Participants shave their heads for a good cause. Photo from Christopher Pollina
Garrett Benz after having his head shaved. Photo from Christopher Pollina
Shavees and donors take time out for a picture. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Amanda Bellavance finishes shaving Connor McCrain’s head. Photo by Rita J. Egan
David Tracy from Three Village Dads takes a turn in the chair. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Visitors to a Stony Brook bar and restaurant were looking for more than food and drink March 15, they were aiming to help out a good cause.
The Bench hosted a St. Baldrick’s Day fundraiser Sunday where participants got their heads shaved to raise funds for childhood cancer research. Lead organizer Christopher Pollina said with donations and a company match, participants surpassed the total event goal of $20,000.
According to the organizer the nonprofit group Three Village Dads raised more than half of that amount, and its foundation donated an additional $1,000.
Rob Meo raised the highest amount of the day with $5,000. During the event, Boy Scout troops 70 and 427, both from Setauket, stopped by to have their heads shaved by Amanda Bellavance of Dapper Cuts Barbershop and donate funds. Music was provided by Mike Rutowitcz of Sound’s Alive Entertainment.
Pollina and co-organizer Scott Montekew were pleased with the results from the second annual event at The Bench.
“We topped last year’s $12,500 raised, even during this trying time of COVID-19,” Pollina said.
Katrina Denning, Erica Kutzing and Jenny Luca are the three in charge of Brookhaven’s new TNR task force. Photo by Kyle Barr
A new pilot trap, neuter and release program will look to stem the tide of the growing feral cat population in the Town of Brookhaven. Such has been the efforts of local animal activists who for months have advocated for official help in what seemed an insurmountable problem.
Erica Kutzing, a Sound Beach resident and vice president of North Shore-based Strong Island Animal Rescue League, said she and others believe it will allow for better outcomes and success rates for feral cats.
Strong Island Animal Rescue joined with local animal activists and Brookhaven town to set up the new task force. Photo by Kyle Barr
“It meant a lot to us to help solve this real issue,” she said.
Kutzing, Katrina Denning, founder of the Jacob’s Hope Rescue, and Jenny Luca, among others attended a number of Town Board meetings from October to December 2019, discussing the need for Brookhaven to provide more assistance to local animal rescue groups in the ongoing feral cat crisis.
“The TNR [Trap-Neuter-Return] program at that time was broken and needed to be fixed,” Kutzing said.
At the end of December, the trio were given the opportunity to meet with Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) and Town Board members to talk about the status of the program. In two separate meetings, animal rescue advocates discussed ways they could improve the program and ease the burden on local rescue groups.
After some weeks of negotiations, town officials agreed to put the trio in charge of the task force. The town also decided to increase the original program’s budget from $40,000 to $60,000, began a partnership with Medford-based veterinary clinic Long Island Spay & Neuter, and will pay professional trappers to help capture feral cats.
The pilot program was officially announced at the March 12 board meeting, classified as a “Program for the Public Good,” thereby qualifying it for coverage under the town’s public good insurance.
“We are moving in a direction to reduce the population of feral cats — we believe the best way to deal with this issue is to work with nonprofits, who are extremely committed people,” Romaine said. “Limiting the population is the right thing to do for the community.”
Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station) said the feral cat population on Long Island has been increasing drastically over the years, with a significant amount being located in Council District 1.
“The town was able to develop the pilot program with significant community input from the rescue organizations,” she said in a statement. “We are anticipating success of the pilot program and we appreciate the community groups working collaboratively with the town.”
Denning said they were pleasantly surprised that town officials put them in charge and supported their ideas. She expects to see improved results once the program is set up, especially with Dr. John Berger, a veterinarian at Long Island Spay & Neuter, in place to perform the procedures.
“The way it was done before was just not working,” she said. “We needed someone who was skilled with dealing with a high volume of feral cats. Dr. Berger is trained to do a large number of surgeries.”
In turn, Denning said it will allow them to get more cats fixed and treated than before.
“We will be doing clinics and specifically have a block of time where Dr. Berger can deal with a mass quantity at once,” she said. “We will be able to treat 20-30 cats and deal with entire colonies.”
Feral cats in a wooded area in Mount Sinai eyes humans entering its habitat. Photo by Kyle Barr
In addition, the group will come up with a list of approved trappers who will “go out and capture these feral cats instead of the homeowners who are not as experienced,” Denning said. “We will be paying them for their work and incentivize them to go out more, now they don’t need to spend their own money on supplies.”
Luca, who has been an independent rescuer for the past 10 years, said the new program will allow them to do more in helping feral cats.
“Cats are on every block on Long Island — we were very limited in what we could do before,” she said.
Luca said with added support they will be able to use funds to buy new equipment like drop traps to ensure they’ll be able to capture more feral cats.
Another aspect of the program is public education.
“Educating people is huge — we are looking for individuals/volunteers who are interested in learning what we do and help us, it would be great,” Luca said.
Kutzing said surgery appointments will be twice a month at the clinics and they expect the program to be up and running sometime in April.
In the meantime, the trio is excited for
the opportunity.
“It is incredible what we’ve been able to do,” Kutzing said. “It has been such a rewarding experience.”
This week’s shelter pet is Bullet,a 1-year-old Weimaraner mix from Texas. This handsome boy loves to run around and play, is good with other dogs and walks really well on a leash.
Bullet would do best in a home where the family is home often due to some separation anxiety issues. He’s very people friendly and loves to give hugs. Bullet is patiently waiting for his new snuggle buddy to come adopt him! He comes neutered, microchipped and is up to date on all his vaccines.
Kent Animal Shelter is located at 2259 River Road in Calverton. The adoption center is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information onBullet and other adoptable pets at Kent, call 631-727-5731 or visit www.kentanimalshelter.com.
Sarah Strent with her CTeen Female Leader of the Year award. Photo from The Chai Center
Sarah Strent, 17, a senior at Commack High School and a resident of Commack, was recently named CTeen Female Leader of the Year at the CTeen International Shabbaton, an annual event where thousands of Jewish teens gather in New York City. She was chosen by her peers from among 3,000 leaders worldwide.
CTeen, comprised of teens from 37 countries with 625 chapters around the world, is the fastest growing Jewish teen network. Its mission is to inspire and facilitate teens who want to give back to their community and environment, with an emphasis on positive character development.
Strent is a leader with the West Suffolk Chapter of CTeen, which is based at The Chai Center in Dix Hills. “We are so immensely proud of Sarah,” Rabbi Dovid Weinbaum, Youth Director at The Chai Center said. “Sarah has helped us on a local level create programs like cooking for needy families, packing gifts for children in hospitals and creating a bowl-a-thon for special needs kids and children with cancer. She became a regional leader helping to create programs for over 50 chapters in the New York and New Jersey area. In the last 18 months, Strent was named an international leader serving on the board of CTeen.”
The CTeen Network provides a nurturing environment fusing fun, friendship, humanitarian outreach, mitzvah observance, and engaging Torah study. The CTeen Network believes in the power of youth and transforming the teen years into a time of purpose and self-discovery. The goal is to turn youth into leaders.
An empty toilet paper display case at the St. James King Kullen March 14. Photo by Joseph Cali
With shelves emptying quicker than they can replenish, as shoppers afraid of possible COVID-19 quarantines stock up, grocery store chains are trying to come up with answers.
In a press release, King Kullen announced starting Monday, March 16, all its stores, including its pharmacies and Wild by Nature locations will open at 8 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
The chain said the new hours of operation were until further notice, and the change would allow them “to better serve its customers, provide relief to employees, give store teams time to conduct additional preventative sanitation, and allow more efficient restocking of product on shelves.”
Stop & Shop starting Thursday, March 19, will allow those who are over 60 years old to buy groceries at their stores from 6 to 7:30 a.m., according to a March 16 press release.
“Although we will not be requesting ID for entry, we ask that you please respect the purpose of the early opening — and do the right thing for your neighbors,” the statement read. “Store associates do reserve the right to ask customers to leave if they are not a member of this age group.”
Stop & Shop also announced most stores have adjusted their hours to 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. which will help with unloading deliveries and stocking shelves.
The chain also announced that its Peapod home delivery service will have a contact-free option where bags can be left on a doorstep or entryway.
Jersey Mike’s Subs and others are ready to move into Stony Brook Square. Photo by Rita J. Egan
It’s been a few years in the making, and now a Stony Brook shopping center is ready for business.
Parviz Farahzad, owner of East Setauket-based Little Rock Construction, said Stony Brook Square, located on Route 25A near the Long Island Rail Road train station, is ready for tenants to move in. The developer said he is pleased with the way it turned out.
“I think this is going to be a big deal for the greater Stony Brook community and the university and hospital and that’s what we were waiting for,” he said, adding the shopping center’s location is ideal for those waiting at the train station too as they could walk over or easily pull in and out of the parking lot before heading to the train.
Development was stalled in the summer of 2018 when the Town of Brookhaven Planning Board issued a stop-work order after inspectors discovered field changes at the site. While the Planning Board approved some of the modifications, they requested one building be moved to its initially approved spot.
Farahzad said many businesses to be found in the shopping center will be service oriented.
“That’s what the market is about,” Farahzad said. “Clothing stores — and things like that — people don’t want to open them because people shop online.”
Dental365, Druthers Coffee, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Teachers Federal Credit Unit, Organic Krush, Arnor Crepes & Bubble Tea and a Mediterranean restaurant are ready to move in, according to Farahzad. There are a few storefronts that are still available, he said, and the developer is currently in talks with prospective tenants.
Al Goldstein, of Wading River, along with his business partners Seth Goldstein, Marvin Goldfarb and Mitch Cohen will be opening Jersey Mike’s Subs in the center within the next few months. The team already owns the hero franchises in Hauppauge, Deer Park and Port Jefferson Station.
Goldstein said with living in the surrounding area and having siblings who attended Stony Brook University in the past, he felt it would be an ideal location — with a mixture of customers from the neighborhood and university.
“It’s going to be a beautiful place to shop,” he said. “There are going to be a lot of nice stores, and the students are looking for a variety themselves.”
Kathryne Piazzola, of St. James, owns Druthers Coffee with her husband Kevin Phieffer, her son Zachary Russell and his husband Michael Buchholz, who are from Port Jefferson. Piazzola said the family hopes to open the coffee shop by early May.
As a former employee of Stony Brook University for 20 years, she said when they were looking for a location three years ago, she thought it would be an ideal spot.
“I was keenly aware of needing things within walking distance,” she said. “We just thought that this was going to be the perfect location, where it’s great for the community, while great for the university.”
Last year’s first-place winners Nicole Xiao and Juliet Weschke pose with their books. Photo from Emma S. Clark Memorial Library
Emma S. Clark Memorial Library announced the winners for the Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award. The annual contest invites junior high and high school students in the Three Village Central School District to create a children’s picture book.
First Prize (Grades 7–9 category): “Oliver’s Walk” by Celia Gordon (eighth grade, homeschooler)
First Prize (Grades 10–12 category): “Your Part” by Rebecca Blumenthal (11th grader at Ward Melville High School)
Second Prize (Grades 7–9 category): “The Knight and the Monster” written by Ricky Herling and illustrated by Ashton Hopkins (both 8th graders at P.J. Gelinas Junior High School)
Second Prize (Grades 10–12 category): “How Tom Talks” by Riley Meckley (10th grader at Ward Melville High School)
For “Oliver’s Walk,” Celia Gordon used watercolors to illustrate the story of a baby bird and mother bird taking a stroll together. The bird uses his imagination and pretends that the puddle is really a river or that a single pink flower turns into a big bouquet for his mom. “Your Part” by Rebecca Blumenthal gives examples of what one can do to be a good person for the earth and for others. It’s told in a sing-song voice, which makes it a perfect read aloud book.
The winners will be celebrated at a private awards ceremony at Emma S. Clark Memorial Library Monday, April 27, at 7:00 p.m. At the reception, each first-prize award recipient will receive a $400 scholarship, and each second-prize award recipient will receive a $100 scholarship. The newly bound books — made into hardcover by the library — will be presented to the winners and copies will be added to the library’s Local Focus Collection. Light refreshments will be served at the reception, and The Bite Size Bake Shop, a local Three Village business, will donate desserts.
Each entry in the contest could be the work of a single author/illustrator or a collaborative effort of an author and an illustrator. The contest was divided into two grade categories, grades 7 through 9 and grades 10 through 12, with one first-prize winner and one second-prize winner selected from each group.
This award is given in memory of Helen Stein Shack by her family. As a teacher, Shack was committed to the education of children, and she especially loved literature written for them. She was a frequent visitor to Emma Clark library where, even in retirement, she kept current with the latest children’s books. The library is grateful to the children of the late Shack who have established a substantial endowment with the library to cover the cost of the prizes.
Past ceremonies have had library trustees, teachers and top school district administrators, as well as elected officials from New York State, Suffolk County and the Town of Brookhaven, all in attendance to honor the winners and present them with certificates.
The Emma S. Clark Memorial Library is located at 120 Main St., Setauket.
A view of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. File photo
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s DNA Learning Center will be closed effective Monday, March 15, according to a statement from CSHL, until further notice.The DNALC will be closed to the public and will not hold in-person programs at any location or through school visits. The decision was made in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a statement from the facility, there is no evidence of staff or recent visitors with the virus.
DNALC will monitor the situation and resume operations as soon as possible, and it will maintain future bookings as placeholders until it reopens and reschedule as needed.
A scene from the 2019 St. James St. Patrick's Day Parade. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Editor’s note: As of March 12, the St. James St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been postponed.
During this year’s 36th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in St. James, spectators will witness a first — two grand marshals leading the parade.
Mario Mattera
Hosted by the St. James Chamber of Commerce, the parade committee has chosen residents Kerry Reilly DeJesus and Mario Mattera as grand marshals for 2020. William Garthe, chamber board member, said each year residents are asked to write in to say who they would like to see lead the parade. This year the chamber received an overwhelming and equal number of nominations for Mattera and DeJesus.
Mattera said he was surprised when he heard he was chosen because he thought the grand marshal had to be of Irish descent. The St. James resident said he was humbled and honored.
When he heard DeJesus was also chosen, he was thrilled and described her as a wonderful person.
“Just her personality brings a smile to your face,” he said. “That’s the type of woman Kerry is. We need more of that.”
DeJesus also had complimentary things to say about Mattera.
“I couldn’t be in better company than Mario,” she said, adding she was overwhelmed when she heard the news that she was chosen.
“I was so flattered,” she said. “I thought that was so sweet of them to think of me.”
Mattera, a Smithtown resident for 55 years, moved from Nesconset to St. James in 1996. He said his wife of 26 years, Terry, and his two daughters Jessica and Jayme will be on hand to walk with him in the parade.
The husband and father is the business agent for Plumbers Local Union 200 of Ronkonkoma. In addition to his work with the union, he is a member of the Smithtown Executive Board representing St. James, and on the boards of Community Association of Greater St. James, the Suffolk County Water Authority and the Suffolk County Consumer Affairs Plumbing, Licensing and Fire Protection. He is also a Suffolk County Workforce Housing Committee member, the plumber’s union chairman for the political PAC fund for the county and board member for the New York State Apprenticeship Committee.
In his free time, he volunteers with Helmets to Hardhats, which works with returning veterans, and he also finds time to cheer on the Smithtown High School East’s Whisperettes, the kickline team, of which both of his daughters have been members.
DeJesus works as a call center manager for the Stony Brook University’s Southampton Hospital. She has lived in St. James for more than two decades where she and her husband, Ralph, of 25 years, have raised four children. She said she’s excited that her son Ralph Jr., who is serving in the U.S. Marines, has been granted a weekend leave to march with her and the family.
Kerry Reilly DeJesus
The wife and mother has taught religion at St. Philip and St. James R.C. Church, and with her teaching career in St. James and past service in two other churches, she earned a 20-year service award. She has also been active in the Smithtown Central School District as a Family Living chairperson working on food drives at Mills Pond Elementary School and was vice president of the PTA at the elementary school for two years. She later went on to serve as PTA president for two years. As her children advanced in the school district, so did DeJesus. For three years she was PTA president at Nesaquake Middle School and then did the same for six years at Smithtown High School East’s PTA. She has worked in other roles too as Spiritwear chairperson, recording secretary, vice president and a two-year stint as council president and vice president for the district.
Outside of religious instruction and the school district, DeJesus said she has been a Girl and Boy Scouts leader for her children’s troops. She has volunteered through the years at Deepwells Haunted Mansion where she has played a witch and dead doll, as well as working the concession.
“That’s a lot of fun,” she said. “That’s another great community thing that we do in St. James.”
While Mattera has participated in past parades with the car club, DeJesus has marched with the Boy and Girl Scouts. When it comes to parades, both grand marshals agree it’s important for communities.
“It brings everyone together, and bringing the community together, especially with the feeling right now — that we’re going to give the town a jump start — it’s a lot,” Mattera said, referencing the revitalization of
Lake Avenue.
DeJesus said parades are also a way to draw people to St. James from other hamlets in the township. Plus, she said the St. Patrick’s Day Parade signals that spring is around the corner and gets everyone out of their homes.
“I feel like I’m reconnecting with old friends when I see all these people,” she said.
Mattera and DeJesus will be joined by the parade’s princesses and princes. The court includes two-year-old Avianna Manning, St. James Elementary School third-grader Juliana Cating Gleeson, kindergartener Jayden Cassidy Gleeson, third-grader Samantha Keil, first-grader Violet Keil, third-grader Mia Sherlock, kindergartener Sydney Sherlock, fourth-grader Ethan Tuzinkiewicz, second-grader Benjamin Tuzinkiewicz, first-grader Daniel Tuzinkiewicz and Nesaquake Middle School sixth-grade studentw Kayla Moore.
The St. James St. Patrick’s Day Parade begins at the Smithtown High School East parking lot on Woodlawn Avenue and travels to Lake Avenue where it makes a right and continues to the St. James Gazebo by the Long Island Rail Road station.
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