Great news for all Harry Potter fans! Fathom Events and Warner Bros. Discovery are partnering to bring back the first four films of the quintessential fan favorite Harry Potter film series to select theatres nationwide this February.
Harry with his pet owl Hedwig in a scene from ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.’ Photo courtesy of Fathom Events
The Harry Potter film series will be the first series highlighted in Fathom Fan Favorites, a new theatrical series that will feature films from iconic franchises.
For more than 20 years, the world has been captivated by the magic of the Harry Potter stories from J.K. Rowling and starting February 13, moviegoers will be able to relive, or experience for the first time, the first four films in the wizarding saga on the big screen.
Additionally, starting February 27, fans will be able to experience the films from the series in 4DX motion seats to get the feeling they are in attendance at Hogwarts alongside the Golden Trio.
Also for the first time in the United States, the UK version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, named Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, will be presented in 3D and will give fans the chance to see some never-before-seen moments.
Each screening will also include an exclusive introduction by cinema legend Leonard Maltin, sharing unique insights for each film. The complete schedule for the “Fathom Fan Favorites: Harry Potter” series is as follows:
— Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone onFeb. 13 , Feb. 20 and Feb. 27
— Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (UK version) on Feb. 13, Feb. 20 and Feb. 27 in 3D
— Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on Feb. 14, Feb. 21 and Feb. 28
— Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on Feb. 15, Feb. 22 and March 1
— Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 20th Anniversary on Feb.16, Feb. 23 and March 2.
Locally, the films will be screened at AMC Loews Stony Brook 17, Island 16 Cinema de lux in Holtsville, AMC Huntington Square 12 in East Northport, Showcase Cinema de lux in Farmingdale, and Regal Cinemas in Deer Park. Tickets are available at www.fathomevents.com or at participating theatre box offices.
Valentine’s Day often sparks the age-old debate about whether love at first sight is real or just a romantic notion. Some people swear by it, claiming that an instant connection or an inexplicable bond can form in the blink of an eye. For them, it’s more than just attraction — it’s a deep, immediate understanding or a shared energy that can’t be ignored. Others, however, argue that love is something that builds over time, shaped by experiences, conversations and vulnerability. They believe that true love cannot be rushed, and that the initial spark is often mistaken for infatuation or chemistry.
TBR News Media recently asked Long Islanders what they thought about love at first sight.
Lisa Goldfeder
Lisa Goldfeder from Babylon
“I don’t believe in love at first sight. You have to get to know someone first, spend time with them, be friends, then the love will come. People who say they believe in love at first sight are more like infatuated to me.”
Lonnie Goldfeder
Lonnie Goldfeder from Babylon
“I believe you can fall in love when you first meet someone. You have that feeling that they’re ‘the one’ and everything else follows.”
Frank Borrero
Frank Borrero from Huntington
“I believe in love at first sight, but not the kind of love that lasts forever. I love women, so every woman I meet is love at first sight to me. A pair and a spare is my motto.”
Neil Clay
Neil Clay from Stony Brook
“I believe in love at first sight. It’s how I met my wife. We both went outside to throw our garbage in the dumpster and I knew from that minute I met my soulmate.”
Lucia Trowe
Lucia Trowe from Huntington
“I definitely think you can fall in love with someone when you first meet them. My husband told me seconds after we met that he loved me and asked me to marry him. We were married 40 years.”
Michael Joseph
Michael Joseph from Huntington
“I don’t believe in love at first sight unless you’re picking a dog. How can you know you love someone from a chance meeting or look?”
A dress made of TBR News Media newspapers is displayed in the window of Chocology in Stony Brook. Customers and Stony Brook University students played a role in creating the dress. This dress is part of Chocology’s Valentine’s collection.
“We want to capture the essence of each holiday through a unique chocolate-inspired creation,” said Linda Johnson, founder of Chocology. “I was especially inspired by the TBR 2024 People of the Year, which stands out as a celebration of creativity and community.”
Stony Brook men’s basketball earned an 80-75 victory over rival Hofstra in the Battle of Long Island on Feb. 8 at the Mack Complex in Hempstead. Andre Snoddy and CJ Luster II combined to score 53 points and delivered in clutch moments on both ends of the floor down the stretch to snap the Seawolves’ three-game losing streak.
Snoddy had things working offensively to start the game, helping Stony Brook overcome an early seven-point deficit. A jumper at the 11:19 mark pushed Snoddy’s point total to 12 and put the Seawolves ahead, 16-14.
Stony Brook led for a majority of the final 10 minutes of the second half, but the Pride scored twice in the final two minutes and carried a narrow 33-31 advantage into the break.
Hofstra held onto its lead for much of the second half, answering every Stony Brook attempt to whittle its deficit.
Cruz Davis connected on a trifecta at the 8:34 mark of the second half to make it a seven-point game, the largest margin between the two sides in the second half.
The Seawolves turned the tide at the 4:53 mark, ripping off eight straight points to turn their five-point deficit into a three-point lead, 66-63.
Stony Brook never trailed from that point on, though Hofstra cut the Seawolves’ advantage to one point on two occasions. The Seawolves made eight of their final nine free throws in the final minute of action, closing out a victory over Long Island rival Hofstra and snapping a three-game losing streak.
“I thought it was a hard-fought game and both teams played well. We’ve been playing well for, I think, five games in a row, and we’ve only won two of them. The schedule has flipped and we’ve caught a bunch of good teams, several of them on the road, and come up short. Today, we were able to make some plays. CJ made some big shots and Snoddy was elite. Dre was fantastic and willed us to the win,” head coach Geno Ford noted postgame.
“Collin, a freshman point guard on the road in a rivalry game, had six assists and no turnovers. There’s a lot that goes into winning and we needed all of it because it was a game that could’ve gone either way,” Ford added.
Up next, the team returns home to host Monmouth on Thursday, February 13 in the first nationally televised home game of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 pm at Stony Brook Arena and will air nationally on the CBS Sports Network.
This is the message on a 1925 Valentine’s Day postcard sent to my mother in Port Jefferson. Mom was born in November 1914, so she was ten years old when she received the postcard. The front of the card shows a cherub with pots of heart flowers. The address on the postcard was simply addressed to her at “Port Jefferson, L.I.” This particular postcard was sent from Brooklyn, NY. Mom kept only a few valentine postcards. The majority of the valentine messages she kept were cards in the shape of the figure or image.
In the first three decades of the 20th century, Valentine’s Day figure and image cards were favored over postcards, especially by children. In my mother’s case most of these cards were put in envelopes and hand-delivered to the mailbox on the street or to the front door by their neighborhood friends. This makes it difficult to know what year the cards were sent. The presence of a few postcards with 1920s postmarks helps, especially as my mother kept both the postcards and the cut out cards in the same box.
Greetings cards became a world-wide phenomenon. This remarkable development was fueled by the postcard’s convenience and cost. The postcard was, before the wide-spread use of the telephone, the quickest means of making contact with a friend, relative or tradesman.
Interestingly, within a century, the personal computer, through the use of the internet, would begin to fill the same need. The only major difference being that, at the end of the 19th century, everyone had mail delivery, whereas at the end of the 20th century personal computers and the internet were not yet in every home.
Many greetings cards such as these were saved and placed in postcard albums. Today they provide us with a glimpse of life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Beverly C. Tyler is Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Rd., Setauket, NY 11733. Tel: 631-751-3730. www.TVHS.org
SBU's David Wrobel with Wolfie. Photo by Anna Maria Gounaris
By Daniel Dunaief
David Wrobel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Stony Brook University since August, can relate to the school’s students.
Like about a third of the students at the downstate flagship SUNY university, Wrobel is the first member of his family to attend college.
David Wrobel. Photo by John Griffin
“I’ve had the advantage of that social mobility that higher education can provide,” said Wrobel, who grew up in England. To have the opportunity to facilitate that for thousands of other students is “hugely important and meaningful.”
Provost Carl Lejuez appreciates Wrobel’s passion for education and for providing opportunities to students from a wide array of backgrounds and experiences.
“For first generation students, there are some challenges that even the most empathetic, well-meaning person may want to help with, but because they don’t have that experience, they don’t know,” said Provost Carl Lejuez. “He brings both the experience of some of the things these students are going through as well as the humanity and personality that is very empathetic.”
Indeed, for Wrobel, who was dean at the University of Oklahoma for six years before joining Stony Brook, his new job appealed to him because of the opportunity to use education to help students expand their horizons and seek new opportunities.
Stony Brook has been successful in the area of social mobility, enabling students “from more disadvantaged backgrounds coming to the university” to complete their degrees at a high rate, said Wrobel. Higher education can perform the role it should as an “engine of democracy.”
Wrobel, who is a tenured professor in the Departent of History, oversees the breadth and depth of offerings at Stony Brook.
Lejuez suggested that Wrobel relates well to students from every background.
“You never see him at an event talking to other administrators,” said Lejuez. “He’s trying to really get in there and talk to people and make them feel welcome.”
Indeed, within his first few weeks of arriving, Wrobel met with several students who shared their concerns about visual arts, particularly as the music and art departments are about to move during an HVAC renovation project.
Wrobel worked with the students and partners around the university, including staff, the fire marshal and others, to see where they can display artwork and perform music.
The Arts Everywhere effort, which is “big in spirit” but “small in funding” provides an opportunities for the “work of students to be better understood by other students on campus,” Wrobel said.
Research opportunities
As a member of the Association of American Universities, an exclusive club that recognizes universities committed to research and education, Stony Brook provides students with opportunities to contribute to the forefront of new information.
“We have undergraduates doing research on genes that are led by some of the most important scientists in the world,” said Wrobel. These students are “not doing research that is tangentially associated with important science. They are contributing to the research teams” that lead to societal and life improvements.
These research contributions across a wide range of fields can and should address the question some people have asked about the return on investment of a college education.
Students are working in fields such as quantum science, artificial intelligence, climate and health.
“We should take great pride in the fact that, as a university, we are answering that question: why does a degree matter,” said Wrobel.
‘Not a spectator sport’
From left to right: Bonita London, associate dean of research development and communications; Danielle Papaspyrou, senior administrator for staff and faculty affairs; AnnaMaria Gounaris, assistant to the dean; Michael d’Ambrosio, senior director of development; Lois Carter, assistant dean for faculty affairs and personnel; Rachel Rodriguez, director of communications; Carol Davies, assistant director for budget and finance, and David Wrobel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Photo courtesy Stony Brook University
The university is incorporating into the degree programs the kind of learning experiences that prepare students for success in areas ranging from private and industry positions to government jobs.
Wrobel is eager to demonstrate how “education is not a spectator sport” with every prospective student and their parents. Students become a “full participant not just in learning existing knowledge, but in the process of creating new knowledge.”
At the same time, the university is committed to enhancing the abilities of its educators.
“You work to reward teaching excellence at every level,” said Wrobel. “You make it clear that teaching does matter.”
Teachers need to refine their approaches and methods based on the way students learn, which includes working with technology and its possibilities more effectively than in the past
Wrobel meets with the Dean’s Student Advisory Committee, which includes students from numerous majors, to learn about student needs. These can include expanding quieter study spaces or finding places for more collaborative work.
Additionally, the committee helps select outstanding teaching faculty.
“Faculty go to conferences to improve their research skills,” said Lejuez. “We want to think about teaching in the same way.”
Lejuez appreciates how Wrobel engages with students to understand what would improve the university’s learning environment.
The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching provides opportunities not only for those educators who might be struggling to connect with their students, but also for those who want to improve their craft, Lejuez said.
As a part of student evaluations of their educators, Stony Brook has improved the quality of questions in its educator evaluations for the spring semester, which Lejuez hopes encourages more students to offer valuable feedback.
A dedicated educator
In addition to serving as an administrator, Wrobel hopes to put his experience to work as an educator himself by next spring.
Wrobel could imagine leading or contributing to several possible classes.
He would enjoy teaching a graduate seminar that addresses the history of American thought and culture from the end of Reconstruction after the Civil War in the 1870’s to the end of the New Deal in the 1940s.
At the University of Oklahoma, he also taught an introductory survey class that first year students typically took. The course covered the period from the end of the Civil War to the present.
“I love the idea that I have the opportunity to engage with brand new students when they come to the university,” he said.
Wrobel would like to share a view of America from the Great Depression through the Vietnam War, focusing on John Steinbecks view of the core political and social debates of the time.
Steinbeck was “better than just about any other author at finding what is extraordinary in the lives of ordinary Americans,” said Wrobel.
As for his roles at Stony Brook, Wrobel is “thrilled to have the opportunity to help first generation students and other financially disadvantaged students find their way.”
Ms. Pamila Pahuja, a dedicated middle school science teacher, is now at the center of a firestorm. A personal social media post expressing frustration over immigration policies and the broader state of the country has led to her suspension. Critics claim she wished harm upon Trump supporters,suggesting she would treat students differently based on their beliefs. That accusation is completely unfounded.
Having known Ms. Pahuja at R.C.MurphyJr. High School, I can say with certainty that her commitment to students has never wavered, regardless of their background or ideology. Let’s be clear: her suspension isn’t about protecting students or maintaining neutrality in education. It’s about something much bigger—and much more dangerous.
This is about reinforcing the idea that opposing the present administration, even in one’s personal life, comes with professional and personal consequences.
Education has become one of the key battlegrounds. Whether at the college level or in school boards, middle schools, and high schools, the message is clear: speak out against the present administration, and there will be a price to pay. Ms. Pahuja’s suspension is just the latest example.
So, who will stand up for our teachers’ free speech? In our quaint district of Three Village, groups like the Setauket Patriots freely exercise their own speech. They have labeled Ms. Pahuja “unhinged,” calling her the “first casualty of the migrant crisis on Long Island.” In one post, a commenter referred to her as a “DEI hire”—a phrase casually tossed around as an insult, revealing the underlying biases behind these attacks. They claim to defend students while attacking a teacher’s character with unfounded accusations. If they can openly condemn her, why can’t she express her own views without risking her career?
Nationally and internationally, Ms. Pahuja has made headlines in The New York Post and the Daily Mail, where she has been subjected to further harassment and ridicule, particularly in their online comment sections.
Despite the manufactured outrage, Ms. Pahuja’s record speaks for itself. She comes from a family of educators and has spent over a decade inspiring students, running the Science Olympiad team, and dedicating herself to teaching. She isn’t being targeted because of her abilities as an educator—she’s being targeted because she refuses to conform.
And yet, here we are, throwing her under the bus. Why? Because she won’t pledge fealty to a political movement that stands against everything she believes in. Are we really expecting someone who has passionately taught science, advocated for immigrants, and supported unions to suddenly submit to a different ideology? Ms. Pahuja has spent years educating with care—there is nothing to suggest she would ever do anything less.
The truth is, she isn’t being punished for failing as a teacher. She’s being punished for speaking her mind. And that should give all of us pause.
I stand against the campaign of hate targeting Ms. Pahuja because of the values I was taught, in part, at Three Village schools. In these classrooms, we learned not only to think critically but also to stand up to bullies, no matter their power or influence. I urge others in the community to support her as well and hope to see her reinstated in the classroom as soon as possible.
Ms. Pahuja embodies the values of free thought, moral conviction, and standing against injustice—principles that should be protected, not silenced.
PJ Country Club prior to collapse of gazebo and edge of tennis courts, undated photograph. Courtesy of PJ Village website
Phase 1 of the East Beach Bluff Stabilization was the first part of a $10 million initiative aimed at arresting bluff erosion and preventing the Village of Port Jefferson-owned country club from sliding down the slope.
This first phase of the project was completed in June 2023. By any official accounts of the time, Phase 1 was a success. But within months of completion a series of storms in late 2023 and early 2024 damaged the site, undoing costly work, setting back progress and hampering the goals of the project.
According to the May 2024 Bluff Monitoring Report covering the period from September 2023 to February 2024, conducted by GEI Consultants of Huntington Station (the engineering firm that designed Phase 1), the village had not implemented recommended repairs, increasing the risk of more complicated and expensive upkeep and repair in the future.
The report stated that “no maintenance or repairs to date were undertaken by the village following the storms,” further suggesting that the village implements “necessary repair to the project as soon as possible.”
The report’s findings have raised questions among residents and officials about the long-term viability of the stabilization efforts and financial resources needed for continued upkeep and repairs.
TBR News Media reviewed GEI’s 2024 Bluff Monitoring Report — required under the Department of Environmental Conservation permit for Phase 1 — and spoke to experts, village officials and residents, exploring the report’s recommendations and the obstacles confronting the village in completing its requirements.
Costs of phases 1 and 2
At the completion of Phase 1, a 358-foot wall of steel and cement was constructed at the base of a steep bluff, about 100-feet-tall, situated on East Beach, facing north toward the Long Island Sound.
As part of the project, the severely eroded bluff face — scoured and denuded by years of storms — underwent restoration. Native vegetation was planted and secured with eight rows of timber terraces, and coir logs (interwoven coconut fibers) at the lower section and, toward the crest, with burlap netting.
The total cost of the Phase 1 project according to village treasurer, Stephen Gaffga, is “$6,024,443 million, of which $677,791 is related to design/engineering/permitting/ surveying, and $5,346,652 was spent on construction.”
At the crest of the bluff, approximately 30 feet beyond the precipice, sits the country club. Phase 2 involves the installation of a 545-foot long, 47-foot-deep steel barrier driven into the bluff’s crest, just a few feet seaward of the country club. The barrier is designed to stabilize the area landward of the bluff and prevent erosion, further reducing the risk of the building collapsing.
The cost of Phase 2 will be partially funded by federal taxpayer dollars as a $3.75 million FEMA grant, the final approval recently completed this past week, allowing for the village to receive bids for the work in the coming months for the construction of the upper wall. Local taxpayer dollars will fund the remaining Phase 2 expenses.
According to Gaffga, the Phase 2 “complete expenses are yet to be determined,” he explained in an email. The total cost will be better understood once the village receives bids for constructing the upper wall
The stabilization project, since its inception in 2017 has been presented by village officials as an urgent necessity. With this imperative in mind, the trustees approved a $10 million bond resolution, without a community referendum, in 2021 to fund the project’s two phases.
In a January 2023 statement by former Mayor Garant, after permitting and plans had been finalized, she warned, “If immediate measures to combat and stop the erosion are not implemented, the building foundation will get exposed, will lose structural support, and slowly but surely will fail — causing significant structural damage first, followed by complete collapse of the [country club] building.”
2024 GEI report findings
Heavy rainstorms swept across Long Island in the early fall of 2023, beginning with Hurricane Lee on Sept. 12 followed by another severe storm on Sept. 23.
According to the GEI report, these storms caused “post-storm stress” to the new vegetation leading to plant die off, shifting sands and forming a small ravine — also referred to as a gully — past the western edge of the wall at the base of the bluff.
To prevent further damage, GEI recommended that the village “replant beachgrass in stressed areas of the bluff face and protect the western edge of the wall by adding a filter fabric and stone.”
Photograph of East Beach Bluff Phase 1 taken as part of the GEI post-storm inspection after Hurricane Lee on Sept. 12, 2023. Courtesy of PJ Village website
However, two additional major storms in December 2023 and February 2024 brought strong winds and heavy rainfall expanding the damage started in September. A GEI post-storm inspection in the days following the storms found that a large ravine had formed on the eastern edge of the bluff face, further damaging the vegetation, matting and terracing within the ravine.
Photograph taken as part of the GEI inspection report Feb. 22, 2024 showing extensive damage to the bluff in the vicinity of stressed growth identified in September 2023. Courtesy of PJ Village website
In total, the May 2024 report outlined detailed recommendations involving improved drainage, repairs to terracing, laying down of erosion control fabric and replacement of beachgrass. The report’s recommendations concluded with concerns about utilizing honeycomb grids by Coastal Technologies Corp. under consideration by village officials, namely: “GEI has expressed concern that such an installation may not be effective at East Beach due to the types of soils present and the steepness of the East Beach Bluff.”
Despite these concerns, the Board of Trustees at the Oct. 23 public meeting approved a resolution to use American Rescue Plan Act funds at the total cost of $33,920 to pilot test Coastal Technologies stabilizing devices, pending a revised permit from the DEC.
In response to GEI concerns, George Thatos, Coastal Technologies co-founder and head of design, said, “Our Cliff Stabilizer system stabilizes near-vertical slopes with vegetation, unlike terracing which requires major regrading and cliff-top land loss.” He added, “Our solution naturally reforests bluffs.”
According to DEC representative, Jeff Wernick, if a permit holder “cannot follow a report recommendations due to environmental conditions, DEC works with them to modify the permit to correct the issues. If the recommendations are not followed due to negligence, it could result in a violation of the permit and enforcement action.”
Port Jeff Citizens Commission on Erosion
This reporter attended a recent meeting of the Port Jefferson Citizens Commission on Erosion. Their mission, in summary, is to act as a volunteer resident advisory group to the village on matters of erosion confronting the village. So far, much of the group’s focus, chaired by village resident David Knauf, has been on the East Beach Bluff Stabilization project.
On Jan. 20, the committee submitted detailed written questions to Mayor Lauren Sheprow expressing concerns about the overall status of the stabilization project. It questioned plans to proceed with Phase 2 before implementing drainage recommendations and before updating the land survey of the upper bluff that is about three years old. The commission urged these steps be completed before soliciting bids for the construction of Phase 2.
”There was damage that occurred since the Phase 1 was completed that hasn’t been addressed, meaning that it keeps getting more pronounced. There were ongoing reports that were done during the past year,” Knauf said at the Jan. 23 commission meeting.
He added that repairs “should have been done up to now so that whatever was occurring [with Phase 1] didn’t get worse.”
The commission, to date, has not received a comprehensive update on maintenance done on the bluff/wall as recommended in the May 2024 report, according to Knauf.
According to village trustee Robert Juliano, any maintenance and repair done during the time frame of the 2024 report “was minor, such as grooming the beach by village employees.”
Other concerns brought up at the meeting included a request to review a retreat plan allegedly completed under former Mayor Garant and actively participating in vetting of contract bids.
Sheprow, present at the meeting, told TBR News Media her responses to the written questions from the commission, reviewed at the Jan. 23 meeting, would be posted on the village website.
“The village will look to enlist the Citizens Commission on Erosion to help facilitate an open forum where GEI will present the Phase 2 project design and a path forward for Phase 1 remediation and restoration,” the mayor said in an email to TBR News Media.
The 2023 Annual Post-Construction Bluff Monitoring Report dated May 2024 and related items can be viewed at the Port Jefferson Village website at: www.portjeff.com/ 206/East-Beach-Bluff.
For earlier reporting by TBR News Media, visit tbrnewsmedia.com and key in “East Beach Bluff Stabilization project.”
These composite brain images from the study of WTC responders reveal evidence of amyloidosis. Areas shaded in red and yellow indicate regions of the brain with amyloid. Image courtesy of Sean Clouston, Stony Brook Medicine
By Daniel Dunaief
Even over 23 years after first responders raced to the smoldering site of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks, many emergency crews continue to battle the effects of their exposure.
With a combination of toxic aerosolized particles infusing the air, first responders who didn’t wear personal protective equipment and who had the highest degree of exposure have suffered from a range of symptoms and conditions.
Sean Clouston
In a recent study of 35 World Trade Center first responders in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, lead author Sean Clouston, who is a Professor in the Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine in the Renaissance School of Medicine, found evidence of amyloid plaques, which are often linked to Alzheimer’s Disease.
The paper links exposure to a neurodegenerative protein.
Research with World Trade Center first responders not only benefits those who worked tirelessly to try to find survivors and to restore the area after the attack, but also could help other people who inhale aerosolized toxins.
Indeed, such research could help those who are spending hours battling the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles, which have been consuming forests and trees, homes and commercial buildings, at a furious and uncontrolled pace.
People have a feeling that fresh air is safe, but what scientists have learned from their studies of the World Trade Center first responders is that “just being six feet away from a pile of rubble that’s smoldering, even if you can’t see that it’s dangerous, doesn’t mean it isn’t,” said Clouston. “There is at least some risk” to human health from fires that spew smoke from burned computers and refrigerators, among others.
Given the variety of materials burned in the fires, Minos Kritikos, Senior Research Scientist and a member of the group in the collaborative labs of Clouston and Professor Benjamin Luft, suspects that a heterogeneity of particles were in the air.
People in Los Angeles who are inhaling these particles can have them “linger in their circulation for years,” said Kritikos. “It’s not just a neurological issue” as the body tries to deal with carrying around this “noxious” particulate matter. Since most neurons don’t regenerate, any toxicity induced neuronal death is irreversible, making damage to the brain permanent.
Even in non-emergency situations, people in polluted cities face increased health risks.
“There is a recognition that air pollution is a major preventable cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias, as noted by the latest Lancet Commission,” Clouston explained.
Two likely entry points
People who breathe in air containing toxic chemicals have two likely pathways through which the particulates enter the body. They can come in through the nose and, potentially, travel directly into the brain, or they can enter the lungs, circulate through the body and enter the head through the blood-brain barrier. The olfactory route is more direct, said Kritikos.
Minos Kritikos in front of Stony Brook Hospital.
The amyloid plaques in these first responders was found primarily in the area near the nose, which supports the idea that maybe inhaling the dust was the problem, Clouston said.
Once these chemicals enter the brain, Clouston and his team believe the body engages defenses that are designed much more for viruses than for toxic compounds. The immune system can encapsulate these chemicals in amyloid plaques.
Amyloid plaques, in moderation and under conditions that protect the brain against pathogens, are a part of a protective and helpful immune response. Too much of a good thing, however, can overwhelm the brain.
“When there’s too much plaque, it can physically disturb neuronal functions and connections,” said Kritikos. “By being a big presence, they can also molecularly and chemically react with its environment.”
A large presence of amyloid can be toxically necrotic to surrounding neural tissue, Kritikos added.
What the scientists believe they are tracking is the footprint of an adaptive response that may not help the brain, Clouston added.
Clouston cautioned that the plaques and cognitive decline could both be caused by something else that scientists haven’t yet seen.
The findings
The research, which used positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans to search for evidence of amyloid plaques, found evidence that doesn’t look like old age Alzheimer’s, explained Clouston. Usually these levels of plaques are not located in one spot, but occur throughout the brain during Alzheimer’s.
The immune response may be causing some of these plaques.
The amount of amyloid plaque doesn’t look like Alzheimer’s Disease and does not appear abnormal in the traditional way of testing, but with careful analysis of the olfactory system, the researchers can find elevated levels.
“I was surprised by how little amyloid was necessary to show this association,” said Clouston.
Researchers at Mt. Sinai have examined the effect of exposure to these same particulates in mice.
“The answer is very much similar to what we see in humans,” said Clouston. “That supports this work.”
To be sure, Clouston and Kritikos are hoping to build on this research. They are particularly interested in following up with participants to measure the rate of change in these plaques from the observed amyloid signals they measured at baseline.
“Doing so would enable us to calculate the rate of amyloid buildup allowing us to assess our responders more precisely, opening doors to possible therapeutic interventions such as the recently approved anti-amyloid therapies,” Kritikos explained.
Additionally, they hope to expand on the study beyond the 35 people who participated.
It is unclear whether tamping down the immune system could make patients better or worse. By reducing amyloid plaques, scientists might enable the harmful dust to cause damage in other areas of the brain. Alternatively, however, a lower level immune response with fewer plaques might, in the longer term, be better for the brain.
This study “does open the door for some of those questions,” Clouston said. Kritikos and Clouston plan to study the presence of tau proteins and any signs of neurodegeneration in the brains of these first responders.
“More research needs to be done,” Clouston said, which specifically targets different ways of measuring exposure, such as through a biomarker. He’s hoping such a biomarker might be found that tracks levels of exposure.
Future research could also address whether post traumatic stress disorder affects the immune response.
“It’s certainly possible that PTSD is playing a role, but we’re not sure what that might be,” said Clouston.
The researchers are continuing this research as they study the effects of exposure on tau proteins and neurodegeneration.
“We are hopeful that this will be an important turning point for us,” Clouston explained
From the Medditerranean to the Atlantic
Born and raised in Cyprus, Kritikos comes from a large family who are passionate about spending time with each other while eating good food.
He earned his doctorate from the University of Bristol in England.
Kritikos met his wife Jennifer LoPresti Kritikos, who is originally from Shirley, New York, at a coffee shop in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he was doing postdoctoral research.
LoPresti, who works at Stony Brook as the Department Head Administrator for Biomedical Engineering, and Kritikos live in Manorville and have an eight year-old daughter Gia and one-year old son Theseus.
As for his work, Kritikos is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to research with Clouston and Luft, who is the Director of the Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program.
“I’m happy to be in a position whereby our large WTC team (the size of a small village) is constantly pushing forward with our understanding for how these exposures have affected” the brain health of WTC first responders, Kritikos explained. He would like to continue to uncover mechanisms that underly these phenomena, not just for WTC responders but also for similarly exposed populations.
Director of Construction/Maintenance Brendan Warner speaks on water main breaks. Photo by Sabrina Artusa
By Sabrina Artusa
On Feb. 3, the Suffolk County Water Authority delivered a presentation to the Three Village Civic Association, addressing water quality concerns and water main breaks.
SCWA Director of Water Quality and Lab Services Thomas Schneider said that the SCWA tests for more than double the number of compounds than required by the Environmental Protection Agency and endeavors to keep levels of these contaminants well under the maximum amount deemed safe.
To filter the water, the SCWA integrates varying types of filtration systems depending on what contaminants are issues in that specific area. Commonly, the SCWA simply needs to add chlorine or adjust the ph level, but in other areas they filter with granulated activated carbon.
“[At] each of the pump stations or well fields, the treatment at those is specific to what the water quality is at that particular well…its very distributed architecture rather than, as we referenced, in New York City where it all flows through one main source.”
With contaminants that are especially difficult to extricate additional treatment is required. One such contaminant is 1,4-dioxane.
Schneider said,”1,4-dioxane is a manmade chemical. It is used as a stabilizer in solvents and it is also found in a lot of consumer products, specifically laundry detergents, shampoos, and conditioners…this one is very difficult and expensive to remove.”
In order to remove this contaminate the SCWA uses advanced oxidation procedure systems that use ultraviolet light to break down the 1,4-dioxane. Schneider added that the water authority has put in 16 of these systems so far, mostly in western Suffolk.
In 2023, SCWA added two advanced oxidation procedure treatments in Northport, three in Halesite, one in Huntington Station, one in Kings Park and one in Huntington.
According to the SCWA’s water quality reports from 2024, leeching from septic tanks and runoff from fertilizers, and pesticides were common likely sources of inorganic compounds.
In 2024, the SCWA added a new well and a GAC system at Stem Lane and Oxhead Lane.
“Any disruption in the continuity of water mains or sometimes it could be a surface line. So it could be anything from a small break in the water main or a larger blowout of the water main. Sometimes it is a small trickle bubbling up from the ground,” said Director of Construction/Maintenance Brendan Warner.
Water main breaks are caused by age or from outdated materials. Since Dec. 1 SCWA has already recorded 300 water main breaks, the second most in the last 10 years during this time. The average for the whole year is 500 breaks. Weather circumstances also play a factor in causing a main break; the freezing and thawing of soil and rapid temperature changes put stress on the pipes. The majority of the water main breaks happen to pipes made out of cast-iron, which are over half of the mains in the county.
John Marafino, customer growth coordinator, urged civic members to reexamine their water use, get their irrigation systems checked and enact habits that limit water use, both helping conserve water and decreasing the water bill.
“We have a sufficient but not limitless supply of water,” he said. “Watering everyday is not necessary to keep a green and healthy lawn.”
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