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Times of Huntington-Northport

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File photo by Raymond Janis

SBU visa revocations demand official action, not platitudes

As a proud Stony Brook University alumnus (M.S. 2005), I was deeply troubled by the recent report detailing the revocation of student visas for 11 international students at SBU. No explanation or evidence has been provided to justify these revocations. This lack of transparency leaves us to assume that these revocations — along with the roughly 1,500 others reported at over 250 institutions nationwide — are either arbitrary or motivated by an unconstitutional intent to suppress free speech. (Visiting students are entitled to the same free speech protections as U.S. citizens.) While the federal government does have the authority to revoke visas, exercising that power arbitrarily constitutes a clear abuse of power.

Some may disregard the educational value of a diverse student body or the fact that smart international students elevate academic standards in the classroom. But even skeptics should recognize that international students pay higher tuition than domestic students, effectively subsidizing SBU’s operating budget. Considering that SBU, Brookhaven National Lab and Cold Spring Harbor Lab are leading Long Island employers with globally diverse workforces, even pragmatic business leaders should be concerned. A climate of fear could prompt many of the approximately 3,800 international students at SBU to transfer, and discourage future applicants altogether.

Vague affirmations by university officials are welcome, but appear toothless. SBU is a public institution of New York State. What actions will the state take to protect its residents and universities from federal overreach? Has the university president sought support from the governor, or the New York Civil Liberties Union? Will SBU provide legal representation to the students or join wider lawsuits to contest these revocations in federal court? If not, why? And if this situation escalates, will university police intervene to prevent warrantless ICE arrests, or will they stand aside as masked, unidentified agents in unmarked vans seize students on campus?

Blame for all this must be placed squarely on Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY1) and his fellow House Republicans. As majority members of a co-equal branch of government, they have failed in their constitutional duty to perform oversight. Their role is to ensure the executive branch faithfully enforces laws enacted by Congress — not to stand idle as policy is dictated by executive fiat. While LaLota may disregard the voices of his Democratic constituents, perhaps his Republican supporters and donors can impress upon him the long-term consequences of his inaction.

John Hover

East Setauket

Solar and wind power will not fulfill energy needs

In his letter of April 10 [The realty of renewable energy on Long Island] Peter Gollon recommended a document entitled “Long Island Solar Roadmap,” which is basically a sales brochure for solar panels. It would be a simple matter, we are told, to install 10 to 15 million solar panels on various locations, including flat roofs, carports, industrial land and brownfields.

The largest source, however, 49%, will be from offshore windmills. In addition, there will also be a network of lithium-ion battery installations, which will be charged when the solar arrays and windmills are generating power in excess of the user demands. Then, when the sunlight and offshore winds are absent or diminished, the required power will be provided from the energy stored in the batteries.

The problem with this scenario is that, for a given amount of solar, wind and battery installations, the required power can be guaranteed for only a limited period of time, if the sun and wind do not cooperate. In this unfortunate situation, a total blackout will occur, and it will not end until adequate sunlight and wind levels have returned.

With the technology of today, we have systems that use “fossil fuels” (oil and gas), nuclear fission and solar/wind technology. Of these, only solar/wind systems are likely to experience blackouts caused by a lack of fuel. For a known solar/wind/battery design, and known sunlight and wind profiles, based on recorded meteorological records, it should be possible to generate computer simulation software to calculate the probability of a blackout for given periods of time, such as 3 days, 4 days, 5 days, etc. Possibly Peter Gollon and his colleagues have already done this. If so, it would be most helpful for them to share their results with us. I am sure they are not simply trying to get as many solar panels and windmills as they can, and hope to get lucky.

In an interesting related development, Microsoft is in the process of reactivating the Three Mile Island nuclear energy plant in Pennsylvania, with a capacity of 800 MW, for the purpose of powering their upcoming artificial intelligence computers. Here on Long Island, in Shoreham, we have the sleeping Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant, and it has a capacity of 820 MW. If we activate the Shoreham facility, and build two or three modern copies of it, we can have all of the power we could ever use, with zero carbon emissions, no possibility of a blackout, no thermal runaway and plenty of extra power for Connecticut and New York City during times when their sun and wind resources are in short supply. What is wrong with that?

George Altemose

Setauket

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We welcome your letters, especially those responding to our local coverage, replying to other letter writers’ comments and speaking mainly to local themes. Letters should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style, good taste and uncivil language. They will also be published on our website. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include an address and phone number for confirmation. Email letters to: [email protected] or mail them to TBR News Media, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733

 

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Pixabay photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

Words pour out of our mouths like different kinds of liquids.

Sometimes, those words can offer necessary relief from white hot anger, agony or discomfort, serving as a cooling salve, bringing a smile to our miserable faces and turning, as the cliche would suggest, a frown upside down.

Other times, the words people choose to share can exacerbate an already inflamed state, serving as lighter fluid, threatening to turn us from a mild shade of pink into a deep red.

Words can also become an avalanche, forcing us to look elsewhere as a nonstop collection of words, phrase or ideas threatens to bury us beneath their verbal weight. Desperate to get away, we might hope the speaker gets distracted by a flying turtle.

A diatribe, lesson or self-aggrandizing soliloquy can be exhausting and irritating.

But, it’s not just the words and their effect that are so familiar in conversations.

No, you see, it’s the facial expressions. Many people have a remarkable ability to run the gamut of human emotions and thoughts without saying a word. A tightening of the skin around their eyes, a slight narrowing of the lids, a crooked smile, or a baring of teeth, which is probably the least subtle of the facial reactions, can reveal something about our inner state or disclose how we’re feeling about the world around us or, more precisely, the person in front of us.

To varying degrees, actors and actresses have mastered the art of using their often photogenic, compelling, or sympathetic faces to tell stories and, perhaps, to reveal the inner conflict we know they are feeling when, say, their sister asks them to be a bridesmaid when she’s planning to marry a person the actress has loved for years. Yes, that was a mildly amusing movie and yes, you probably know it.

The rest of us mere facial mortals, however, may not be as capable of altering our features to reflect the wide range of emotions we might reveal in response to the way we feel behind the masks we try to wear.

When I lived in Manhattan, I thoroughly enjoyed people watching. It’s a form of endless entertainment. Leaning on the railing at Rockefeller Center in mid December years ago, I watched an elderly couple gliding around the rink together, holding hands and glancing contentedly at each other, clearly enjoying the moment. With gloved fingers interlaced, they synchronized their legs as well as any pairs figure skaters might.

While I imagined that they had been together for decades and that they might have gone to an ice skating rink on an early date, they also could have been together for a couple of months or, perhaps, gotten married a year earlier.

Either way, their faces, which I can still picture decades later, revealed a keen and profound satisfaction.

Some people undoubtedly have mastered the art of the poker face, appearing interested or attentive when they are thinking about where to eat dinner later that night, what laundry they need to take to the dry cleaner, or when to sell a stock that’s been teetering with all the others amidst concerns about corporate profits and a potential slowdown in the economy.

Others, however, can reveal the equivalent of an SOS call, with a slight turn of their neck, widening eyes, and a faint but noticeable grimace around their pained mouths.

When we get to know family or friends well, we can read their expressions or hear the flat tone in their voices, knowing that the word “interesting,” or “you don’t say,” really means, “please stop talking. I’ll pay you to stop talking. In fact, here is a set of fake plastic ears that look like mine. Chew on them and, when you’re done, please recycle what’s left over.”

Sometimes, when I know someone well enough, I’ll watch their faces as they listen to a perspective that irritates them, a joke they don’t find remotely amusing, or a comment they don’t appreciate and I’ll recognize the unspoken but deeply held thoughts etched in their faces.

With all the finely tuned muscles in our faces and our ability to raise or lower our eyebrows, we can send signals that the attentive listener or others can read like a subtle or, perhaps more obvious, signal.

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A statue of Balto in Central Park. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Roman Eugeniusz

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief,
Publisher

While most of us know “of the famous ride of Paul Revere,” quoting Longfellow, there is another ride that happened 100 years ago that we can commemorate. It has to do with one of my favorite dogs. His name was Balto, an Alaskan husky and sled dog born in Nome, and he led a team of sled dogs, driven by Gunnar Kaasen and carrying vital diphtheria antitoxin through fierce Alaskan storms across the wilderness and into history. 

The serum was desperately needed to combat an outbreak of the disease. Planes such as they were in 1925, were grounded by the intense weather. The only hope for rescue was with the perilous trip by sled. Kaasen insisted that Balto was the true hero. A movie, a nationwide tour on the vaudeville circuit and a bronze statue in Central Park resulted.

Now I visited Central Park most Sundays, when the weather permitted, throughout my elementary school years, with my dad and younger sister. It was my dad’s way of giving my mother a few hours off and of having some time with us since he worked six days a week, left early in the morning, and only returned for a late dinner. He would cook us breakfast, and then we would walk through the Park, taking a different route each time until my mother would join us in the late afternoon with a picnic supper. 

Most often, he made sure our meanderings took us past the statue of Balto. I would climb up on the rock on which he stood, then sit astride his back, and listen as my dad read the words on the plaque adorning the site “dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs that relayed antitoxin six hundred miles over rough ice, across treacherous waters, through Arctic blizzards from Nenana to the relief of stricken Nome in the winter of 1925: endurance, fidelity, intelligence” Visuals of the trip would run through my mind as I sat there, courtesy of Jack London, whose books I read. I loved Balto.

But there is quite a back story.

For starters, Balto was an underdog in a literal sense. He was owned by Leonhard Seppala, a native Norwegian, sled dog breeder, musher and competitive racer, and was named after an Arctic explorer. Balto had a black fur coat, a small, stocky build with two white stocking front feet and was considered “second rate” as a racer by Seppala, who had him neutered at six months and used him to haul freight for short runs and help pull railcars with miners over a disused railroad track. Gunnar Kaasen, another native Norwegian and a close family friend of Seppala, with 21 years of dog sledding experience who worked for the breeder, came to know Balto and believed Seppala had misjudged the dog because of his short stature.

Early in 1925, doctors realized a deadly diphtheria epidemic could affect the  people of Nome, Alaska, and putting the city under quarantine, transmitted with Morse code that the town desperately needed more serum, whose supply was almost depleted. Mushers were summoned to relay the precious cargo. Radio, a recent invention, picked up the story, as well as newspapers, and followed the more than 20 mushers as they took turns through storms and strong winds. Kaasen was appointed to drive a team of Seppala’s dogs, and although Seppala wanted a dog named Fox to lead the team, Kaasen picked Balto. They left the town of Bluff with the antitoxin at 10 p.m.

Shortly after they started, a blizzard caused them to become confused and lost. Kaasen yelled, “Go home, Balto,” and the dog, used to hauling heavy loads, navigated his team through the wild winds. At one point, Balto unexpectedly stopped before some ice on the Topkok River that broke in front of him, thereby saving Kaasen’s life and that of the entire team, according to the musher. The package was delivered in time, and the residents were saved.

There is more to the story. Especially as money entered the picture, lies and deception, jealousy and hatred all became part of the human saga. But Balto will always remain my 100-year-old dog. 

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One in 36 children aged eight in the U.S. were diagnosed with the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One in 36 means that around 32 students are affected by ASD in a high school of 1238 students–the number of students enrolled at Smithtown High School West from 2023-2024. It means that 76 students from kindergarten to sixth grade in the Three Village School District may have trouble socializing, communicating and learning.

The number of adults impacted is less defined, with some adults going undiagnosed, though the CDC estimates 1 in 45 adults in the U.S. have ASD. These individuals are artists. They are educators, technicians, writers, engineers and leaders. They helped make our community, but our community was not made for them. 

Often people with ASD have to “mask.” According to the National Autistic Society, people with ASD sometimes mask in order to appear non-autisitic. Autistic people have described masking as “tightly controlling and adjusting how you express yourself based on the real or anticipated reactions of others.” 

ASD causes the person to have trouble communicating in social situations. They may exhibit repetitive behaviors called “stimming” or strictly adhere to a fixed routine. They may get overstimulated by certain sensations or experiences. Autism is a spectrum, so it affects everyone in varying degrees. 

People with ASD have helped shaped our society in significant ways. Greta Thunberg, for example, is a 22-year old environmental activist who inspired thousands to advocate for environmental protections. She is also on the autistic spectrum. 

Renowned actor Anthony Hopkins is also reportedly on the autistic spectrum and was diagnosed late in his life. 

Most people have some connection to a person who has ASD. Expanding consideration to the different needs and preferences of autistic individuals does not take much work. Offering different resources and services, like Father Andrew Garnett is doing in holding a sensory-friendly church service, is a great way to show that people with different abilities are valued. We can ask questions–what can we do to help? Perhaps we can communicate differently and avoid sarcasm. We can be cognizant of sensory issues. Most importantly, we can listen. Let’s make an effort to be more considerate to those with ASD and to learn about how we can make our community more inclusive, not just this April during Autism Awareness Month  but always. 

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METRO photo

As of April 21, all local gasoline prices are a penny to three cents lower than a week ago, except Long Island which held steady, according to a report from AAA Northeast. The national average fell three cents.

The AAA Fuel Prices website shows today’s New York City average at $3.09 per gallon, a penny less than last week. Connecticut is also down one cent at $3.04. Long Island remains flat at $2.99. New Jersey is down three cents to $2.97.

Prices continue lower on weak demand. Last week, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), Americans consumed just 8.46 million barrels of gasoline per day—a slight uptick of 37,000 barrels a day over the prior week, but still trailing 2024’s pace by roughly 200,000 barrels a day. Next week’s figures, which will include data encompassing the Easter holiday, will be closely watched by market analysts to see if demand breaks out of the spring doldrums.

“As demand has continued to stay soft, refiners have dialed back gasoline production to keep a floor beneath pump prices, which are the lowest for this time of year since 2021,” said Robert Sinclair of AAA Northeast. “Across the country, drivers are spending between 50 and 60 cents less per gallon than this time last year.”

On April 21, Mississippi and Tennessee have the lowest prices in the nation, at $2.68 and $2.70, respectively. California and Hawaii hold the highest prices in the nation this week at $4.84 and $4.50, respectively.

AAA Northeast is a not-for-profit auto club with offices in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire and New York, providing more than 6.5 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, financial and auto-related services.

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Jeremy Borniger with Cecilia Pazzi, a student from the cancer neuroscience course. Photo courtesy of CSHL

By Daniel Dunaief

People battling cancer can sometimes live long after they and their doctors first start treating the disease. Even if and when their types of cancer don’t continue to threaten their lives in the same way, they can struggle with symptoms such as chronic fatigue, pain, and difficulty sleeping.

These ongoing symptoms, however, could be a remnant of the way the nervous system and cancer interact, as well as a byproduct of the treatment.

Cancer neuroscience uses “tools from both neuroscience and cancer to fundamentally understand how cancer influences the functioning on the nervous system” and how the nervous system can be used to affect cancer, explained Jeremy Borniger, Assistant Professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Indeed, the field of cancer neuroscience, which extends beyond the study and treatment of brain cancer, has been growing over the last six years, after researchers made important discoveries that suggest the possible role and target for treatment of neurons.

A group of student during one of the lab sessions. Photo courtesy of CSHL

To encourage cancer scientists to learn more about the principles and techniques of neuroscience and to bring neuroscientists up to speed with cancer research, Borniger and three other scientists coordinated the first two-week Methods in Cancer Neuroscience course at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory last month.

Attended by 14 researchers from domestic and international institutions, the days often started early in the morning and lasted past 10 p.m. The course included lectures about the basic science as well as considerable lab work.

Course attendees, most of whom had a background in cancer biology but little background in neuroscience, appreciated the opportunity to learn from the lecturers and to build their networks.

“We were introduced to a wide variety of techniques from the leading experts in the field and got to listen to insightful lectures from the invited speakers,” said Irem Uppman, a graduate student at Uppsala University in Sweden.

Uppman was grateful for the opportunity to meet her fellow students and hopes to stay in touch throughout their careers.

“It was also very exciting to meet all the instructors and lecturers,” Uppman said. “The small size of the course allowed us to interact more intimately which is something we often can’t do in the setting of big conferences.”

Uppman, who has been a PhD candidate for three years and hopes to graduate in the next two years, is a tumor biologist by background and hopes to incorporate more cancer neuroscience in her future work.

Course origins

During another conference, Borniger recalled how a group of cancer neuroscientists were discussing the field. One of the speakers suggested the need for a workshop where students could learn techniques from both of these disciplines.

“I raised my hand and said, “Cold Spring Harbor does this all the time,” Borniger said.

The leadership at the lab, including CEO Bruce Stillman, were excited about the possibility and encouraged Borniger to help coordinate the course. After the lab publicized the conference, 67 prospective students submitted applications. The organizers had several marathon zoom sessions to review the applicants.

“We wanted a good spread of earlier career and later career students,” said Borniger.

It would have been possible to fill the course with students conducting research on brain cancer exclusively, but the organizers wanted a broader scientific representation.

Neurons and cancer

As electrically active tissue, neurons play important roles in healthy biology as well as with cancer.

“It’s not just another cell type in the tumor environment,” Borniger explained, adding that nerve cells connect tumors with the central nervous system, which governs all conscious and unconscious systems.

Historically, cancer neuroscience has had two major moments that helped push the field into the mainstream of scientific research.

In a couple of papers between 2010 to 2013, before anyone started using the term “cancer neuroscience,” scientists showed that getting rid of localized sympathetic nerves, which include the kinds of nerves that control the heart rate and blood pressure, can cause breast cancer and prostate cancers to stop growing. 

“Everyone assumed the nerves don’t really do anything,” Borniger said. They are “little tiny projections in the tumor. A lot of cancer biologists ignored it” in part because of a paper in the 1960’s that suggested tumor cells were not electrically coupled together. Scientists believed, prematurely and inaccurately, that electrochemical signaling didn’t play a role in cancer. 

Then, in 2019, three papers came out around the same time that demonstrated that tumors in the brain can form connections with neurons like normal neurons do. These cancerous cells can integrate with circuits and communicate with each other.

“The level of integration that these cancer cells have with your brain dictates how bad the cancer is,” Borniger said. “If you disconnect the cancer cells from the neurons in your brain, you can make cancer much easier to treat.”

Researchers and pharmaceutical companies are looking for ways to use drugs to slow or stop the cancers.

Some research efforts are trying to block the gap junctions which dramatically reduces the number of cancer cells that receive input.

In breast to brain cancer, scientists are looking to target NMDA receptors, while in brain cancer, they’re targeting AMPA receptors.

Researchers are hoping to repurpose drugs approved for other conditions, such as bipolar disorder or epilepsy.

Origin story

When Borniger was in graduate school at Ohio State University, he was interested in sleep and how sleep works. He had the opportunity to attend several lectures and talks to gather information and pursue research that interested him.

In one meeting, which he said he might have attended to get free food, oncology nurses were talking about the subjective experience of cancer patients. At the end of the talk, they shared a summary slide of the top complaints, which included fatigue, pain, sleep disruption, cognitive impairment and changes in appetite.

Borniger thought these were all neuroscience problems.

He immediately looked online to see if anyone had seen how a tumor influences these neurological processes.

When he tested to see if breast cancer could influence brain activity and lead to sleep disruption, what he found convinced him it was a research field worth pursuing.

“The signal that comes from the tumor can reprogram your brain,” he said. “How does that work? That got me into the field.”

When he got the job at CSHL in 2019, Borniger attended a Banbury conference where the top people in the developing field gathered. He’s also interested in the opportunity to contribute to a new field.

“There’s not 30 years of dogma that we’re going to have to break down,” Borniger said. “We’re inventing the foundation as we go.”

Borniger is hoping to continue to expand the field to newer people, including those who work in neurodevelopment, bioinformatics and behavioral science. 

The tide is turning towards cancer neuroscience, Borniger believes. Years ago, cancer biologists would say, “Who cares about sleep? We’re driving to cure the cancer!” Now, with help from patient advocates, Borniger explained, clinicians are starting to realize the subjective health of the patient can have “immense impact” on their prognosis.

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Erich Preis standing next the the centerpiece, “Salvation”. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

The work of Erich Preis, a Huntington native, decorates the walls of Trinity Community Art Center in Northport. Four-foot-tall paintings showcase apocalyptic scenes, foreboding and eerie. His work addresses both internal and external turmoil. Giant gears loom over desolate lands like storm clouds; the people in the paintings, vulnerable and unclothed, either cower or push onward.

Preis has been dedicated to art since he was 9 and studying at the Huntington Fine Arts school. Afterward, with the support of his high school art teacher he went to the Fashion Institute of Technology where he received his associate’s degree in art and design. Then he continued to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with a partial scholarship. During his tenure at the academy, he was awarded the Charles Toppan Memorial Prize.

In his storm series, Preis explores vulnerability, discomfort and the threat of unbridled technological advancement. “They relate to 911, a lot of them,” he said. “And they also relate to man’s battle against the machine and my own struggle with autism, you know, the repetitive motion of my mind.”

There is a painting named “Catharsis.” It is smaller than the others and depicts a triple self-portrait, each face with a different expression. The center face is bisected by a gear and the opened mouth is detached from the face, set wide in a scream. This piece more directly addresses Preis’ relationship with his autism.

“It was very healing to do this piece,” he said. Preis also studied art therapy and received his bachelor’s degree in the subject from C.W. Post. He then founded the Spirit of Huntington Art Center, where he helps his students enjoy the calming artistic process that has helped provide him with a creative outlet to express himself and cope with his autism.

“Catharsis”, painted by Preis. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

The gear, a signature feature of his work, has manifested in his paintings over the course of his career.

“When I was 14 years old, a lawnmower fell apart and I was fascinated by this gear,” he said. “I always had this gear around and when I was in FIT I started to integrate the figure with gears.”

Preis lost his roommate Michael Noeth when a plane hit the Pentagon on 9/11. Since then, the gear has taken on a new meaning. In some pieces, it is like a plane — the storm reminiscent of a nuclear explosion.

The culmination of the series, “Salvation,” is in the middle of the room and is the largest. The painting was the most difficult of those depicted and took Preis two years to complete. Bob Hendrick, one of the founders of the center and an artist himself, commented on the technique and composition: “There is a certain symmetry to it. It is masterfully done.”

While the other paintings emit a sense of panic, fear and hopelessness, “Salvation” depicts the second coming of Christ. The death and resurrection of the people, the heroic angels diving past flames to bring the people back up to the light, provide a sense of solace, even as two gears grind among flames.

Priest of the neighboring Trinity Episcopal Church, Father Andrew Garnett admired what Preis was able to achieve. “Through art we have a deeper insight into what is going on,” he said. Garnett is holding a “sensory-friendly” service on April 27 at noon for all those who find the organ too loud or the typical sermon overwhelming. The service is inspired by autism awareness month.

“I think this is some of my best work because it deals with my emotions,” Preis said of the series. “I really hope that one day they end up in a museum.”

The exhibit will run through April 27. In September, Preis will have an exhibit at the Art League of Long Island in Dix Hills, where he will exhibit his sculptures as well.

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Photo courtesy of SCPD

Suffolk County Police cited a driver for an illegal speed contest and reckless driving in
Melville on April 18.

Members of the Street Takeover Task Force observed a 2018 Audi S5 traveling westbound on the Long
Island Expressway, near Exit 49, racing a 2018 BMW at speeds of 125 mph, at 11:50 p.m.

Officers stopped the Audi and cited the driver, Khadim Ndoye, 27, of Queens, for Unlawful Speed
Contest, along with other vehicle and traffic infractions.

He will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on May 8.
The Audi was impounded.

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A scene from Lloyd Harbor School’s production of “The Addams Family Musical.” Photo courtesy of CSH School District
A scene from Lloyd Harbor School’s production of “The Addams Family Musical.” Photo courtesy of CSH School District
A scene from Lloyd Harbor School’s production of “The Addams Family Musical.” Photo courtesy of CSH School District

Lloyd Harbor Elementary School’s recent production of “The Addams Family Musical” in the Cold Spring Harbor School District proved to be a resounding success, captivating audiences with its charm, wit and theatrical flair. Featuring a cast and crew of fifth and sixth grade students, the show brought the iconic Addams family to life in a spirited performance that showcased the incredible talent, creativity and dedication of the young performers.

With a perfect blend of spooky charm and heartwarming humor, the fifth and sixth grade cast and crew welcomed brave souls and curious mortals to a world where the creepy is endearing, the kooky is captivating and being different is something to celebrate. From the opening number to the final bow, the talented young performers delivered an incredible show filled with impressive singing, polished choreography and impeccable comedic timing.

The fan-favorite number, “Full Disclosure,” captured the spirit of the musical’s message – that even the strangest families can bond over dinner. And while the characters may have emerged from the cobwebs of Broadway, it was hard to believe these stars-in-the-making were only in elementary school.

Under the inspired direction of Jennifer Cové, the production shined with professional- level quality. The costumes, makeup and set design were extraordinary, while the backstage crew executed seamless scene changes with quiet precision and tireless dedication.

Bravo to the entire cast, crew and production team for embracing the eccentric, celebrating the macabre and reminding us all that there’s magic in the mysterious.

 

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Justin Pagan fires it in for Commack. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Ward Melville first baseman Jason Stiles put the tag on shortstop M. Heller. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Luke Krzemienski makes solid contact. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Commack baseball vs. Ward Melville April 11 and 12. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Commack baseball vs. Ward Melville April 11 and 12. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Commack baseball vs. Ward Melville April 11 and 12. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Ward Melville starter Connor McFarland. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Commack baseball vs. Ward Melville April 11 and 12. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Joey Karpowicz rips a two-run double. Photo by Steven Zaitz

By Steven Zaitz

The game took 19 hours to complete, but the defending Long Island champion Commack Cougars baseball team took out the Ward Melville Patriots by a score of 8-3 this past weekend, April 11 and 12.

Suspended after 5½ innings due to darkness on Friday, April 11, Commack finished off the Patriots on Saturday despite gloomy weather conditions. Reliever Justin Pagan pitched a scoreless three innings to earn the win that improved the champion Cougars’ record to 5-1 and put them in a first-place tie in Division II with Connetquot. Ward Melville dropped to 1-2 after the loss.

Trailing 3-0 in the third, a two-run double by Pats third baseman Joe Karpowicz highlighted a three-run rally that tied the score at three. It stayed that way until the top of the sixth when the Cougars broke the game open with a 5-run frame. Cougar centerfielder Anthony Antorino hit a two-run triple in that inning that made the score 6-3. They tacked on two more runs with the help of an infield error that allowed both Antorino and catcher Robbie Mascia, who reached on a walk, to score. Ward Melville reliever Dan Cornish was charged with four runs, three of which were earned, in that decisive frame. He suffered the loss.

Ward Melville committed three errors in the game, Commack committed none.

When the game resumed on Saturday morning, Sam Kay, brother of former Commack star and current Stony Brook pitcher Evan Kay, pitched the final inning and a third and struck out three batters.

Commack has won four straight Suffolk County titles and two straight Long Island Championships. During Spring recess, they will play nonleague games against St. Anthony’s and Longwood, resuming league play on April 22 against Lindenhurst.

Ward Melville plays a three-game set against those same Lindenhurst Bulldogs on April 14, April 15 and April 19.

Both teams wore military tribute-style uniforms for the game, with Ward Melville sporting a full camouflage top and Commack, whose school colors are black and gold, wore khaki green shirts.

— Photos by Steven Zaitz

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