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File photo

During the most recent Village of Port Jefferson Board of Trustees meeting, a representative from Suffolk County Police gave an update to residents about what has been happening locally and across the county with crime.

On Monday, March 7, chief of constables Fred Leute joined the officer clarifying statistics from Feb. 7 through March 7 comparing 2021 to this year. The officer noted that across Long Island, catalytic converter thefts have skyrocketed, as well as car thefts.

“Please lock your cars,” Leute said. “A continual problem across Suffolk County and across New York State are people targeting residential areas, checking doorknobs on cars and taking what is inside.”

Both Leute and the officer agreed that keeping a close watch on one’s personal vehicle is important, especially if the car has a garage opener. “If you have a garage opener and they break into your car, then they have access to your home and you,” Leute said. 

The police representative added that across the county, they are seeing an uptick in people leaving their keys in a running car, allowing people easy access to the vehicle.

“Don’t leave the keys in your car,” she said. “We’re seeing an uptick in people leaving their cars running at locations such as gas stations and 7/11’s with people hopping in and going for a joy ride.”

More locally, Leute mentioned calls about vehicles illegally parking in handicap spots down Main Street, particularly in the spot on the corner next to Starbucks. 

The officer added that in the past year, there has been an uptick in general calls for service, but a decline in assaults (zero in this time period). She reported there is an active investigation on one burglary, one criminal mischief charge and one larceny that was cleared by an arrest. 

She added that ambulance calls have gone up slightly, with one overdose ambulance call during this time period. She was happy to report that motor vehicle accidents have decreased significantly from 15 to just one. 

Recent shooting

Residents at the meeting were concerned over events that occurred early Monday morning Down Port.

“We did have a shooting occur just two buildings over [from Village Hall] over by the town parking lot across from SaGhar restaurant,” the officer reported.

While details were unavailable due to the active investigation, she said that the village cameras have been instrumental in helping and that she was, “pleased to tell you we have a suspect identified and we are currently seeking that suspect.”

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The Selden campus of Suffolk County Community College. File photo

Suffolk County Community College was recently named a Hispanic-Serving Institution, also known as HSI, the first school in the county to receive this designation.

Christina Vargas, Suffolk County Community College’s chief
diversity officer, discusses the school’s designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Photo from Suffolk County Community College

The U.S. Department of Education defines HSIs as institutions of higher learning that accommodate a student enrollment of at least 25% Hispanic full-time equivalent students. This distinction is a reflection of the evolving cultural makeup of the area.

“We’re fortunate that we now have a proportional number of students that are here and that we serve,” said Christina Vargas, chief diversity officer and Title IX coordinator of SCCC, in a phone interview. “It makes me very proud and it makes the college really proud that we serve the needs of the community.” 

The most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that the Hispanic population accounts for approximately 20% of all Suffolk County residents. That figure is up 2% since 2013.

“When you think about what the census has told us about the changing demographics of Long Island, we’ve kind of known this is coming,” Vargas said. “This is where we are. We have a diverse, rich set of cultures represented at our college.”

Vargas believes that higher education is the proper venue for Hispanic communities to strengthen their understanding of their own cultural background. She says that SCCC maintains close touch with these communities through its partnerships throughout the county.

“Our president recently met with leaders of the Brentwood community, including the school districts of Brentwood and Central Islip and the Brentwood library,” she said. “This will give us more energy and direction to make sure those partnerships continue to be strong and that we understand what our high schools need, what our community members need and that we are in tune with the issues of the community.”

Two-year colleges such as SCCC accommodate some of the largest student populations and offer a stepping-stone for academic and professional advancement. Additionally, the HSI designation reflects a modern approach to higher education, one which highlights foreign language skills and cultural awareness as critical for meeting the demands of the 21st-century job market.

“When it comes to the job market, for example, I can’t imagine that bilingual skills won’t be on the top of people’s lists,” Vargas said. “We want to be inclusive and respectful and helpful to all individuals that we serve.”

Vargas said this HSI designation marks the next chapter for SCCC in its mission to support those populations. According to her, students no longer have to
leave Suffolk County to receive a quality two-year education.

“To be able to say that right in your backyard, at the college that you choose to go to, we can be there for you to meet your educational goals and dreams, I think it means a lot to us,” she said. “That’s what we’re here for. We’re here to transform lives and provide real educational goals for anybody that comes to our doorstep. We’re here to help them grow in every way possible.”

SCCC also has been named one of the nation’s Top 10 2-Year Schools by Region 2019-2020 by Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine. In addition, it is the top SUNY institution for Hispanic students in the rankings released by the magazine.

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Donations collected on March 3 at the offices of county Legislator Stephanie Bontempi and Dr. David Buchin. Photo by Raymond Janis

The response of Long Islanders to help Ukrainians has been encouraging.

On March 3, Suffolk County Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (R-Centerport) and Dr. David Buchin headed up the Long Island Ukrainian Emergency Response Drive at their offices, located at 224 Wall St. in Huntington. Local elected officials and community members joined them to gather items such as blankets, medical supplies, sleeping bags and other essentials to send to the embattled country.

On Monday, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. (D) announced the addition of nearly 450 pieces of bulletproof body armor from his office to the items already collected in Huntington. The College Hunks moving company assisted in delivering the items to the New York City processing center and from there the items will be shipped to Ukraine.

Donation drives similar to those of Bontempi and Buchin along with rallies to support Ukrainians have taken place all over the TBR News Media coverage areas. The message sent across the globe is that we stand with the country in their fight against Russia.

TBR News Media readers have also reached out with letters to the editor condemning Russia’s actions, and another reader shared the struggles his Ukrainian family faced in the past. He hoped that history would not repeat itself, but he was ready to help any relative who needed his assistance.

The last few years have been divisive ones for the United States. Between the political divide and our battle against COVID-19, it seemed as if we couldn’t look past our own borders. Now we see Americans uniting once again for a cause.

It’s a shame it took such a tragedy to bring us all together. It may have taken a war, but Americans seem once again united behind a common theme: the cause of freedom, democracy and the right of a free people to self-determination.

As U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY3) said on March 3 in front of the offices of Bontempi and Buchin, “We have to follow the old idea that partisanship stops at the water’s edge. We have to all hold together like we are today.”

As we watch Long Islanders work together to help people struggling on the other side of the globe, let’s remember what it’s like to be united as Americans, not only past the water’s edge but on our own island.

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The following incidents have been reported by the Suffolk County Police.

Commack

■ BJ’s Wholesale Club on Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack called the police on March 3 to report that a woman allegedly stole strip steaks worth $380 and frozen crab legs worth $220.

■ Walmart on Crooked Hill Road in Commack reported a shoplifter on March 2. A man allegedly stole a Boombox speaker worth $200.

■ A resident on Peppermill Court in Commack called the police on March 1 to report that someone entered his unlocked car and stole credit cards and a driver’s license.

■ Home Depot on Crooked Hill Road in Commack reported a shoplifter on March 4. A man allegedly stole multiple firestick remotes for a total value of $440.

■ Walmart on Crooked Hill Road in Commack called the police on March 2 to report that a man allegedly stole a car seat worth $180 from the store.

■ A resident on Chardonnay Road in Commack reported that a man allegedly entered this unlocked vehicle on March 1 and removed a pair of Persol prescription sunglasses valued at $900.

A  man who allegedly threw a rock through a window at the Commack Smoke Shop in Commack on March 1 at approximately 1:20 a.m. and stole cash. He fled the scene on foot before getting in a white SUV.

Dix Hills

■ A resident on Princeton Drive in Dix Hills reported that a man allegedly entered his unlocked vehicle on March 2 and stole clothing and sunglasses.

Huntington Station

■ Target on East Jericho Turnpike in Huntington Station reported a shoplifter on March 3. A man allegedly stole a Polaroid camera worth $150.

■ Sno-Haus on West Jericho Turnpike in Huntington Station reported a shoplifter on March 2. A man allegedly stole men’s ski jackets valued at $2590.

■ A resident on Beverly Road in Huntington Station called the police on March 3 to report that someone had entered their unlocked vehicle and stole a wallet containing cash and credit cards from the center console.

Nesconset

■ A resident on Neslo Drive in Nesconset called the police on March 3 to report that someone had stolen a wooden carousel horse valued at $250 from a barn on his property the night before.

Port Jefferson

■ C & C Collision on Texaco Avenue in Port Jefferson called the police on March 1 to report that someone stole a customer’s 2020 Nissan Pathfinder from their parking lot after the keys were inadvertently left on the dashboard. The vehicle was valued at $25,000.

Port Jefferson Station

■ A  person left their 2011 Toyota RAV4 running and unlocked while shopping at the 7-11 on Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station on Feb. 28. When he came out of the store, the vehicle was gone.

St. James

■ Exxon on Middle Country Road in St. James reported a petit larceny on March 4. A customer allegedly stole $138 worth of printed lottery tickets.

Selden

■ Bob’s Store on Middle Country Road in Selden reported a shoplifter on March 2. A man allegedly took 4 pairs of Timberland Pro boots out of the store without paying for them. The total value of the merchandise was approximately $600.

■ Items were stolen from two cars parked at Panera Bread on Middle Country Road in Selden on March 3. The rear passenger windows were broken. A Dell laptop, backpack, various tools and notebook agenda were taken.

■ Aldis on Middle Country Road in Selden reported a shoplifter on March 3. A woman allegedly stole assorted items valued at approximately $300.

■ Famous Footwear on Middle Country Road in Selden called the police on Feb. 28 to report a shoplifter. A woman allegedly stole two pairs of Nike Court High Top sneakers valued at approximately $180.

■ Target on Middle Country Road in Selden reported a petit larceny on Feb. 28. A woman allegedly stole assorted bedding items, cosmetics and clothing valued at approximately $200.

Smithtown

■ A resident on Landing Meadow Road in Smithtown reported on March 2 that a man drove up to their house and stole their empty recycling bin. The item is valued at $30.

■ Costellos’s Ace Hardware on East Main Street in Smithtown called the police on March 2 to report that a man allegedly stole a DeWalt Combo Drill valued at $450.

■ A man walking home from work on Main Street in Smithtown was robbed by two men who pulled up in a vehicle on Feb. 27. The man handed over a silver chain, cell phone and his wallet.

South Setauket 

■ Stop & Shop on Pond Path in South Setauket reported a shoplifter on March 2. A man allegedly stole assorted merchandise worth approximately $400.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS.

— COMPILED BY HEIDI SUTTON

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Andrew Patterson. Photo from PJSD

Earl L. Vandermeulen High School senior Andrew Patterson has advanced to the Finalist standing in the 2022 annual National Merit Scholarship Program. 

Andrew took the qualifying test as a junior and is now among approximately 16,000 high school students nationwide who were awarded the distinction. In the next several months approximately half of those students will be selected to receive a Merit Scholarship award, which is based on their abilities, skills and achievements.

An accomplished and well-rounded student, Andrew excels in academics, athletics and community service. He is a three-season athlete — captain of the soccer team and member of the winter and spring track team. Andrew is also a member of the school’s Latin Club, National Honor Society and Science Olympiad team. Outside of school, he is a member of the Port Jefferson Fire Department. 

Andrew’s Finalist designation exemplifies the Port Jefferson School District’s high level of student achievement and academically rigorous program for all students. National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced in the spring.

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METROphoto

The Town of Brookhaven has announced that the 2022 Resident Virtual Parking Permit can be purchased on the Town website at www.BrookhavenNY.gov/Parking. The permit is also available to purchase in-person at the Town’s Parks and Recreation office located at 286 Hawkins Road in Centereach.

The 2022 Virtual Parking Pass eliminates the need for a parking sticker by using License Plate Recognition technology which allows operators to quickly and accurately read vehicle license plates.

The Town of Brookhaven Virtual Parking Permit allows free parking at all town beaches, pools, marinas and the Holtsville Ecology Site. The cost is $25 for Town residents. Resident Veteran, Handicapped and Senior Citizen permits are only $5.00. If you’re a veteran with a service-connected disability, the permit is free.

To purchase your 2022 Resident Virtual Parking Pass, or to get more information and proof of residency requirements, go to www.BrookhavenNY.gov/Parking.

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Comsewogue High School junior Cole Keating takes his school’s rivals to court. Photo from Rudy Gray
Cole Keating in action on the court. Photo by Rudy Gray
Keating celebrates after scoring a basket. Photo by Rudy Gray
Comsewogue High School junor Cole Keating, at center with ball, stands proud with his teammates. Photo by Julianne Mosher

It’s “mamba mentality,” Cole Keating, an 11th grader at Comsewogue High School said.

Cole, who just turned 17, is on the autism spectrum. High functioning, his mom Lea Keating said that Cole might be different, but that doesn’t mean he’s not less.

The high school junior, who idolizes stars like the late Kobe Bryant and is a fan of the Knicks, always wanted to be on a team. He simply wanted to play. It was Bryant who once said mamba mentality means to be able to constantly try to be the best version of yourself.

Ever since he was little, Cole said, he loved sports — especially basketball because of his height. “I’d play with my Little Tikes basketball hoop,” he said. “I wasn’t very good — not like what I am now.”

People who are on the autism spectrum often have special interests that they become passionate about. Cole has always been into sports. Lea said that ever since he was little, he would memorize players scores and rankings. He’d watch any game he could find on TV. Funny enough, she said neither she or her husband are big sports fans. But they do have one that they cheered on every week this past season: Cole — No. 40 on the court.

Since middle school — seventh grade to be exact — all Cole wanted to do was get onto the junior varsity team. However, he never made the cut. He eventually joined an off-campus travel league two years ago created by Glen Santoro and that’s where he began to excel, learn the ropes and get out of his comfort zone. 

“Cole unfortunately didn’t make the team a couple of times in the school district and his mom said to me that he was looking for a place to play,” Santoro said.

Since it was a travel team, he told Lea and Cole, “It was going to be very intense, a lot of running and yelling,” and added, “But I was so blown away by how prepared and how serious he was … and how much he wanted to improve.”

Cole’s mom explained that, “Sports always calmed Cole down. His social skills come into play on the basketball court.” He would practice after each game, taking critiques and working hard to get it just right. “Even the little things that I yelled out during the game, he took seriously and wanted to work on,” Santoro said.

Fast forward to now.

The athlete towers at 6 feet, 3 inches tall over his teammates as he shoots and every so often scores. “He knows how to use his body well,” Santoro said. 

“He’s smart, he knows what to do and he knows his role. By using all that, he was finally able to make the school team.”

It wasn’t easy, said Comsewogue JV basketball coach Noah Buffins. “The first few rounds of tryouts, I cut him,” he said. “But what makes this story great is that he won’t stop.”

After growing and learning from Santoro and that travel team, Cole finally gained the confidence to try out one more time for the Warriors.

“I think Cole is able to show coach what he’s learned over the last couple years — what he’s learned, how he’s grown and what a great player he has become and he helped us win games over the years,” Santoro said. “He really listened.”

And in the fall of 2021, Cole tried out. Lea received a text that read just three little words, “I did it.” He followed it with, “It’s about time.” Lea screenshot the message and sent it to everyone.

“Our second game of the year was a very big game, Longwood,” Buffins said. “We put him in the game and we win the game … I was blown away. You can tell he’s got so much passion and so much love for it that nobody’s going to stop him.”

Buffins said that he is happy he was able to share these memories with Cole over the season: “That’s what it’s about … making memories.”

And the memories are great ones. 

Lea said that Cole had his first actual birthday party with his teammates, who have become his friends, just last month. The guys took him to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner and hung out together to celebrate the big 17.

“A lot of times when you’re on the autism spectrum, you think about yourself a lot and it’s hard to get outside of yourself,” she said. “So, for him to have the opportunity to have genuine real friends and to support his team, basketball has taught him all these life lessons that we’ve always tried to teach him.”

So, what’s next for this superstar? He’s gearing up to try out for the varsity team next year. The ultimate goal is when he gets to college to play for a D1 team, too.

Mamba mentality — he’s making Kobe proud.

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Pixabay photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

When my daughter was young, one of her favorite songs was “Old MacDonald.” Maybe she loved it because it was a song about farm animals and we lived in Manhattan, where most of our non-human wildlife consisted of squirrels and pigeons.

When she was an infant, she could make an incredibly convincing pigeon coo, thanks to hearing them all day long outside her window.

Maybe she also liked the song because, unlike Bette Middler’s “The Rose” and “One” from “A Chorus Line,” my wife and I couldn’t butcher the relatively simple melody with our unimpressive singing skills.

Anyway, she liked to say “duck” when we got to the animal on the farm. She liked ducks, or maybe the “quack quack” sound so much that she’d protest when we told her the farm already had a duck. She would say, “another duck,” to keep us quacking. The song and the quacks made car rides more palatable.

The song popped into my head recently when a friend told me that his second daughter was pregnant with their fourth grandchild. My friend has three daughters. His fourth grandchild is a girl, which means he’ll also have four granddaughters.

He was extremely pleased to share the news by email about “another granddaughter,” and he has every right to be. He is preparing for the seventh consecutive girl in his immediate family.

Then again, I couldn’t help thinking how he or the rest of the world would have felt if he had a grandson. Would that be a greater cause for celebration because they had a boy in their midst? I suspect he doesn’t, and didn’t, care.

For so many people, the gender doesn’t matter as long as the baby and mother (and somewhere in there, hopefully, the father) are healthy.

When my daughter was born, the big surprise was that I, unlike my parents or my older brother, could have a girl. As I told my wife, as the second of three boys and an uncle to two nephews, I expected to continue the male tradition.

My daughter started out proving me wrong and, thankfully, continues to do so regularly.

Once I’d broken the ‘all boys’ pattern, I was convinced my son was a girl, so, he, too, defied our expectations.

So, what is it with gender reveal parties? Is it another way to celebrate a coming birth? Is it a way to unveil one of the few mysteries left before birth?

In an era that increasingly understands and supports the transgender population, gender reveal parties seem anachronistic, celebrating a birth gender that may conflict with a person’s developing identity.

Like so many other events, such as a first birthday party that a child will never remember, a gender reveal party may be a way to celebrate the parents, giving them a chance to anticipate the coming birth and to imagine life as the parent of a boy or girl.

Gender reveal parties have received bad press because of the injuries from pyrotechnics and other exploding blue or pink streamers or images. But maybe beyond the danger from these explosions, the gender reveal also pigeon holes children into specific color patterns.

Don’t we want our children to think for themselves, even about their favorite colors, instead of limiting them to blue for boys or pink for girls?

Maybe, instead of colors or gender, we can celebrate the sounds of their heartbeat, the Alien-like moments when we can see their feet in their mom’s abdomen, or the foods their mothers crave during pregnancy.

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Pixabay photo

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

The idea was that if European nations were interdependent for their economic welfare, then they would not make war on each other, but would rather work together for their greater good. And for more than 70 years, the concept held. Where wars were the way for nations, and before there were nations, for regions to enrich themselves by raiding their neighbors, stealing their treasures and claiming their land, now that was eschewed. Finally, there was to be peace.

England and France, France and Germany, Spain and England among others, all put their guns and their history away and did business with each other. This was the vision articulated by the United Nations after World War II ended, and it came to pass. The economists and philosophers were right. No one would make war on neighbors who were making them money. And for the most part, nations realized unprecedented wealth and the security that peace brings.  Economics was to be the field of battle, not the military. And with unrestricted trade, globalization took hold. War was a distant memory.

Until now. Incredible as it seemed to the rest of the world, Russia invaded the Ukraine less than two weeks ago with the aim of annexing that country. Such action, as Russian military surrounded Ukraine on three sides, would be an ill-conceived throwback to a more appalling and unwise time. Or so we thought.

As the Ukrainians defiantly rise to meet the invaders with military weapons, the rest of Europe and countries elsewhere in the world are responding with their weapon of choice: economics. It is a testament to the thinking and planning of those leaders seven decades ago. And so, with remarkable unity, the European Union is striving to blow up Russia’s economy rather than blowing up Russia’s cities. The pain for the Russian leaders and the Russian people is to be felt in their pocketbooks and not in their cemeteries. At least, that is the intent.

But of course, as in every war, it’s the civilians who most suffer and pay the price for their leaders’ actions. If they aren’t shot to death, they may be starved to death, as their money becomes worthless and their businesses are ruined. Still, the Russians will do better without Coca-Cola than the Ukrainians without water.

And that is another remarkable consequence of attempts to isolate Russia. Not only are governments withdrawing trade and financial dealings in this siege, but also international corporations are cutting ties with the invading country, even if the companies bear the price. McDonald’s, which employs some 62,000 workers in Russia, Starbucks and Apple have closed their stores, among numerous others. Americans have indicated overwhelmingly in a recent Quinnipiac University national poll (71%), that they will tolerate the increased price of gasoline if Russian imports of oil and gas are ended. The Biden administration has heard them and is closing off those imports. Of course, the prices at the pump were going up anyway due to considerable current inflation. Why not put the blame on the Russians!

So do shared economic interests prevent wars?

There should have been a corollary put into that concept: assuming all the governments are made up of reasonable persons. Much now is being made of President Vladimir Putin’s mental state because most of the rest of the world cannot understand why he is embracing this “special military operation.”

He did not even tell his lower rank soldiers that they were about to engage in a war. Who knows how the Russian leader thinks? Is he unreasonable or is this merely the opening salvo he, and perhaps his “friend,” Premier Xi Jinping of China, are plotting for a long game?

Of one thing the world can be certain. When autocrats are planning something that surely would be roundly condemned, one of the actions they take is to close down the media and crack down on free speech. Signing a new censorship law, Putin has now criminalized independent journalism for reporting “fake news.” 

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File photo by Kevin Wood

In 2022, Port Jefferson will become the first Long Island town to host the New York State Parking and Transportation Association’s professional development seminar on March 15. 

Port Jefferson benefits from the 50-plus attendees who will stay here, eat here and shop here for the day and overnight. 

The annual conference brings together parking and transportation professionals statewide to discuss new trends and technologies. Their events are typically held upstate New York.

Kevin Wood, director of parking and mobility and IT for the Village of Port Jefferson, was named the executive vice president of NYSPTA. 

Wood is serving triple duty that day as executive vice president, host and speaker in their professional development series presenting alongside other industry experts. 

“The goal is to help support the local economy while bringing a brand-new event to town, thus helping raise awareness of the village as a great place to visit and do business while bringing cutting-edge knowledge to our parking and mobility department,” Wood said.

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