Times of Huntington-Northport

Pixabay photo

I want to hear from you 

The political campaigns have started for the November 2023 elections. In the next few months, you will be inundated with flyers, phone calls and literature about those of us who are running to represent you in some office. 

We will be telling you who we are, why we want to be elected, what we support, what we don’t support and everything in between. And yes, I will do all these things so that you will know who I am, that you will recognize the name Dorothy Cavalier. 

But now I want to know who you are, what your concerns are, what your issues are — what is important to you and in your life?

My name is Dorothy Cavalier and I am asking you to send me emails, visit my Facebook page, stop me in the street to let me know your name, what your life is like, what you need to make your life better, what you support, what you do not support and everything in between.

So, email me at [email protected].

Visit my Facebook page and comment at Dorothy Cavalier for Suffolk Legislative District 6. I want to hear from you.

Dorothy Cavalier

Democratic candidate for Suffolk County’s 6th Legislative District

Mount Sinai

Waiting for Rinaldi to be made LIRR president

Just over 12 months ago, Long Island Rail Road President Phillip Eng retired effective Feb. 25, 2022. Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Janno Lieber immediately appointed Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi as interim LIRR president.

After 12 months on the job, she has developed a good working knowledge of the agency organization, staff, operations, facilities and customer needs. She is familiar with ongoing capital projects in the LIRR portion of the $51.5 billion 2020-24 Five Year Capital Plan. 

If Lieber is happy with Rinaldi’s performance to date, why hasn’t he made her the next permanent LIRR president? Is there something we don’t know? 

Remember that Lieber, just like his predecessors, will need the blessing of the governor. Just like past history, Gov. Kathy Hochul [D] will play a behind-the-scenes role in the selection of a permanent LIRR president.

Larry Penner

Great Neck

New York State’s bail reform is a success

Under the law, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Under the law, every person is guaranteed the right to a speedy and fair trial by jury. These tenets are the bedrock of our justice system.

Unfortunately, our system has too often failed to live up to these premises. In New York, almost three out of every four people incarcerated are people of color, which is disproportionate to the population. Many of these people are poor, and until the 2019 bail reform law, too many sat in jail awaiting trial because they could not afford bail. 

The most tragic example is that of Kalief Browder, who as a teenager was incarcerated at Rikers Island for three years, two of those years spent in solitary confinement, for allegedly stealing a backpack. His family could not afford to bail him out. He committed suicide after his release. The young man’s story, and the families who are impacted by the overlap of incarceration and poverty, are why the 2019 bail law was enacted. The criminal justice system failed Browder and countless others.

As soon as the 2019 bail reform law was enacted, before there was even any data on the impact of the law, the Republican Party began a campaign of fearmongering. Former U.S. Congressman Lee Zeldin [R-NY1] made this the theme of his failed 2022 gubernatorial campaign, and other candidates like freshman Assemblyman Ed Flood [R-Port Jefferson] followed suit. It was a campaign that was deeply racist in rhetoric, never addressing the root causes of crime and how to correct these causes.

A recent study refutes the lies of the Republican Party. The results of the two-year study show the opposite of the Republican talking points to be true, with recidivism and re-arrest rates dropping. “Fundamentally, we found that eliminating bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies reduced recidivism in New York City, while there was no clear effect in either direction for cases remaining bail eligible,” said Michael Rempel, director of John Jay College’s Data Collaborative for Justice, in a statement. 

The data is clear: Bail reform is a success. The tragedy is that too many elected Democrats refused to push back against the Republican lies and fearmongering. In that vacuum of leadership, misinformation has taken hold. 

We must demand leaders and candidates who will stand up for justice. We must also call out politicians like Zeldin and Flood who built their campaigns on lies and ensure they never hold elected office again. We deserve a system of true justice with moral leaders, and Republicans have utterly failed the electorate on the issue of public safety.

Shoshana Hershkowitz

South Setauket

WRITE TO US … AND KEEP IT LOCAL

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

Second from left, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine and County Executive Steve Bellone announced a Community Host Agreement with Sunrise Wind. Photo from Suffolk County

On the first day of spring, with cool breezes and a propeller plane flying overhead at Smith Point County Park, Suffolk County officials celebrated a Host Community Agreement with Sunrise Wind, an energy project that will use windmills to provide power to about 600,000 homes.

The offshore wind project, which will be developed 30 miles east of Montauk, marks the second such effort to use renewable energy as a power source. South Fork Wind is currently under construction and will provide energy by the end of the year.

“We are going to have not just jobs; we are going to have careers for people here on Long Island for years and decades to come.”

— Steve Bellone

The Sunrise Wind farm, which Denmark-based Ørsted and east-coast-based Eversource is leading, will make landfall at Smith Point County Park on the South Shore. The lines would feed under the Smith Point Bridge and under William Floyd Parkway.

The effort is a part of New York State’s goal of increasing the use of renewable energy to 70% by 2030 and to 100% by 2040, lowering the state’s carbon footprint and slowing the effect of greenhouse gases on global warming.

In addition to celebrating the environmental benefits of the agreement, officials stood with labor leaders to recognize the job and economic benefits.

“We know that this clean energy future is also about job creation and creating new industries that will put people to work,” County Executive Steve Bellone (D) said at a press conference announcing the agreement. “We are going to have not just jobs; we are going to have careers for people here on Long Island for years and decades to come.”

The effort will include 100 jobs in an operations and maintenance hub in East Setauket.

Sunrise Wind agreed to pay $170 million over 25 years. Brookhaven will get over $5 million from the project each year, starting in 2025 for the next quarter of a century.

“Clean air and clean water are non-partisan issues. This is a promise we need to keep for our communities.”

Julie Tighe

The announcement of the agreement came on the same day that the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that the world would likely pass a dangerous temperature increase within the next decade, driving global warming to deadly levels unless countries cut back on fossil fuels.

Such an unchecked temperature increase could lead to famine, disease, an increase in violent storms, and a reduction in farmable or habitable land.

The UN report urged nations to cut the use of coal, oil and gas, which contribute to the majority of the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.

Recognizing the overlap between the UN report and the announcement about the Host Community Agreement in the county, Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, suggested that the county was doing its part.

The UN “declared that we need to make sustainable, meaningful changes in this decade,” Esposito said during the press conference. “That’s exactly what Suffolk County and the state of New York are doing. We have the low carbon tools to live in a world with lower emissions and now we must use them.”

Changing the way the county produces energy “changes the world” and the “future for the better,” Esposito added.

Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters, applauded the practical and forward-looking element of a concrete plan that includes the start of construction later in 2023.

“Unless we turn these commitments into projects on the ground, it’s just a piece of paper,” Tighe said. This agreement is “one step closer to reality.”

Tighe congratulated political leaders from both parties, including Bellone and Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) for coming together on this environmentally, ecologically and economically favorable project.

“Clean air and clean water are non-partisan issues,” Tighe said. “This is a promise we need to keep for our communities.”

The wind farm plan will also include courses at Stony Brook University and SUNY Farmingdale, as well as a National Offshore Wind Training Center in Brentwood. The center will expand access to job opportunities and educational advancement, particularly for high school and college-age New Yorkers entering the job market.

The training center includes a 22-year license agreement with Suffolk County.

All photos by Steven Zaitz

Hauppauge High School was the scene this past Saturday for over 200 girls who will participate in flag football this year.  Suffolk County footballers from as far away as East Hampton and Eastport-South Manor were put through their paces at eight different drill stations as they steam ahead toward opening day. 

A little closer to home, Northport, Huntington, Sachem East, Amityville, Patchogue Medford, and of course, host Hauppauge all threw, ran, stretched and caught passes from coaches.  Eagles Head Coach Steve Mileti ran the running back and flag-grabbing drill and Northport Head Coach Pat Campbell and Assistant Coach Perry Marinelli taught receivers how to catch the ball and run routes. 

There was spirit of team building as the groups, comprised of a mash-up of girls from the participating schools, rotated around in 10-minute shifts, laughing and getting to know each other along the way. 

The girls flag football season starts locally on March 29 when Hauppauge travels to Harborfields. Northport’s first game is on April 3 on the road against Half Hollow Hills.

A scene from 'No Time to Die'

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

Infinitives appear to be like peanut butter and jelly for me. I don’t want to add bananas, nuts or anything else between the two spreads, because peanut butter and jelly represent a taste combination that agrees with me and my digestive tract.

The combination of the word “to” and a verb belong together, without adverbs, adjectives, nouns or other parts of speech jammed between them. I want to love, to live, to eat, to sleep, to play and to laugh without any additional words attempting to clog up the ideas or to interfere with the narrative flow.

And yet, in modern prose, people increasingly chose to split infinitives, jamming words in between “to” and a verb. For me, that’s like forcing a reader to add a verbal hiccup. Maybe some English — or language arts in modern educational parlance — teacher back in my days at Ward Melville High School shared his or her dislike for split infinitives that makes me want to cringe when reading an otherwise effective sentence.

To make my point, I’d like to consider (yes, this is a column about infinitives so prepare to be amazed) how several important quotes, phrases, book and movie titles might read with a split infinitive. To begin, let’s explore Thomas Jefferson’s words from the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self evident.” Those words would falter if he had chosen to write: “We hold these truths to fundamentally be self evident.” 

Would you like to consider Shakespeare? Hamlet’s soliloquy in which he ponders whether “to be or not to be” would fall flat if he said, “to kind of be or not to comfortably be.” That not only sounds wrong, but it loses the power of a pithy line about the nature of existence and his willingness to continue to live (yup, two in a row) in a world of treachery.

Let’s pause to consider Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Perhaps an infinitive splitter might want to add an adverb, such as “To Treacherously Kill a Mockingbird” or “To Slanderously Kill a Mockingbird.” Both options struggle to add an unnecessary word.

How about James Bond’s “License to Kill?” Would a split infinitive change that to “License to violently kill?” It’s already a Bond film, so you’re prepared to witness violence. Would you prefer to imagine “License to vengefully kill?” Would that have affected its ability to win at the box office? I tend to doubt that.

Another Bond movie with an infinitive is “No time to die.” An adverb addict might want to convert the title to “No time to literally die.” Well, yeah, Bond films force the titular character to confront death. These days, people are inclined to overuse the word “literally” anyway, as in, “I literally ate all the food on my plate.” I suspect few people would interrupt to ask if you’d figuratively or literally eaten everything.

How about Tina Turner’s song “What’s love got to do with it?” If we split the infinitive, she might sing, “what’s love go to accurately do with it?” Turner doesn’t want to encourage love when she’s enjoying the physical connection. Would “accurately” threaten to trample on the song’s meaning?

The book by Ernest Hemingway, who preferred to use simple prose, would lose some of its resonance if we added anything to the title, “To have and have not.” Borrowing from a vastly overused word that could become “To fully have and have not.”

So, to sum up the idea, to get to the point, to address the important issue, and to make myself clear, I still believe, no matter how acceptable it might be, that splitting infinitives jams an unnecessary word where it doesn’t belong, threatening to dilute its meaning, to alter its trajectory and to cause unnecessary misdirection. Let’s agree to keep infinitives together, giving them room to be, to love and to bask in their original meaning. Now, to return to where I began, I’d like to find some peanut butter and jelly. 

Pixabay photo

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

To see how it worked, when I got the link for ChatGPT, the Artificial Intelligence or OpenAI software sent from my grandson, I asked it to write 650 words about Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Why FDR? I had just finished reading a book about FDR’s “Splendid Deception,” the ways the president hid his polio infirmity from the American public, and he was on my mind. 

So, I am going to let you see what was written immediately, on command, in less than five minutes before my disbelieving eyes. Remember, this was authored by a robot.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, commonly known as FDR, is remembered as one of the most influential and transformative leaders in American history. During his 12-year tenure as President, he led the United States through some of its most challenging times, including the Great Depression and World War II.

FDR was born into a wealthy family in Hyde Park, New York, in 1882. He attended Harvard University and Columbia Law School before beginning a career in politics. He served as a New York state senator from 1910 to 1913, and later as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson.

In 1921, at the age of 39, FDR was struck by polio, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Despite this setback, he remained active in politics and was elected Governor of New York in 1928.

It was during the Great Depression, however, that FDR’s leadership would truly shine. When he took office in 1933, the country was in the midst of the worst economic crisis in its history. Millions of Americans were out of work, banks were failing, and confidence in the government was at an all-time low.

FDR responded to the crisis with a bold and ambitious plan to revitalize the economy, which he called the New Deal. The New Deal included a range of programs and policies designed to provide relief to the unemployed, stimulate economic growth, and reform the financial system.

One of the most famous New Deal programs was the Civilian Conservation Corps, which provided jobs to young men in conservation and reforestation projects. Other programs included the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which sought to stabilize crop prices and support farmers, and the National Industrial Recovery Act, which established codes of fair competition for businesses.

FDR’s New Deal was not without its critics, who argued that it represented an unwarranted expansion of federal power and an infringement on individual liberties. But for many Americans, especially those who were struggling to make ends meet during the Depression, FDR’s bold leadership and willingness to take decisive action were a source of hope and inspiration.

FDR was also a key figure in American foreign policy during World War II. When the war broke out in Europe in 1939, he declared that the United States would remain neutral. But after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, he led the country into the war with a resolve and determination that would help turn the tide against the Axis powers.

FDR was instrumental in building the alliance with the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, which would eventually lead to victory in Europe. He also played a key role in the development of the atomic bomb, which would be used to end the war in the Pacific.

Despite his many accomplishments, FDR was not without his flaws. Critics have accused him of overreaching in his use of executive power, and of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses committed by the Soviet Union during the war. But his legacy remains one of visionary leadership and bold action in the face of crisis.

FDR’s famous quote, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” has become a rallying cry for leaders in times of crisis. It reflects his belief that the American people had the strength and resilience to overcome even the most daunting challenges, and that with the right leadership and the right policies, anything was possible.

Today, as the United States faces new challenges, from economic inequality to political polarization to climate change, FDR’s legacy remains a source of inspiration and guidance. His commitment to bold action in the face of crisis, his belief in the power of government to make a positive difference in people’s lives, and his unwavering faith in the American people, continue to resonate with us today.

How do teachers distinguish what was written by a student or by the bot? By the same token, having a bot help in other contexts, such as planning a schedule or working up a travel itinerary can be a huge help. ChatGPT, launched this past November, can analyze content from a wide range of information on the internet and then create original content. But is it always correct information? Will the bot take jobs from humans? Or will it merely offer a baseline of information upon which humans can then add more nuanced input?

Stay tuned.

METRO photo

For more than 35 years, March has been set aside to honor American women who have made their mark on history.

Over this time, Women’s History Month has evolved into a period to reflect on women’s roles in the country and the steps made to further equality, an effort that is still unfinished. While there’s no denying that women have come a long way over the decades, more work must be done.

Unfortunately, in this 21st century, countless women don’t earn the same as their male counterparts, who do the same exact job as they do. Sometimes, women even find themselves in work situations where they make less than men who don’t have as much experience or education as they do.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 1979 women who were full-time, salary workers had earnings that were 62% of men. In 2020, the gap closed somewhat but not completely, with women on average making 82% of what men make in similar jobs. Females of color make even less.

Women are underpaid in many fields, including the media. A 2021 study researching the newsrooms of 14 Gannett-owned newspapers found women earned up to $27,000 less annually than men, according to the labor union NewsGuild. That equates to 63% of the median salary of males in the same roles.

The days of women working only to earn some spending money are long gone. Today, society doesn’t limit women to feeling as if they can only choose to be a secretary, teacher or nurse. Girls can grow up to be whatever they aim to be and, just like men, females have college loans that must be paid for and carry the burden of household expenses. In an era where two incomes are often needed to own a home, and there are single mothers and women looking to build a future of their own, paying women only 82% of what men make is inexcusable.

Females deserve the same respect as males in every aspect, yet they are still fighting on every level. Another distressing example of what females experience comes from a survey conducted by the Seattle University Department of Communication and Media which reported 79% of 115 women journalists surveyed feared online abuse. Such harassment could put a female reporter in a position where she may fear covering certain kinds of stories. Preying on women journalists to prevent them from properly doing their job is unconscionable.

Women have the right to choose whatever career path they desire. When they land their dream job, they deserve to be paid the same as their male counterparts and to be treated with respect.

Women’s History Month reminds us that the fight for equality is universal. Men require strong women, and vice versa. Today’s females stand on the shoulders of the women and men who have fought for their equality. 

Let us continue their work. Let us envision a world that will be better for the girls who follow in our footsteps.

Suffolk County Legislator William ‘Doc' Spencer. File photo by Victoria Espinoza

William “Doc” Spencer, who served as a Democratic Suffolk County legislator for the 18th District, was released from jail after serving six months for tampering with records and prostitution-related charges. He is now required to complete community service.

Spencer, who was arrested in October 2020 and indicted Nov. 8, 2021, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. However, at his trial he pleaded guilty to reduced charges, lessening his jail time to six months with an additional 500 hours of community service to complete his sentence, according to his attorney Anthony LaPinta of Hauppauge. 

Authorities had arranged a sting operation in 2020, and the Centerport resident allegedly planned, via text message, to meet a prostitute, who was an undercover agent, in the parking lot behind the Goodwill store in Elwood to trade sex for the pills, according to police. Unknown to Spencer, the sex worker had been dead for a few months, and law enforcement officers had accessed her phone. He encountered police officers upon arrival and was allegedly found with two oxycodone pills, a legal form of opioid, in his possession.

The then-county legislator was also facing charges for allegedly filing false information in a police report. Tim Sini (D) was Suffolk County district attorney at the time.

“Following his arrest, my office conducted an extensive, thorough investigation in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, which resulted in this grand jury indictment,” Sini said in a statement in 2021. “Investigators found that multiple women had allegedly been paid in either cash or drugs for sex acts with the defendant over the course of several years, as corroborated by text message exchanges and other evidence.”

According to Sini’s office, in July 2020, Spencer filed a complaint with the Suffolk County Police Department. In the complaint, he said he had been the victim of an extortion scheme. In a written statement to detectives, he said, “I have not sought the services of prostitutes or call girls.”

The original charges included criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree; criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree; tampering with public records in the first degree; falsifying business records in the first degree; offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree; perjury in the second degree; making an apparently sworn false statement in the first degree; patronizing a person for prostitution in the third degree; and attempted patronizing a person for prostitution in the third degree.

Spencer was a county legislator for nearly 10 years and was Democratic majority leader and chairman of the legislative health committee. He did not resign from his seat after the arrest but chose not to run again in 2021. Stephanie Bontempi (R-Centerport) and former Town of Huntington Councilman Mark Cuthbertson (D-Northport) vied for the seat, with Bontempi winning the district. 

Spencer, an ordained minister, was also a physician who operated a private medical practice in Huntington and was chief of otolaryngology at Huntington Hospital. His medical license was suspended after his 2020 arrest.

Pixabay
By Carolyn Sackstein

Tipping for home delivery of food has been debated in the media lately, with a viral video of a delivery driver taking an order back because she felt an $8 tip was inadequate for transporting the food from Commack to Smithtown. 

The internet is full of videos instructing drivers on techniques for working with DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub apps to maximize pay and improve service. It is also filled with complaints of drivers being stiffed by non-tipping customers and undertipping. Drivers also decry the practice of “tip-baiting,” in which a good tip is promised with pre-tipping and then is adjusted down after delivery.

On Friday, March 10, TBR News Media asked people on the street in downtown Port Jefferson to discuss their tipping practices. The following are their responses.

 

 

Elizabeth Garland, Port Jefferson

Garland rarely gets food delivery, but said she tips “20% like I would in a restaurant, maybe a little more. If it was a bad weather day, maybe a bit more.”

 

 

 

 

 

Gloria Neumair, Patchogue

“For food delivery, I don’t tip as much as I would in a restaurant, but I still tip.” When asked what she bases her tips on, she responded, “I guess the distance they had to come, the total of the order, but I don’t generally do a percent.”

 

 

 

 

 

Alexa Noriega, Patchogue

“I think the amount should be based on factors like the weather, how much they are getting for you and whether they provided any extra customer service during the shopping process. I do think they should be tipped on top of their pay.”

 

 

 

 

 

Jesse Guerra, St. James

“I usually do 20%. I consider it a generous tip, depending on where I go.” When asked if a fee should be built into a person’s salary, he responded, “I don’t think it should be built into a person’s salary. There are better workers than others. I don’t like when they put [the tips] into one big bucket and spread it out because the less good workers are getting a share of the better workers.”

 

 

 

 

Nick Lemza, Smithtown

“I actually work for DoorDash and Uber Eats. I always tip 20-to-25%.” He went on to discuss the criteria on which he bases his tipping. These factors include “how quickly the food gets to you, if the food is in proper care, what the ratings are on each profile and just if the food is good. I tip even if the food is bad — 18-to-20% because this is someone’s living.”

An assortment of cannabis products resembling household children's foods and snacks. Photo courtesy the Town of Brookhaven Drug Prevention Coalition

Public officials and drug prevention advocates are sounding the alarm over cannabis products packaged for children.

During a recent Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association meeting, civic vice president Sal Pitti circulated a flier revealing various cannabis products resembling commonplace children’s foods and household snacks. 

Pitti, who is also active with the Town of Brookhaven’s Drug Prevention Coalition, suggested these products are branded for children and attributes the problem to false advertising.

“We all grew up with Trix and Cocoa Pebbles when we were kids,” he said. “It’s a branding that people know, they recognize and might more easily purchase.”

‘This is going to open up a door to our youth that’s going to hurt them. This is just a bomb that’s waiting to go off.’

—Sal Pitti

Pitti detailed several potential dangers associated with tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana commonly known as THC, getting into the hands of young people. He said processed edible cannabis often has exponentially higher THC concentrations, which can get kids hooked on the substance more efficiently and create a gateway to harder drugs.

Recent statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse substantiate this claim. Samples analyzed by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency since 1995 indicate that today’s cannabis products are nearly four times as potent as those collected in that year.

“They’ve sophisticated this technique to great extents,” Pitti said. “Now they’re making gummies, candies, granola bars, honeys and spreads out of this stuff. But the problem is, in processing all of this, that THC level has gone up dramatically.”

Pitti said packaging highly potent THC products to children signals potentially severe societal harm. “This is going to open up a door to our youth that’s going to hurt them,” he said. “This is just a bomb that’s waiting to go off.”

A crisis for children

Pitti is not alone in these concerns. Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) has introduced legislation targeting the practice. 

Her bill cites the risks associated with underage THC consumption, such as impaired memory and coordination, and the potential for hallucinations and paranoia among minors. 

In an interview, Hahn suggested marketing cannabis in a manner that makes it desirable to children represents a public safety hazard.

“If it’s intentionally designed to look like candy, the purpose is to confuse the consumer,” she said, adding, “If an adult purchases marijuana gummies that are packaged similarly to candy-type gummies and a young child gets their hands on it and eats it unknowingly, that’s a very dangerous situation for the child.”

Hahn’s bill would require packaging of THC products to be plain, containing clear warning labels and prohibiting the words “candy” or “candies.” She noted that the measure’s goal is to make THC products less enticing to kids.

“The packaging of the products is incredibly important,” the county legislator said, stating the bill would prevent merchants from “mimicking candy wrappers, having logos that are like cartoons or characters or having flavors that are attractive to children.”

Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai), chair of the county’s Addiction Prevention and Support Advisory Panel, has signed on as a co-sponsor to Hahn’s bill. She referred to child-friendly THC packaging as a harmful way for cannabis sellers to market their products.

“These cannabis folks see this as a marketing strategy,” she said. “It’s creating a problem, we know for a fact, and we’re trying to address that.”

State oversight

Marijuana was legalized in New York state in 2021 under the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act. The New York State Office of Cannabis Management is the regulatory arm overseeing the licensure, production, sale and taxation of cannabis throughout the state. In an email statement, the office confirmed the uptick in packaging branded for children.

“We have seen illicit sellers marketing products clearly imitating candies and snacks that target children,” said Lyla Hunt, OCM’s deputy director of public health and campaigns. “New York State would never allow those products to be sold in licensed cannabis dispensaries. Our enforcement teams are working every day to shut those sellers down.”

Further compounding the issue, Hunt added that illicit dealers often do not follow the same protocols as their licensed counterparts. “We also have heard reports unlicensed storefronts are not checking ID when selling illicit cannabis products, heightening the importance of shuttering these operators before they can do more harm,” she said.

According to her, OCM has worked to curtail the issue through stringent guidelines, putting forth regulations regarding packaging, labeling and marketing to mitigate this technique. 

“We at New York State’s Office of Cannabis Management are committed to building a safe, regulated cannabis industry for consumers ages 21 and over that also protects those under 21,” the deputy director said.

OCM’s regulations concerning packaging echo several of the items raised in Hahn’s bill, restricting words such as “candy” and “candies” while mandating that packages be resealable, child-resistant and tamper evident. The guidelines also limit the use of cartoons, bubble-type fonts and bright colors on the packaging.

Despite OCM’s approach, Anker said the work of local and state government remains unfinished. “More must be done,” the county legislator said. She added, “This product is legally new to the market, and you need to be aware and do your part as a parent and as a teacher … to protect the kids.”

All photos by Steven Zaitz

Early March is a rare quiet time on the Northport High School athletic calendar.

Winter sports have just about gone final, as athletes and coaches on spring teams mark the time until they can get back outside and play.

But on a wintry Wednesday night last week, in an otherwise empty building, Tiger Head Football Coach Pat Campbell is putting his players through their paces. 

No, they are not members of Campbell’s boys team that went all the way to the Suffolk County final game at Stony Brook four months ago, tuning up for September — it is a tryout for hopefuls who are vying for a spot on the inaugural roster of the Northport Girls flag football team.

A group of about forty Lady Tigers will step on the gridiron for the first time ever when they travel to Center Moriches on April 1.

Girls football? It’s not an April Fools’ prank. Like any other athletic endeavor at Northport, it is serious business, and the expectation is to win, despite the newness of it all. 

“Being a member of this team will definitely make us part of history at Northport High School,” said junior Allie Murdock, who is competing for the job of starting quarterback and was also a part of the leadership tandem that hatched the idea of such a team to school administrators. “This is an amazing opportunity for not only this group of girls, but future generations to play football.”

It was no small coincidence that Murdock, who had played in a mostly boys local flag football league since she was 10, made these remarks on what is recognized as International Women’s Day across the world. 

This is the second year of competitive flag football on Long Island. Last year, 17 teams participated and in 2023, it has expanded to 41, with crosstown rivals Huntington, Harborfields and Half Hollow Hills jumping on board. Walt Whitman High, the defending Suffolk County champion, is a charter member, as are the Ward Melville Lady Patriots.

Campbell, who completed his sixth season as Tiger Head Coach this past fall, is excited for this opportunity. The list of girls on his potential roster is dotted with accomplished athletes in other sports but they have decided to roll the dice on this trailblazing journey. 

“We have a great group of girls. Interest has been off the charts,” said Campbell, who is also the East Northport Middle School girls basketball coach. He knows a thing or two about coaching girls and football, just not at the same time — until now. 

“I’m excited to be a part of getting this thing off the ground, and I look forward to the challenge of the teaching aspect of football to those who may be new to the game,” Campbell said. “Some of the girls know more, conceptually or schematically, about football than others. But from what I’ve seen so far, they are all eager to learn.”

Campbell’s preliminary roster includes girls like Brooke Kershow, a junior and a star on the Lady Tiger basketball and golf teams. She was the first to show up at the Wednesday workout. Her hoops teammates, sophomores Lily Beamer and Isabella Bica, were also there. Soccer stars Jamie Inzerillo, Ava Mir and Caitlyn Muzyka also suited up as did New York State Champion field hockey players Julia Cavallo, Brenna Malerba, Caeley Monez, Daniella Santagata, Grace Wickard, Caitlin O’Malley and Sophia Cox. Cox, also a track and field athlete, was eager to learn how to snap the ball through her legs and get an overall feel for the game of football.

“It’s something so new and such a great opportunity for the girls to be able to play football,” said Cox, a sophomore. I think this is the start of a greater journey and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Cox, who last year ran spring track, will not be allowed to participate in both sports as girls flag football has been officially sanctioned by the Section XI governing body as a true varsity sport in 2023. In 2022, it was a club sport and girls could play football and another spring sport if they so desired.

Kayleen Mulry, a junior who is a close friend of Murdock, had to make that hard choice and opted to stay with the legendary Tiger girls lacrosse program. Despite this, she lobbied hard alongside Murdock to bring girls football to Northport High.

“With football being such a male-dominant sport, seeing the growth of girls flag football throughout the area and the country was really inspiring and it opens up new opportunities for girls that hadn’t previously been available,” Mulry said. “It should never be looked down upon for girls to want to play football, which I think sadly it has been. Having a chance to take an interest and turn it into reality is what Allie and I did. Girls don’t have to feel like the only way to be a part of the football community is cheerleading, marching band or the Tigerettes. With the National Football League sponsoring high school flag football teams, they are promoting the involvement of women in football and changing the status quo. This is a great thing.”

The New York Jets have been a pivotal part of the growth of this program on Long Island and throughout the Tri-State area from both a financial and facilitative standpoint. Over 100 high schools from Hudson Valley, Long Island and New Jersey will participate in the Jets High School Girls Flag Football League. All new schools, including Northport, received implementation grants, uniforms and equipment from the Jets, with Nike and Gatorade also serving as corporate partners. 

The league will culminate with New York State and New Jersey Championship games at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, New Jersey, on June 10. 

“We went from less than 20 schools total in the Tri-State area in 2012 to 170 that will play this year,” said Eli Hodges, who is the Jets director of community relations and the unofficial commissioner of the JHSGFFL. “We are always looking to grow the game and the interest has exploded. I’ve heard so many stories of girls approaching athletic directors and high school principals saying, ‘we want this,’ similarly to what happened at Northport, and we are happy to help get them what they need to get it off the ground.”

Walt Whitman lost to Bellmore-Merrick 30-20 last June at the Long Island Championship game, which was hosted by Hodges and the Jets. Northport would love to visit Florham Park this summer but will be at a slight disadvantage in that 17 teams on the Island got a jump on them by playing last year. Nevertheless, at Northport, the expectation, as always, is to win.

“We’re building a program from scratch,” said assistant coach Perry Marinelli, who is Campbell’s defensive coordinator with the boys football team as well as one of Rich Castellano’s lieutenants on the Lady Tiger basketball team. “It’s up to Pat and me to foster a winning team and hopefully that will start Year One.”

Already a member of the Lady Tiger football team’s fan base is Northport Mayor Donna Koch, Class of 1979, who rose from the ranks of village clerk to the highest elected official in town.

“These girls are leading the way for younger generations and I’m proud of them,” Koch said. “Girls have the ability to play any sport and do anything that the boys can do and you never know, but maybe the next Tom Brady can come out of this.”

The mayor also said she would try to clear her calendar to make it to the opening home game on April 11 against Harborfields. Along with Koch, the team looks forward to the full-throated support of the student body and the village community at large. 

As the games generally will not be played on Saturdays, the girls will miss some of the trappings and fanfare that the boys football team enjoys — one of which is the team bursting through the breakaway Tiger banner with a team captain leading the way and carrying an American Flag. This is a long-standing tradition at home football games for many teams across the county.

“I hope every girl on that field can get the feeling of excitement and know what they are doing is so inspiring,” Mulry said. “Not only to the community but to all the young girls that will now be looking up to them and watching them from the bleachers. That feeling will be just as indescribable as busting through that banner.”

When the Lady Tiger Flag Football team lines up for their opening kickoff next month, they will be breaking through something much more significant than a banner – they’ll be breaking new ground for generations to come.