at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. Photo from Stony Brook Medicine/Jeanne Neville
“In the last two years, we’ve seen very high numbers,” said Dr. Candice Foy, a pediatric hospitalist at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.
The accidental consumption of marijuana among children has increased throughout the country. A study published in the journal “Pediatrics” indicates that calls to poison control centers for children five and under for the consumption of edibles containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC — the main ingredient in the cannabis plant — rose to 3,054 in 2021 from 207 in 2017, with over 95 percent of the children finding gummies in their homes.
Amid an increase in adult use of edible gummies containing marijuana, children of a wide range of ages have mistaken them for candy, leading to symptoms that trigger medical concerns from their parents.
Children with THC in their system can have low blood pressure, high heart rates, lethargy and sleep for prolonged periods, Foy said.
One child required a machine to help breathe.
Dr. Jennifer Goebel, emergency room doctor at Huntington Hospital, said the hospital recently saw children who were dizzy and not acting appropriately.
When pediatric patients accidentally consume pot edibles, doctors also need to consider what else they might have in their system, Goebel added.
Dr. Jennifer Goebel, emergency room doctor at Huntington Hospital. File photo from Northwell Health
Significant exposure can “lead to severe hyperactive behaviors, slowed breathing and even coma,” Dr. Gregson Pigott, Suffolk County Health Commissioner, explained in an email.
The health effects of marijuana can last 24 to 36 hours in children. The response may vary based on the amount ingested, the size of the child and metabolic factors, Pigott added.
Unlike naloxone, which health care providers can administer to counteract the effect of narcotics, doctors don’t have the same resources available with accidental marijuana ingestion.
Doctors opt for supportive care. A nauseous child could receive anti-nausea medication, while a child sleeping and not eating or drinking can receive intravenous fluids.
Typically, doctors observe children who consume marijuana for several hours, often releasing them to return home once the symptoms subside.
Hospitals are required to call child protective services during such an incident. Investigators usually find that such consumption is incidental, as parents sometimes leave their edibles in the wrong location.
“A lot of times, CPS will go in there” and, after checking the home, “will close the investigation,” Foy said.
Doctors and local officials urged people who consume such edibles themselves either not to keep them in the house or to put them in places far from other candy or food, such as in an inaccessible spot in the back of a closet.
Dr. Gregson Pigott, commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services. File photo
“The Department’s Office of Public Information has issued warnings about keeping edible gummies out of the reach of children through its social media channels,” Pigott explained in an email. “In addition, the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports and our partners in prevention promote safe keeping of all THC products, including edibles, out of reach and in secure child safe storage,” such as a lock box.
Goebel cautioned that children are adept at getting to products that appeal to them, mainly if the packaging makes them look like candy.
Many of the pot-related medical issues are “accidental,” Goebel said.
Hospitals have seen a range of children with marijuana symptoms, from as young as one year old to 11, with the vast majority falling between two and four years old, Foy said.
“I don’t think it’s something that a lot of people think about the same way they think about protecting their children from bleach and other chemicals commonly found” in the home, she said. It’s important to “get the message out” and ensure “people are talking about this.”
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services Office of Health Education offers curriculum and teacher training to public and private schools at no cost. The lessons address behaviors that lead to morbidity and mortality in the young, including intentional and unintentional injuries, such as injury caused by children ingesting edible gummies or other edible-infused products, Pigott wrote.
“During parent workshops, we show the similarity between real food items and the THC-containing items that look like the food item to highlight how deceptive and easy it is to mistakenly ingest cannabis-laden products,” he added.
A scene from a previous Port Jefferson Dragon Boat Race Festival. Photo by Kyle Barr
A scene from a previous festival. Photo courtesy of PJCC
A scene from last year’s Port Jefferson Dragon Boat Race Festival. Photo courtesy of PJCC
A scene from a previous festival. Photo courtesy of PJCC
A scene from a previous festival. Photo courtesy of PJCC
A scene from last year’s Port Jefferson Dragon Boat Race Festival. Photo courtesy of PJCC
A scene from last year’s Port Jefferson Dragon Boat Race Festival. Photo courtesy of PJCC
A scene from a previous festival. Photo courtesy of PJCC
A scene from a previous festival. Photo courtesy of PJCC
A scene from a previous festival. Photo courtesy of PJCC
By Julianne Mosher
These dragons won’t need any slaying and will not be spitting fire. In fact, this might actually bring some good luck.
The 9th annual Dragon Boat Race Festival is heading back to Port Jefferson on Saturday, Sept. 16 and it will have something for everyone.
Sponsored by The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, this event is a way to foster community togetherness. It also serves to promote Asian and Asian American culture and customs while connecting with students at Stony Brook University.
Kicking off with a race in the Long Island Sound, it coincides with a full festival filled with fun, food and friends.
Barbara Ransome, the chamber’s director of operations, said that every year this particular festival brings in hundreds of people from across Long Island and even New York City.
“There’s nothing else like this around,” she said, “And we’re the only festival doing this in Suffolk County.”
Just a few miles away from Stony Brook University, which has a large Asian and Pan-Asian community, Ransome said the festival not only brings new people to the village every year, but also parts of these cultures that local residents might have not seen before.
“Not only is this festival entertaining,” Ransome said, “But it’s also educational and that’s a wonderful thing.”
This year, 21 teams are signed up — including two from the university and a group from Flushing, Queens. Each boat has about 22 people in it as they race for the win.
But it isn’t just a race for visitors to watch and cheer on. There are dance troupes, Japanese percussionists, singers and martial artists, plus retailers, cultural vendors and food trucks.
And you can’t forget the Bearded Dragon who will dance for the crowd — but don’t worry… it isn’t scary.
For centuries, the bearded dragon has had a significant impact on different cultures around the world. Specifically in Eastern cultures, including Chinese mythology, the dragon symbolizes power, strength and good luck. Similarly, in Japan, bearded dragons are associated with longevity and wisdom, as they are said to possess secret knowledge.
Other fun activities for kids will include face painting, origami, crafts and reptile visitors from the Center for Environmental and Educational Discovery.
“This is a way to embrace diversity within our own backyard,” Ransome said. “It offers different things that you might have never seen before.”
The Port Jefferson Dragon Boat Race Festival will kick off its opening ceremonies on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 8:30 a.m. with a performance by the Asian Veterans Color Guard, singing of the national anthem by Samantha Reichers, a Blessing of the Dragon and the traditional “Eye Dotting” ceremony to awaken the dragon at Port Jefferson Harbor and Harborfront Park, located at 101A East Broadway. The race will begin at 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and will run alongside the entertainment schedule (see left hand page).
The event will be held rain or shine. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and come enjoy the festivities! For more information, call 631-473-1414 or visit www.portjeffdragonracefest.com
Schedule of Events:
7:45 a.m.
Team Captains Meeting at Harborfront Park
8:30 a.m.
Opening Ceremonies with Master of Ceremonies Suzanne Velazquez, Asian Veterans Color Guard, singing of the National Anthem by Samantha Reichers, and Blessing of the Dragon and‘Eye Dotting’ ceremony with Theravada Monks from the Vajiradhammapadip Buddhist Temple in Centereach
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Food Vendors, Cultural Crafts, Children Activities, Retail/Educational/Nonprofit Vendor Tables
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Continual Dragon Boat Races in Port Jefferson’s Inner Harbor
9:45 a.m.
Rebel Thaiboxing demonstration
10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m
The Sound of Long Island Chorus, Americana program and traditional Chinese songs
10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Yixin Dance Center
11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Long Island Chinese Dance Group performance
12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Lunch Break (no racing)
12;30 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Taiko Tides Drumming and Oroshi Drumming contest
1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Parade of the Team T-shirts Contest, Best Drummer Costume Contest
1:30 p.m.
Races resume
1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Authentic Shaolin Kung Fu Lion Dance , Kung Fu& Tai Chi demonstrations
2:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Port Jefferson High School Music Group, Harbor Country Day School
2:45 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Rebel Thaiboxing Demonstration
3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Stony Brook Youth Chorus
3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Yana Dance Group – Chinese Traditional Dance
4 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Galante Martial Arts demonstrating Tai Chi, Arnis (Filipino Martial Arts) and Jiu Jitsu
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new COVID-19 booster, which will protect against the virus’s circulating strain.
With hospitalizations and cases rising in Suffolk County and nationwide, single booster shots from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna should be available soon.
Local doctors recommended that people at the highest risk consider getting the shot.
That includes those with other medical issues, such as a 45-year-old smoker or a 65-year-old with diabetes.
Health care providers generally believe people who recently had COVID have at least three months of protection, although no definitive rule exists.
“If you had it in August, you probably don’t need to get a booster now,” said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. “If you had it in January and you’re high risk, you should get it now.”
Nachman added that no study has indicated the age at which patients should get a booster shot.
People should consult their physicians to determine how their underlying health can affect the decision to get an updated vaccine.
“That gets back to the doctor-patient relationship,” Nachman said.
People who are 70 years old and planning a cruise that stops in several ports might want to get a shot at least two weeks before they travel because “the last thing you want happening is to be hospitalized in a foreign country,” Nachman said.
Nachman suggested that this vaccine, like the others that people have taken, won’t prevent illnesses but will keep people from shedding the virus and can reduce the symptoms and duration of an infection.
The FDA approval of the current vaccine is welcome news because it is a “good match” for the current strain, Nachman indicated.
It’s difficult to predict how much protection the current vaccine will provide for whatever strain might be circulating in February.
When a higher percentage of the population receives the vaccine, the likelihood of new variants declines, she added.
Pictured at the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, housed at St. Joseph’s Church in Kings
Park, are the pantry’s coordinator Annette DeFino and Suffolk County Legislator Rob
Trotta.
Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta is currently collecting non-perishable food items, including snacks for school and after school, as well as personal care products for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. The pantry is located at St. Joseph’s Church, 59 Church Street, Kings Park, and is open on Monday and Thursday from 1 p.m. to 4 pm. To speak with someone at the pantry, please call 631-269-6635.
Specific items that they are seeking include snack size cookies, chips, pretzels, juice boxes, small bottled water, and salsa and chips. They also need such staples as cereal, bottles of cooking oil, sugar, flour, mustard, mayonnaise, pasta, sauce, breadcrumbs, Hamburger Helper, pickles, canned fish, meat and fruit, boxed milk, Pop Tarts, honey, napkins, paper towels, sandwich bags, and cleaning supplies.Personal care items requested are body wash, toothpaste, shaving cream, razors, shampoo, tissues, small hand sanitizers, and laundry detergent.
“It is important to help our fellow neighbors so donations of these needed items may be dropped off at my office at 59 Landing Avenue, Suite 1 A, (blue door), Smithtown, throughout the year, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., or brought to the food pantry,” said Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta. For more information, please call Legislator Trotta’s office at 631-854-3900.
Vanderbilt Museum Stoll Wing Diorama. Vanderbilt Museum photo
The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road Centerport has announced the upcoming revitalization of its Stoll Wing, a natural-history exhibit space dedicated to the spirit of exploration and learning.
The Stoll Wing project is made possible by generous support from the Roy M. Speer Foundation, which donated funds to honor the legacy of Charles H. Stoll.
The Museum has closed the Stoll Wing and Habitat Hall through mid-October. The renewal of the natural history exhibits represents the deepening of the Museum’s commitment to excellence in public education and stewardship.
This project will include updated signage, improved lighting, and elevated finishings. As part of the architect Ecodepot’s design, the renovation will also create additional vitrines to display ethnographic materials collected on the American Museum of Natural History’s (AMNH) famous 1928 Stoll-McCracken Expedition to the Siberian Arctic.
The eight Stoll Wing dioramas display fifteen animals brought home by Charles H. Stoll (1887-1988) and his wife, Merle, between 1922 and 1969. Charles H. Stoll was a noted explorer, big-game hunter, and jurist who joined the Vanderbilt Museum Board of Trustees in 1969. He funded the Stoll-McCracken Expedition under the auspices of the AMNH, and the donation of his personal collection to the VanderbiltMuseum reflected his belief in the organization’s mission of informal education and enjoyment for the people of Long Island.
“We thank you for your understanding while this project is underway. We look forward to sharing the revitalized Stoll Wing with you soon,” said Elizabeth Wayland-Morgan, Executive Director at the Vanderbilt Museum in a press release.
The renovation of the Stoll Wing is made possible by the generosity of the Roy M. Speer Foundation. Additional support for the conservation projects at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum comes from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, the Gerry Charitable Trust, the Pritchard Charitable Trust, and committed members of the Long Island community.
The Long Island Game Farm in Manorville has announced that it will continue its new social club for seniors through September. Every Thursday morning through September 26, senior citizens (65 years+) can visit the animals, walk the grounds (get your steps in!), attend a presentation in the newly renovated Woodland Hall, and enjoy a beverage and snacks with fellow seniors. The special rate is $10 per person. Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made by calling 631-878-6644.
Photo courtesy of LI Game Farm
“Inspiring a love of nature through educational programming is important to our mission,” shares Long Island Game Farm president Melinda Novak. “Being able to launch a special social club for seniors and utilize the newly renovated Woodland Hall for this purpose is pretty exciting for us. I’m also excited to give the first presentation about life on the game farm, including my family’s 50+ year history.”
Each week guests will begin a walk on the grounds at 10 a.m., visiting animals and learning more about the various species at the game farm. At 11 a.m., seniors will gather in Woodland Hall for talks that will vary weekly. Topics include rescued animals, birding, nature photography, and more.
Tickets are $10 per person and for seniors only. Please do not bring grandchildren. Pets are not allowed.
For more information about the game farm and upcoming programming, visit longislandgamefarm.com.
ABOUT LONG ISLAND GAME FARM
Long Island Game Farm Wildlife Park and Children’s Zoo was founded in 1970 by Stanley and Diane Novak. As the largest combined children’s zoo and wildlife park on Long Island, they offer families a natural environment where they can learn about wildlife and animals through education and entertainment. A member of American Association of Zookeepers and Zoological Association of America, the farm is located at 489 Chapman Boulevard, Manorville, New York.
7:45 a.m. 
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