One U.S. congressman has his eyes on Albany for the 2022 election cycle.
Last week, Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY1) announced his run for New York State governor. To kick off his campaign, Zeldin released a video on his website and to his social media accounts.
“We have two choices,” Zeldin said in the video. “We can raise the white flag and surrender to mediocrity, corruption, coverups, more job losses and even higher taxes. We might as well just turn the lights off. Or we can roll up our sleeves and get to work to save our state. That’s what I’m going to do as New York’s next governor. Let’s do it together and show the world the real New York.”
Zeldin has been openly critical of Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), from the governor’s alleged cover-up of nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic to the sexual misconduct allegations made against him.
“At the helm of New York’s downfall is Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose disgraceful and deadly nursing home order and cover-up is part of a long line of scandals, lies and harassment,” Zeldin said in a recent campaign email. “Cuomo has abused the power and trust granted to him and it is time for him to immediately exit stage left.”
Zeldin has served as congressman in Congressional District 1 since January 2015.
Olivia Alvarez digs one out for the Royals in a home game against Mattituck April 10. Bill Landon photo
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Olivia Alvarez digs one out for the Royals in a home game against Mattituck April 10. Bill Landon photo
Olivia Sherman returns the ball at net for the Royals at home against Mattituck April 10. Bill Landon photo
Port Jefferson’s Evelyn Walker from the service line for the Royals April 10. Bill Landon photo
Emily Brown with a return for the Royals against visiting Mattituck April 10. Bill Landon photo
Port Jefferson’s Lucy Dewitt digs one out for the Royal against Mattituck at home April 10. Photo by Bill Landon
Selena Roth-Veno sets up the play for the Royals at home against Mattituck. Bill Landon photo
Calli Saieva from the service line for the Royals in a home game against Mattituck April 10. Photo by Bill Landon
Port Jefferson’s #34 puts the ball in play against Mattituck at home April 10. Bill Landon photo
Olivia Alvarez digs another one out for the Royals in a home game against Mattituck April 10. Bill Landon photo
Port Jefferson’s Alexa Ayotte digs one out in a home game against Mattituck April 10. Photo by Bill Landon
Port Jefferson’s #34 with a spike at net against Mattituck at home April 10. Bill Landon photo
Port Jefferson’s Lucy Dewitt digs one out for the Royal against Mattituck at home April 10. Photo by Bill Landon
Port Jefferson’s Evelyn Walker battles at net for the Royals in a home game against Mattituck April 10. Bill Landon photo
Port Jefferson’s #34 sets up the play against Mattituck at home April 10. Bill Landon photo
The Port Jefferson girls’ volleyball team at (4-2) had their hands full when they hosted Mattituck (10-1) in a League VI matchup April 10. On paper the Tuckers should’ve made short work of the Royals but that’s not what happened. Mattituck edged the Royals in the opening set winning it 25-19 but the Royals rallied back in the second nipping Mattituck 26-24 to make it a new game. The Royals went toe-to-toe in the 3rd set forcing Mattituck to win it by two, 26-24. The Tuckers stretched their legs in the 4th set with a 25-19 victory to win the game 3-1.
The Royals win in the second set forced Mattituck to go beyond 3 sets for only the third time in this season.
The Royals had a busy weekend with a double header later in the day against Pierson-Bridgehampton then have a road game against Greenport the following day.
The win lifts the Tuckers to 11-1 while the Royals fall to 4-3 looking to secure a playoff berth when post-season begins April 19
John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson. File photo from Mather Hospital
After the New York State Department of Health updated its guidance regarding hospital visitation, John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson has begun instituting limited visitation.
Beginning on Friday, April 2, visitation hours will now be from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. every day, and patients may have up to two visitors, with just one allowed at their bedside at any given time.
With the new guidelines, inpatient visitation is only allowed in non-COVID medical and surgical units, critical care unites and adolescent psych.
According to the hospital, visitation for the adult psychiatric unit will be accommodated by instituting two visitation sessions to be determined by the behavioral health staff during the hours of 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
An adult will be allowed to accompany a patient during their visit to Mather in its outpatient/same day procedure areas and in our emergency room. The visitor will only be allowed to stay with the patient during the intake and discharge process.
The hospital said in a statement that exceptions will only be made in extenuating circumstances as determined by hospital staff.
In January 2020, former President Donald Trump (R) signed an executive order that replaced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers definition of what is considered a federal body of water under the Waters of the United States rule, known as WOTUS.
In his election campaign, President Joe Biden (D) promised to undo these changes, which are currently under review.
But what does all of this mean for Long Island?
Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present near the surface of the soil all year for varying periods of time. According to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report, as at 2004 6% of Long Island was made up of wetlands — that’s about 51,000 acres.
Wetlands, due to their beneficial services to people and wildlife — including providing habitats to multiple species, improving water quality and assisting with flood protections —are among some of the most productive ecosystems in the world.
Photo by James Palumbo
Wetland protections can also create problems for business developers and farmers. One of Trump’s main reasons for passing his executive order in 2020 was to redefine the definitions of which bodies of water could be protected under WOTUS in order to remove legal roadblocks to farmers caused by the need to determine whether water on their land fell under control of the federal government.
“After decades of landowners relying on expensive attorneys to determine what water on their land may or may not fall under federal regulations, our new Navigable Waters Protection Rule strikes the proper balance between Washington and the states in managing land and water resources while protecting our nation’s navigable waters, and it does so within the authority Congress provided,” said EPA administrator, Andrew Wheeler, in a January 2020 news release.
Now, due to the undoing of restrictions by Trump’s administration, local conservationists are worried about the long-term effects on Long Island’s wetlands.
Coby Klein, a conservationist at the Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society and adjunct professor of Natural Sciences at Baruch College, said that Long Island’s wetlands are beneficial to both the community and the organisms that dwell in them, and they need to be preserved.
“Wetlands provide protection from flooding, especially the coastal wetlands, the salt marshes and things like that,” he said. “They also help work to mitigate climate change. When plants die in these wetland areas, they don’t decompose very quickly. They serve as what’s called a carbon sink. Instead of carbon being put back into the atmosphere when a plant dies, it gets stored in the soil and in the muck in the water.”
Victoria O’Neill, Long Island Sound Study habitat restoration coordinator at the state Department of Environmental Conservation, is another local conservationist who confirms that healthy wetlands are important to Long Island.
“Tidal wetlands provide many different ecosystem services to Long Island communities,” she said. “They help provide protection from coastal storm surge, improve water quality, provide recreational enjoyment and serve as nesting, breeding and resting grounds for commercial and recreationally important fish and shellfish.”
With all of the benefits wetlands provide to Long Island communities and ecosystems, why did the federal government want to push back on protecting them? Klein said it is because, “they get in the way.”
“When there’s any type of pollution that gets into a body of water, it ends up in a wetland,” Klein said.“That’s bad news for the things that grow there and live there. Salt marshes are very susceptible to nitrogen pollution, and that’s a big problem on Long Island because almost everybody around here fertilizes their lawns, and they tend to overfertilize.”
He added that because of the high volume of sewage systems on Long Island, the excess fertilizer from people’s lawns and farmers’ fields tends to go from the sewage systems to large bodies of water and then eventually into rivers and wetlands. This causes excess nitrogen that is detrimental to those ecosystems.
Photo by James Palumbo
Under Trump’s redefinition of protected waters under WOTUS, it has become easier for developers and farmers to make those kinds of damages to wetlands but, according to the DEC, New York is taking great steps forward as a leader in the efforts to protect state wetlands and their invaluable natural habitat.
“It is estimated that the Navigable Waters Protection Rule will remove federal protections for about half the nation’s wetlands,” the state DEC said in a 2020 statement. “Thankfully, existing strong protections of waters in New York state will reduce the impact of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule compared to many other states. However, not all wetlands are protected under New York law and we rely on federal protection and our water quality certification review to protect smaller wetlands. Recent changes in the definition of Waters of the United States have resulted in fewer of these smaller wetlands receiving any regulatory protection.”
According to O’Neill, active steps are being taken to restore wetland habitats that have been lost.
“The tidal wetland ecosystem target in the LISS’s 2015 Comprehensive Conservation & Management Plan set a goal to restore 515 additional acres of tidal wetlands by 2035 from a 2014 baseline,” she said. “As of 2020, we are 15.5% toward our goal.”
Klein said that restoration projects are time sensitive and need to happen as soon as possible.
“Wetlands provide us with all kinds of important ecosystem services and even more important than that, they’re just pleasant places,” he said. “We should try to preserve them simply because there are so many creatures besides us that depend on them. So even if they didn’t do all this important stuff for us, we should still try to conserve them because they do important things for other species.”
The Port Jefferson Middle School Science Olympiad Team placed first at the Suffolk County Regional Division B Science Olympiad Competition, held as a virtual competition this year.
Students in grades 6-9 competed against 22 teams in events which tested their study skills in the categories of biology, chemistry, earth science, engineering, physics and scientific problem-solving.
Photo from PJSD
The students had a dominant performance and received medals in every single event. The team will compete on April 17 in the virtual state competition. The team is coached by Adam Bouchard, the Middle School Earth Science and Science 8 teacher.
“Every student was highly motivated and showed a lot of hard work in preparing fortheir events despite the circumstances and hardships to overcome,” Mr. Bouchard said. “I applaud their efforts and cannot wait to see how they do at the state level.”
Students from the Stony Brook Medicine Healthy Libraries Program will soon be visiting Com-sewogue Public Library for two special HeLP events designed for community members of all ages.
The students, who are currently training in the fields of social work, public health, and nutrition, will be available outside on the Library grounds on both April 14 and May 12, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. to provide information and answer questions on a wide variety of vital topics, including how to find community resources, reliable health information, fill out paperwork for social services and find housing.
During the first hour of each HeLP event, the Long Island Cares Mobile Food Pantry Van will be on-site giving out free food, while supplies last. All are welcome and no ID is required.
The Stony Brook Medicine Healthy Libraries Program is a partnership between the Public Libraries of Suffolk County, a unique group of healthcare professionals, and graduate student interns working together to provide access to both in-person and virtual healthcare-related resources for public library patrons throughout Suffolk County.
Comsewogue Public Library is located at 170 Terryvillle Road, Port Jefferson Station. In case of in-clement weather, the events will be moved inside. For questions, call the Library at 631-928-1212, option 3.
Courtesy of Jennifer Quirk-Senyk, adult services librarian at Comsewogue Public Library
A statue of Joseph Dwyer in Rocky Point. File photo by Kyle Barr
By Chris Cumella
As the deadline for approval of New York State’s final budget approached on April 1, U.S. Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-NY1) joined the state Senate Republican Conference March 24 on a call to action from Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to restore funding for the PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program for veterans.
The Dwyer program was introduced in 2012 by Zeldin, then a state senator and a U.S. Army veteran himself, having served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Essential health support was provided to veterans in the state. Zeldin’s home county of Suffolk was among the first to utilize the program.
The program has received bipartisan support from local governments up to the State Capitol. However, funding has been omitted in this year’s Cuomo budget proposal.
“It has been an honor to help lead the effort to take a model here in New York and try to expand it nationally,” Zeldin said. “Every veteran in every corner of America deserves to have that resource available to them.”
According to Zeldin and the Republican Conference, the operation was labeled as “immensely impactful” based on the ability to provide various mental health services designed to help veterans reintegrate back into civilian life.
The program was named in honor of Dwyer, an Army combat medic in the Iraq War who was in an iconic 2003 photo carrying a young Iraqi boy away from danger.
After Dwyer’s return home from service overseas, he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder. He died in 2008.
The Dwyer program stands as a peer-to-peer support model, which provides a safe, confidential and educational platform where all veterans meet in support of each other’s successful transition to post-service life.
The program also seeks to help aid “vet-to-vet relationships” to enhance positive change through shared experiences, a process combined with learning and personal growth.
“As a combat veteran, I fully understand the difference the services provided by the Joseph P. Dwyer program can make in the lives of our veterans who are struggling,” said state Senate Republican Leader Robert Ortt, an Army National Guard veteran who served in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. “The need for these critically important services has never been more important, and they should be made permanent.”
On March 15, the state Senate majority proposed funding of up to $4.5 million for the Dwyer program, which is the same funding level adopted in 2020-21. However, the state Assembly majority has proposed $6.05 million in funding.
Suffolk County alone has been described as having “one of the largest veteran populations in the nation” by state Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk).
Two local beneficiaries of the Dwyer program felt the experience was well worthwhile.
“I was struggling with both substance use and abuse and thoughts of self-harm as well as a suicide attempt,” said Smithtown resident Robert Carrazzo in a Zeldin press release. “The Dwyer program and those involved helped me battle all this, and now I am over five years sober, have a family, two degrees and a new career.”
“I was a single mom who was furloughed and attending grad school online, which was taxing on my mental health,” said Northport resident Danielle Koulermos in the same press release. “The Dwyer program grew into a sisterhood of support and guidance geared toward the needs of us as female veterans.”
“Playing games with our veterans’ lives is unacceptable,” Zeldin said. “Not only must full funding for the Dwyer program be restored in this year’s final budget, but this program’s funding must become a permanent component of all future state budgets.”
A new experience is heading Down Port, with a focus on whiskey.
Thanks to a group of 10 from all across the North Shore, the entrepreneurs have taken over the former space of Fork & Fiddle, now creating The Whiskey Barrel.
Located at 138 Main St., the group of whiskey enthusiasts signed the lease just two weeks ago and are anticipating a Memorial Day weekend opening.
John Louis, owner of Maui Chop House in Rocky Point, said The Whiskey Barrel will focus primarily on brown liquors, and also feature a full menu.
“We have 100-plus bottles of whiskey, bourbon, Scotch,” he said.
And the menu will be curated by 18-year-old Maddy Bender, the barrel’s young and enthusiastic sous-chef and partner, who’s been working and gaining notoriety at Maui Chop House over the last year.
“It’s more of like a rustic American kind of thing,” she said. “We’re going to have all different burgers and wings. We’re going do a steak sandwich or pork katsu sandwich, so definitely something that would be really cool with all the different bourbons and whiskeys.”
Bender added the barrel will also have bourbon and whiskey pairings on the menu.
The recent college student said this whole experience has been surreal.
Photo by Julianne Mosher
“John told me that he was looking to possibly open a new place in the village and said, ‘I want you to come in as a partner with me,’” she said. “And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is crazy.’ And now that it’s like actually happening, John says it to me every day, that I’m not even 21 and I’m going to be owning a bar. He gave me the keys and it’s so real now.”
The group began discussing the idea less than two months ago, Louis said, and from then it was full-speed ahead.
Now that they took over the former Southern-inspired spot, which closed right before the COVID-19 pandemic after a short-lived life on Main Street, Louis said that all they need to do is build a bar and do some cosmetic changes.
“All the fixtures, the kitchen’s in great shape, brand-new fridges I think that only had been on for six months — it’s all ready to go,” said co-owner David Tracy, of Stony Brook.
Thomas Francis, of South Setauket, said he hopes this restaurant becomes a destination.
“It’s really that old-world Kentucky cigar-bar feel that we’re going for,” he said. “It’s something that when you walk in, it’s going to be a destination. It’s going to be why you want to come to Port Jeff.”
Francis, a whiskey expert himself, said that the bar will not be a place with intimidation.
“Some of this might intimidate folks,” he said. “So, hand in hand is an education aspect. We bring people along for the experience, and shepherd them along the way.”
He hopes that it will be a place where those who are interested can learn the whiskey ways.
“We’re not just looking to open the doors and that’s it,” Francis added. “We want to be an experience, and have you come along for the ride.”
The group said they also obtained their tobacco license and will sell cigars to pair with the liquors.
But for those who can’t handle a whiskey or a bourbon, don’t worry. Another part owner, Paul Hess of Rocky Point, said there will be craft beer on tap and a wine list.
Bender said that although the group of partners and investors is large, everyone brings some-thing different to the table.
“We have a little bit of everything in here,” she said.
Richared Harris and Kathianne Snaden join Joey Zangrillo in his new outdoor dining spot located behind his restaurant, Joey Z’s. Photo by Julianne Mosher
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Long Island in March of last year, restaurants had to shut their doors and come up with creative ways to survive.
At first, they utilized contactless, curbside pickup, and then as the summer approached, the warm weather opened up impromptu outdoor dining.
“It was a scary time,” Village of Port Jefferson trustee Kathianne Snaden said. “But the attitude with outdoor dining was whatever they need, we will make it work within reason and safety.”
Restaurants had to make use of whatever outdoor space they had — Joey Z’s, for example, be-ing just two tables on the busy sidewalk in front of its location. Others used their back parking lots, taking up space from visitors and their cars.
Snaden said they were able to relax their already-in-place outdoor dining codes to help the businesses stay open.
“Even though it was hurriedly done, we still did everything to the standards with the fire marshal and the attorney that visited every site,” Snaden added. “We were very careful with that stuff. Our goal was for the businesses to continue doing business and stay open.”
Now that this has become the new normal, the village knew they had to prepare early for the busy season, using what they learned last year to make outdoor dining even better.
Deputy village attorney Richard Harris and Snaden began researching different accommodations the village could make.
“We came up with a waiver form,” Harris said, “And whenever people came in for an application, for the most part we said ‘yes.’”
Using the good and the bad from what they learned early on in the pandemic, Harris and Snaden began measuring different spots that could accommodate outdoor tables, again joined by the fire marshal to make sure everything was safe, and ADA compliant.
“We were able to take more time in identifying locations,” Snaden said, adding that this year the village again waived the $100 table fee restaurants typically need to pay for outdoor dining.
And this year, the village is continuing to assist the restaurants which could use the extra space.
Recently, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced that indoor dining could seat at 75% capacity, but some restaurants Down Port are small spaces that still cannot make a profit without a full house.
So, the outdoor dining helps.
Joey Z’s, located at 217 Main St., is now utilizing a small park behind his restaurant, at the bottom of the staircase by Toast Coffeehouse.
Joey Zangrillo, owner of the Greek and Italian spot, said he is grateful for the tables located within the park because he knows it’ll help his business this summer.
“This whole place, the way it looks right now, looks perfect to me,” he said.
And the tables will not interfere with the rest of the park, Snaden said, because benches are still available for people to take a break.
“Everybody that requested a certain area or type of outdoor dining, they were not denied,” she added. “We worked within our parameters and what the code allows, but nobody was denied what they asked for.”
While many restaurants are beginning to utilize the outdoor dining now that spring is here, Harris said applications are still rolling in, and have been since early March.
“If you let us know what you want, we’ll take a look at the permit and make it work for you,” he said. “We want the businesses to survive — that’s our job.”
During Monday’s virtual board of trustees meeting, the Village of Port Jefferson agreed upon the 2021/2022 budget, with a total increase of 1.9% to $10,187,442.
Treasurer Denise Mordente explained on April 5 the increase over last year’s budget of $9,992,565 is attributed to several factors, including the loss of LIPA revenue and increases in state mandated expense lines.
A simple roll over budget would have resulted in a budget gap of approximately $400,000.
But according to Mayor Margot Garant, “The village was able to manage the gap reducing it to $194,877,” just slightly over the impact of the loss of LIPA revenue of $116,646 by reassigning resources and not rehiring staff in positions vacated due to retirement or attrition within certain departments.
“We’re looking to make up the difference by increasing taxes by $122,000 with the balance coveredby increased revenues sources,” added Garant.
“The impact to the average household, which would have an approximately $1,500 village tax bill is approximately a $45 increase,” she said.
“We feel the budget, as proposed is going to provide the necessary resources, the village needs to continue to do its job, which is to provide our basic services to its residents.”
During the pandemic this fiscal year, Garant said, “We’re actually at $8.7 million in revenue, so we’re about $1.2 million short.”
However, despite the loss of revenue, the village also managed to maintain services and staffing by implementing a spending freeze and strict oversight of village resources.
The budget hearing has been posted the Village of Port Jefferson’s YouTube account.
To read this year’s budget, visit the village website.
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