Recently, towns across our coverage area have had to confront the loss innate in progress, especially as it affects the delicate balancing scale of Long Island’s development. In Smithtown, the Kings Park Revitalization Plan enters its final stages leaving some residents overjoyed and others worried about congestion.
Simultaneously, in Setauket, the controversial battery energy storage facilities are being opposed partly because they would be located in population dense areas. These events have triggered vastly differing reactions, but all raise questions: How much change is too much? And, is change worth the loss?
The heart of the opposition in each of these issues is that Long Island is under threat of overdevelopment, as it has been for years. Despite this, it is becoming unlivable due to financial strains. Ever present in discourse across every sector, is the exodus of young Long-Islanders–the skills we lose when each one moves away taking their education and expertise with them, the sorrow of having a loved one no longer within driving distance.
The Kings Park Revitalization Plan struck the balance—nearly. Some people decry the development it promotes, while others say it is the very thing their hamlet needs and has the potential to bring life and energy back to their community, perhaps enticing young people to stay and build their lives, families and careers.
Each viewpoint, especially the critical ones, smoothed the rough surfaces of the plan. Paying attention to defects is an essential step in ensuring that we don’t become so infatuated with progress that we forget what we have.
Some people are still unhappy with the Kings Park Revitalization Plan as it enters its last step before it is voted on for approval. However, their voices help develop a more complete, well-informed opinion on what matters to our community.
Public hearings may slow down the process, delaying approval, but they prompt analysis and re-analysis, reminding us of the trade offs we need to consider.
Northport-East Northport Union Free School District Board of Education held a meeting Jan. 23 to provide an initial overview of the district’s budget planning for the 2025-2026 school year. Superintendent David Moyer and Assistant Superintendent for Business Bob Howard presented details on the budget development process, expenditure projections, revenue sources and long-term financial planning.
“The objectives for the presentation are to provide an overview of timelines and the budget development process, review expenditures and five-year budget and facilities projections, and review anticipated revenue and levy history,” Moyer explained.
One key challenge the district faces is the shifting tax burden due to the LIPA settlement. As Moyer stated, “We recognize the challenges of the shifting tax burden to our community due to the LIPA settlement, and are sensitive to being as fiscally responsible as possible while maintaining the quality of programming that the community expects.”
The administration is also closely monitoring staffing levels amid declining enrollment. “This year, it is possible that the district may need to assess some staff to meet its programming needs and levy a budget target,” saidMoyer.
Providing an overview of the district’s five-year budget history, Howard noted that while personnel services costs have seen modest increases, the district has made continual reductions in staffing. “The fact that the total cost, despite those contractual increases, is only increasing by an average of 0.2% is illustrative of and showing the facts that there have been staffing and salary reductions,” he explained.
However, contractual expenses and employee benefits have faced higher inflationary pressures. As Howard stated, “These are the costs that are driving a lot of our budget increases so salaries are flat or relatively low. Contractual costs are inflationary sensitive areas [and] are higher than average.”
Looking ahead, the administration is anticipating modest increases in health insurance, salaries and BOCES tuition as well as a slight decrease in the teachers’ retirement system rate. “We’re expecting about a 3.5% increase in our BOCES tuition costs. They’re giving us an indication that, you know, maybe they’re trying to keep it under 4%,” Howard said.
The district also shared its five-year master facilities plan, which outlines a combination of “pay-as-you-go” capital projects funded through the annual budget and more significant bond-funded initiatives. As Howard explained, “The district has recently invested more in its facilities, budgeted more, and transferred more into capital to maintain its buildings than it has in the past.”
On the revenue side, the presentation reviewed the district’s tax levy history, which has been below the tax cap limit each year. The administration is projecting a tax levy increase between 2.1% and 2.3% for 2025-2026, which is lower than the current year’s 2.33% increase.
“We are committed to doing everything possible to minimize this year’s levy recommendation to the board,” Moyer said.
Despite the challenges ahead, the administration reaffirmed its dedication to fiscal prudence while prioritizing the continued excellence of educational programs for students. Their proactive approach aims to balance budgetary constraints with the community’s expectations for quality education, ensuring that every financial decision supports the district’s long-term goals and the success of its students.
'Social Center/Barbershop' by Robert Graham Carter will be on view at The Heckscher Museum through May 25. Image courtesy of Heckscher Museum
By Tara Mae
Heritage, humanity, and hope are explored through works of legacy and lineage in Robert Graham Carter: The Art of Reflection. The exhibit at the Heckscher Museum of Art, from February 2 to May 25, 2025, encapsulates as it illuminates the past six decades of the artist’s career.
“It’s a retrospective—a little glimpse into virtually all the stages and turning points within my art career. It’s interesting for me to see it put together like this—it gives you a perspective that you don’t get working day to day,” said Carter, who is also a long-time art professor at Nassau Community College.
Robert Graham Carter, Proud Queen, Tribute To My Wife, 1995 Wood and acrylic, Robert Graham Carter Family Collection
Featuring 22 artworks and several archival pieces, the show explores three themes central to Graham’s work: charm of childhood; importance of spirituality in his life; and, social inequities, with a concentration on topics that connect to Black experiences.
“Mr. Carter came up with the three messages, or themes, he wanted to have the exhibit explore.We selected the works with that focus,” Heckscher guest curator Sarah Battle said. Battle is affiliated with the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, where Carter is set to have an exhibition in 2027.
Influenced by his youth in Louisville, Kentucky, during Jim Crow, and his adulthood and career on Long Island, the exhibit is an exchange between past and present as well as Carter and the audience.
“It is really special to be able to see some early works in conversation with larger pieces,” Battle said.
Art is the language Carter uses to discuss his individual narrative and how it is a chapter of a larger story. It evokes memories, moments, and imagination.
“All of us wear many masks. For example, I am a father, a husband (before my wife passed), an educator, an artist, a neighbor, a friend, and on and on,” he said. “I found myself responding to the things that were interesting and important to me within these roles. I would end up making a series of works based on one of these masks.”
Robert Graham Carter If Der Be Angels Then Some Must Look Like Me, c. 2000s, Wood and acrylic, Robert Graham Carter Family Collection
His examination and meditation on these concepts are expressed through mixed media works from the 1970s-2010s, including pencil or pastels on paper; sketches; multi-scale paintings; andsculptural components. One of Carter’s high-relief sculptural paintings, “Mama Taught Me Piano and Much More,” is part of the Heckscher’s permanent collection.
The versatility of his form underscores the sometimes subtle vibrancy of his scenes, like striking portraits or snippets of everyday life.
“What draws me to them and his art in general is that it works on a couple of different levels; they usually reveal something personal, like a memory or experience of the artist and makes you reflect on your own memories or experiences,” Battle said. “Or, his art acts as commentary for the artist.”
These elements offer insight into both process and progress. Both the singular perspective and the collective understanding are presented as Carter’s art evokes emotional introspection and community celebration through subject and substance.
“This has been a positive experience for me, and I hope that the people who see this exhibit are positively affected also. Basically, I feel that art is a communication process and for me I am hoping visitors have a good response,” Carter said.
Admission to The Heckscher Museum of Art is free. Located at 2 Prime Avenue in Huntington, the museum is open Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 631-380-3230 or visit www.heckscher.org.
The DNA Learning Center at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory doesn’t just provide educational opportunities for students; it can also inspire their teachers.
That was the case for PhD graduate Alexandra Nowlan, who worked in the lab of Professor Stephen Shea.
When Nowlan met her required teaching component at the center as a part of the graduation requirement for her doctorate, she found educating the next generation inspiring.
“It’s very rewarding to get kids excited about science,” said Nowlan.
Alexandra Nowlan giving a talk at CSHL. Photo from Constance Brukin
Indeed, Nowlan, who did her postdoctoral work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, has taken a job as assistant teaching professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the same institution. She is teaching two neuopsychopharmacology classes and is preparing for an advanced molecular pharmacology class in the fall.
“I was really drawn to outreach opportunities and put more of my focus into teaching,” she said. “The opportunity presented itself, so I jumped at it. I’m having a really good time.”
Established in 1988, the DNA Learning Center was the first site to focus on genetic education for the public, offering classes to students in 5th through 12th grades.
The Learning Center, with sites in five different locations in New York, provides classes and labs for 30,000 students each year.
Amanda McBrien, Assistant Director of the DNA Learning Center, observed Nowlan in action.
“She had a magnetic energy about her,” said McBrien. “She came in and was young, enthusiastic and cool all wrapped into one.”
During a Fun with DNA course in the summer offered in conjunction with Women in Science, Nowlan was the “perfect role model,” McBrien added, who proved to be “utterly approachable” and enthusiastic, making her an engaged presenter.
Students can find information about these classes through the DNA Learning Center and can register for summer courses starting this week.
Recent publication
In addition to her professional journey into teaching, Nowlan recently published the results of a study she conducted in the journal Current Biology based on research conducted at CSHL.
Working with Shea and other scientists who followed her in Shea’s lab, Nowlan studied the way the mouse brain processes sensory signals such as odor and sound as a part of a pup retrieval process.
Important in the behavior of mothers and of surrogates who care for the young, pup retrieval helps ensure that developing mice stay closer to their mothers or caretakers.
“Pup retrieval is one of the most important things for mothers or caregivers,” Shea said in a statement. “It requires the ability to smell and hear the pup. If these things are both important, that may mean they merge somewhere in the brain.”
Indeed, during pup retrieval, neurons from an area of the brain called the basal amygdala carry smell signals to the auditory cortex, which is the brain’s hearing center. The basal amygdala is involved in learning and processing social and emotional signals, linking perception with emotion and social learning.
When Nowlan and others blocked the ability of maternal mice to access smell signals, the micedidn’t provide their customary parental pup retrieval.
Shea and his lab suspect that what’s reaching the auditory cortex is being filtered through social-emotional signals from basal amygdala neurons.
“We’ve known that pup odor is important,” said Nowlan. “People have eliminated odors and seen deficits.”
Deficits in vocalizations also can affect this behavior.
“The pathway that would allow olfactory signals to reach the auditory cortex was unknown and we’ve identified a pathway that is functionally capable of linking those two senses,” Nowlan explained.
A winding path
Nowlan, who grew up in Williamstown, Massachusetts, played rugby in college at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. While three concussions encouraged her to search for a non-contact sport, it also piqued her interest in neurology.
After she graduated, she worked for four years in the laboratory of Sandeep Robert Datta at Harvard Medical School, where she learned about the importance of the olfactory system.
At the Datta lab, she worked with then postdoctoral researcher Paul Greer, who let a flier on her desk about Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s graduate program.
“The umbrella program appealed to me,” she said. “You could get an education not only in the subject you’re interested in but you also had an opportunity to learn about cancer biology and plant genetics, which was exciting.”
Nowlan attended courses and meetings, interacting with top scientists across a range of fields.
The first year she lived in a house on campus near the water, where she and her fellow graduate students could see the lights of all the buildings at night.
“My classmates and I felt like we were at Hogwarts, this magical science camp,” she said.
Postdoctoral transition
When she was writing her PhD thesis, Nowlan became interested in motivated behaviors.
She had been following reports about the opioid epidemic and knew it was affecting Berkshire County, where she grew up.
She was curious about how opioid use disrupted noradrenaline signaling, which plays an important role in motivation, rewarding and the body’s stress response.
“I wanted to explore how these motivational circuits can get disrupted in examples where drugs that are commonly misused are involved,” she said.
She and others in the lab of Zoe McElligott at the Bowles Center were trying to understand various brain circuits as people undergo the painful experience of addiction withdrawal.
More information about these processes could reduce the negative experience and lead to better and perhaps more effective treatments.
Born on the same day
Nowlan met her husband Craig Jones, a Long Island native, through a dating app.
“I joked when we first met that the algorithm” from the app that brought them together was lazy, she said. They were both born on the same day, just hours apart.
Jones, who works as a user experience designer for fitness company Zwift, is “older and he won’t let me forget it,” said Nowlan.
As for her current teaching role, Nowlan is hoping to emulate the inspirational approach of Enrique Peacock-López, a college professor at nearby Williams College. In addition to coaching a soccer team with his daughter and Nowlan, Enrique-López took time to share chemistry demonstrations in primary school and to bring high school students into his lab.
Nowlan appreciated how Peacock-López connected with students.
“The way he made science exciting and accessible to members of the community is really inspiring,” said Nowlan.
Peacock-López has known Nowlan for decades.
“There’s a lot of satisfaction that I may have contributed a little bit with my grain of salt in their careers,” said Peacock-López. When he teaches, he seeks ways to motivate students to solve problems.
For younger children as a starter experiment, he works with reagents that reveal considerable color or that has fumes.
“They love to hear sounds or see colors,” he said.
Peacock-López’s advice to future teachers is to “interact with students” and get to know them.
A native of Mexico, he promised himself when he started teaching that he would treat students the way he would want to be treated.
As for Nowlan, she is eager to continue the teaching tradition.
“It makes me want to keep giving back and provide opportunities to educate the public about what we’re doing and why it’s interesting and important,” Nowlan said.
Her goal is to educate the next generation of neuroscientists and curious community members about how discoveries made in the lab are translated into treatments for disease.
Players from the past joined DeMar at his ceremony in September of 2021
DeMar posing for a photo with NHS students at his field-naming ceremony
From left Sean Lynch, Jim DeRosa, John DeMartini, Rich Castellano and Marc Dantuano at DeMartini’s field-naming ceremony in September of 2021
DeMar and Trent Mayer, who has started a career in education and coaching
A Northport High School student dons the t-shirt commemorating the renaming of the Tiger baseball field in DeMar's honor
DeMar saluting the crowd at his field-maning event. His friend of 50 years, Rich Castellano applauds.
Demar in the dugout
Coach DeMartini embraces a guest at his field-naming ceremony
DeMar in the middle of a Tiger celebration
John DeMartini at halftime of a football game in 2021 shows the crowd the Coaches Award given to him by the school
John Dwyer was a catcher for Northport. He graduated in 2023
Class of 2024's Thomas Hardick hitting under DeMar's watchful eye
By Steven Zaitz
John DeMartini, an educator in the Northport School district for more than half a century, has died at the age of 81.
Larger than life, yet at the same time unassuming, DeMar, as he was known to everyone in his orbit, was a physical education teacher and Northport High School head baseball coach from the mid 1980s to 2018, won 350-plus games as Tiger skipper, but more importantly enriched the lives of countless students, families and fellow faculty over the course of his 57 year career.
Born in the Bronx, DeMartini moved to Westbury as a boy and attended W.T Clarke High School and then Adelphi University, where he was pitcher and an outfielder on the Panthers baseball team. In 1966, he became a teacher and basketball coach in the Northport-East Northport School District, taking over as Tiger head baseball coach in 1985; a position he held for 33 years until an issue with his heart required him to take an extended leave of absence.
Sean Lynch, an assistant coach at that time and one DeMar’s best friends, took over the team in 2019 as DeMartini recovered from his illness. The two men shared an office for 25 years.
“The most important thing that John took pride in, is the many great relationships that he built over the years and the impact that he had on so many lives,” Lynch said. His love for the kids and the people he touched so positively were always the most important thing to John over wins and losses, and I think that’s truly what his legacy is and will always be.”
One of those kids is NHS Class of 2019 Trent Mayer, who has recently begun a career in education as a teacher in the Franklin Square School District. He also serves as both the Northport Junior Varsity Boys volleyball and baseball coach.
“As I begin my journey as a physical education teacher and coach, I carry with me the invaluable lessons DeMar taught me,” said Mayer. “He always emphasized the importance of being myself and connecting with students. His last words to me were ‘kids don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.’ This has become my guiding principle. I aim to create a supportive environment where students feel valued and inspired and DeMar’s mentorship has shaped not just my career, but my outlook on life. I am grateful for his guidance and proud to continue his legacy.”
DeMartini’s legacy is multi-generational, as current Northport Baseball Booster Club president and baseball mom Noelle Hardick, Class of 1992, can attest. Her eldest son Thomas was the Tigers’ starting second baseman in 2024 and he graduated last spring. Michael Hardick, an outfielder, will graduate in 2026 and both Hardick boys started playing in summer baseball camps led by DeMartini when they were 5 years old
“Coach DeMartini has and always will be the heart and the face of Northport baseball,” Mrs. Hardick said. “He was the coach when I was a student there and was a huge part of not only the baseball team, but the whole school and community. Everyone in the Northport community knows DeMar. That’s something really special and it’s something that you can’t fake or make up. He was the most genuine, loving, kind and selfless person.”
One of DeMartini’s longest relationships was with legendary girls basketball coach Rich Castellano, who has over 750 wins in his career, many of which were witnessed by DeMartini, who was often perched behind the visiting team’s bench to watch Castellano’s girls do their thing.
The two men met in 1976 and quickly became close friends. In recent years, they were often spotted riding around the Northport campus in golf carts, ostensibly to monitor practices and games, but more often to spread good cheer to other student-athletes or anyone lucky enough to cross the path of their cart.
“I promised him that nobody is going to take his name of that golf cart,” an emotional Castellano said. “John’s heart was always with kids and his team, and he was just a good friend that way. The kids loved him for it. He was like a kindly grandfather to these kids and had a huge following. We all saw that when we dedicated the field to him and so many kids, event ones that graduated, made it back for that ceremony to celebrate not just the field-naming, but to celebrate the man.”
On a sunny Saturday morning in September of 2021, the NHS baseball field was named in DeMartini’s honor. Tiger baseball stars past and present came to the ceremony to reminisce, embrace DeMar and shake his hand, and then see his name across the top of the scoreboard in big block letters.
Rows and rows of folding chairs were spread across the infield for family and VIPs as hundreds of students, parents and faculty cued both the foul lines from home plate to the outfield. Northport Athletic Director Marc Dantuano spoke, as did fellow coaches Jim DeRosa, Lynch and Castellano, along with a few former Tiger players.
DeMar, the final speaker of the morning, was moved to tears as he finished his speech. As he stepped down from the podium, he doffed his cap to the crowd of close to 1,000.
“It’s always been his field,” said Lynch. “That ceremony just made it official. It was a great day.”
Class of 2023 grad John Dwyer, who played first base and catcher for Northport and is now playing baseball at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was at that ceremony. When the coach returned from his heart issue in 2019, he became the Tiger pitching coach and thus, he and Dwyer, along with the pitching staff, would spend a lot of time together trying to gameplan a way to get opposing hitters out.
“Coach DeMar was such a kind and extremely dedicated man, who put a tremendous amount of time and energy into the baseball program, the school, and the community as a whole,” Dwyer said. “He really cared about each person he encountered and looked to put a smile on their face with his great sense of humor.He impacted so many people over the years and we’re all going to miss him a lot.”
One of the last conversations Lynch had with DeMartini was a few days before he passed. DeMar had developed a succession of ailments and did not fully disclose how serious they were, as he did not want anyone to worry.
At the time, Lynch did not realize it would be their last conversation.
“My phone created a memory that day of a photo of DeMar and me, so I texted it to him. I thought it would raise his spirits,“ Lynch recounted. “As the conversation went on, he told me that he wasn’t sure that he would be able to get back this year to help out with the baseball team. He then said ‘Just make sure nobody forgets about me.’ I thought he was speaking in the context of this season, so I assured him that nobody was going to forget about him, and I told him that he would soon be back out there on his field where he belongs. That was the last conversation we had.”
Demar may no longer set foot on his namesake field, or sit in the dugout, or make a trip to the mound to give his pitcher an encouraging pat on the behind, but his legacy and impact on the Northport community will never fade from it.
John is survived by his sister, Lynn McDonald, and her husband, Stephen McDonald, along with his nephew Justin McDonald and his family, Erica (wife), Chloe (daughter), and Harper (daughter). In lieu of flowers, if you wish, you can make a donation to the Northport High School Baseball Booster Club, 9 Tanager Lane, Northport, NY 11768 – Checks should be made out to NHS Baseball Booster Club and in the memo line please write DeMar.
Bird flu, which is a virus that has so far primarily infected animals, has affected a duck farm in Aquebogue.
Amid concerns about transmission, Crescent Duck Farm, which has operated as a family business since 1908, has had to put down close to 100,000 ducks.
At this point, health officials haven’t reported any cases of humans contracting the virus, although the farm, its workers and doctors have been looking out for signs of illness.
Local doctors suggested that the risk to humans from bird flu is limited to those people who have worked with or handled sick birds.
Dr. Adrian Popp, chair of Infection Control at Huntington Hospital/ Northwell Health. File photo
The virus “transmits easily from bird to bird, but so far transmission to humans has not occurred to my knowledge,” Dr. Adrian Popp, chair of Infection Control at Huntington Hospital/ Northwell Health and associate professor of medicine at Hofstra School of Medicine, explained in an email. “There is a theoretical possibility that this can occur, but so far, I think we are safe,” as New York State is monitoring exposed workers.
Doctors urged residents to see a healthcare worker if they have any contact with birds and they develop symptoms such as a fever, conjunctivitis (an eye infection that can include redness or watery eyes), or breathing issues.
“Monitor yourself for 10 days after exposure,” urged Dr. Aleena Zahra, infectious disease physician at St. Charles Hospital. “If you develop any symptoms, seek medical attention.”
The treatment for bird flu, which can affect people in ways that are similar to influenza, is to take tamiflu, which is more effective in the earlier stages of an infection.
“If you’re in contact with an animal that is sick, then that would be a potential risk factor,” added Zahra.
Zahra advised residents to avoid picking up a dead bird in their yard without gloves and other safety measures.
Dr. Sharon Nachmann, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, added that the jump to humans from other animals is rarely happening.
People who have become infected are typically recovering, although one person in Louisiana died from the virus.
Despite the relatively low risk, viruses have the ability to mutate, which could make them more transmissible and more dangerous.
CDC silence
At the same time, local doctors are concerned that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stopped publishing information on infectious diseases.
“This is an unprecedented attack on timely access to reports about transmission of various infectious diseases in the country and worldwide,” Popp explained. “It will lead to delayed prevention measures, poor health care, and potentially allowing infectious disease outbreaks to get out of control.”
Dr. Sharon Nachmann/Stony Brook Children’s Hospital
The CDC has created travel bans in the past, but has not closed its reporting on outbreaks, Nachmann said.
“It’s incredibly stressful,” said Nachmann.
Doctors added that they were missing the bigger picture that might offer important information about the source of an illness and the best possible treatment.
“We want to do the best for our patients. We want to tell them that this is working or that is not working and you need a different medication,” Nachmann said.
For right now, doctors are gathering information from state and local officials, said Zahra.
The CDC typically shares details about the specific type of infections in an area or region, its responsiveness to various treatments and its differential impact on any specific subgroup, such as children.
“It is sad to see how political, partisan measures are used to suppress sharing of scientific information between healthcare professionals,” Popp added.
Doctors are hoping for more and better information before too long.
“All we have now is a stop,” said Nachmann. “We don’t know what happens after the stop.”
Legislator Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) believes that constituents can be controlled and silenced by offering candy as if they were 5 year olds. It’s insulting and degrading that grown adults who speak out against injustices and understand how to use their First Amendment rights to free speech are being silenced.
No, Steve, a Life Saver isn’t going to make me stop speaking out against the draconian rules that [Suffolk] County passes that harm the public’s general welfare by turning the county police department against the Latino population. The presiding officer infringed and trampled on my First Amendment rights because he didn’t like what I said.
Let’s face it, the appearance of senior women speaking at public meetings exercising a constitutional protection of free speech surrounded by fully armed sheriff’s officers is bad public relations for the legislative body in a democracy.
Lisa Sevimli, Patchogue
We do not need another freight station
I wholeheartedly agree with Frank Konop [Smithtown freight yard is a threat to our community,[TBR News Media, Jan. 23] that the proposed Townline Rail Terminal will do more harm than good to residents of Smithtown township.However, his attempt to link it to the wildfires in southern California is way off base.
This has nothing to do with “social justice policies.”Regarding the California fires, it’s false that they were related in any way to redirecting reservoir water to save fish.State reservoirs storing water for southern California are at or near record highs.
The elephant in the room is global warming.Although it’s impossible to narrowly tie it directly to a particular disaster, it’s foolish to deny its role in the increasing prevalence of wildfires, droughts, floods and freak weather.In March 2024 the Smokehouse Creek fire burned over one million acres in the Texas Panhandle, compared with more than 40,000 acres burned in California thru January 2025.In October 2024 in Valencia, Spain, 232 people were killed by a year’s worth of rain falling in a few hours.Right here in Smithtown we were hit by a “rain bomb” last August that destroyed Stony Brook Pond and Stump Pond and flooded town hall.The Main Branch of Smithtown Library is still closed.
Getting back to the TRT, there are lots of questions.This facility will be used not only to ship incinerator ash as well as construction and demolition debris off Long Island, but also to transport construction materials, vehicles and other undefined goods and commodities onto Long Island.What limitations are there?Will propane, heating oil or hazardous materials be among these commodities?We don’t know.What need is there for two transfer buildings, track to accommodate 161 freight cars and a fleet of 50 trucks if this facility will run only one 27-car train in and out per day as its sponsor claims?Will the tracks become a magnet for illegal dumping, attracting rats and mosquitos?TRT will undoubtedly have impacts beyond wrecking the Kings Park residential community it’s adjacent to, including the pollution emitted by the 1970s era diesel locomotives pulling all those freight cars.
The culprit behind this misbegotten proposal is not “social justice policies” or the “Green New Deal,” but our own Smithtown Town Board, which unanimously railroaded it through (pun intended) every step of the way.It’s now proposing to change town zoning code to add a new use called “rail freight terminal” to districts zoned Light Industrial, of which there are many, including Flowerfield, around town.Flowerfield was once a Long Island Rail Road station with its own siding track. Could this rezoning affect the disposition of Flowerfield?The Smithtown Town Board is supposed to protect the interests of Smithtown residents.But apparently, they’re so sure of being reelected due to their party affiliation that they presume it’s safe to ignore overwhelming opposition to TRT from the community.And who’s to say they’re wrong?
David Friedman, St. James
Presidency of Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny and Dr. Jack Marburger
As the former president of the Three Village/Stony Brook Soccer Club from 1990 to 2002 and 2010 to 2017, I read with great interest your article on the presidency of Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny and her impact upon the Three Village community. While Dr. Kenny’s support for the local community and especially our local soccer club was second to none, I do not want the article to give the impression, as I think it does, that her predecessor, Dr. Jack Marburger, was not interested in the local community and was only interested in the science aspect of the university. Nothing could be further from the truth, especially as it related to the development of the soccer complex next to the P lot at [Stony Brook] University.
Prior to our request to be able to develop the unused land for a variety of soccer fields, our local soccer club played all of their games at our local schools, forcing our children and families to go from one site to another, or be forced to miss their games. Upon our request to Dr. Marburger to be able to develop the fields, he played a major role in giving us permission to develop the property and ensuring our success even in the face of considerable opposition from the local neighbors and others. Knowing that such a complex would be of great benefit to the larger community, Dr. Marburger made sure that we received a permit from his office and in fact only charged the soccer club $1 a year for the use of the property. I think it is fair to say that without his support and understanding of what such a use would mean to the thousands of children and families in our community there would have been no soccer fields for our community to use on the university campus.
Upon her acceptance of her position, Dr. Kenny continued her support for the decision of Dr. Marburger with regard to the soccer fields, allowing the permit to continue for $1 a year and allowing the soccer club to build a multi-use building which contained both “real bathrooms” for our families as well as a concession stand. In addition she allowed for the soccer club to hold various outdoor and indoor tournaments on the campus, at no charge, including the major tournament on Long Island at that time, the Long Island Junior Soccer League championships. She was a frequent visitor to the fields on Sundays when over two thousand of our children played during the day. She made sure her staff was always supportive of our efforts to improve the complex and supported our efforts to gain a state grant which we did with the support of former State Senator Jim Lack and former State Assemblyman Steve Englebright.
Both Dr. Marburger and Dr. Kenny understood that Stony Brook University is more than just buildings and research. It is a community asset of the Three Villages and as such must be engaged with the local community in more ways that just selling tickets to various events. Unfortunately, neither of their two successors understood how a state university and a larger community must be engaged with each other, to the point where the soccer complex was taken over by the recreation department and charged the local soccer club over $100,000 each year for the ability of our local children to play soccer on land which had been developed by the local soccer club. Unfortunately they looked at the soccer fields solely as a money maker and not as a community benefit, to the point where they now charge for almost everything, significantly reduced the amount of time allotted for games and practices and have closed the building which was built for the benefit of our families.
While one may think that this is all history, it is not, especially as Stony Brook University engages once again in the selection of a new president. The selection committee and the SUNY Board of Trustees must understand that Stony Brook University must be part of the community, as promoted by both Dr. Kenny and Dr. Marburger, and not merely located in our community as made clear by their successors who gratefully have gone on to other places far from here. One would hope that the new president will understand and promote a concept of togetherness and mutual commitment to each other and not just what is good for the university. We hope that the history of what Dr. Kenny and Dr. Marburger accomplished will be the type of history which the new president will provide and not the type of history which their successors failed to provide. Our community is a better place to live when the university understands that it is part of the community and not just located here.
Heckscher Museum celebrated Lunar New Year on Jan. 19. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Heckscher Museum celebrated Lunar New Year on Jan. 19. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Heckscher Museum celebrated Lunar New Year on Jan. 19. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Wendi Weng performs a typical Lion Dance. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Wendi Weng performs a typical Lion Dance. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Heckscher Museum celebrated Lunar New Year on Jan. 19. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Heckscher Museum celebrated Lunar New Year on Jan. 19. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Heckscher Museum celebrated Lunar New Year on Jan. 19. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Heckscher Museum celebrated Lunar New Year on Jan. 19. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Young visitors participating in the Dragon parade. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Heckscher Museum celebrated Lunar New Year on Jan. 19. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Heckscher Museum celebrated Lunar New Year on Jan. 19. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Heckscher Museum celebrated Lunar New Year on Jan. 19. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Heckscher Museum celebrated Lunar New Year on Jan. 19. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Heckscher Museum celebrated Lunar New Year on Jan. 19. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Heckscher Museum celebrated Lunar New Year on Jan. 19. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
By Jennifer Donatelli
Lunar New Year, one of the most significant and widely celebrated holidays in many East and Southeast Asian cultures, marks the beginning of the lunar calendar and the arrival of spring. With vibrant festivals, family gatherings and time-honored traditions, it is a joyous occasion that spans several days of celebration. The holiday is celebrated on the day of the first new moon of the year, which fell on Jan. 29.
In honor of Lunar New Year, the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington invited families to ring in the Year of the Snake with a lively and educational celebration that explored the rich cultural traditions of Asia. The free event, which took place Jan. 18, was held in collaboration with the United Asian American Alliance and Town of Huntington Asian-American Task Force and offered attendees the opportunity to engage in a variety of fun, hands-on activities while learning about the customs and art associated with Lunar New Year.
“We’re excited to provide a platform for families to experience the Lunar New Year through the lens of art and culture,” said Joy Weiner, director of education and public programs for the museum.
The museum was transformed into a hub of cultural exploration, featuring crafts, storytelling, music and interactive performances that highlighted the diversity of Asian traditions. Partnering with local cultural groups, the museum presented live shows, including traditional Chinese lion dances, Korean drumming, Japanese folk music and martial arts. The performances brought the energy and excitement of Lunar New Year celebrations to life and offered a unique opportunity for visitors to learn more about the various customs and traditions observed during this time.
Patricia Shih, who performed the lion dance, explained, “These performances not only entertain the visitors, but also teach the younger generation about the rich history and significance of these art forms, sparking a sense of connection to their heritage.”
Young visitors were given a passport book and “traveled” to each country, including China, Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines, to participate in a variety of activities that taught them about each country’s culture and art. Visitors created a string spinner and pinwheel inspired by Korean mandalas, made their own Chinese lantern and learned jewelry making using a Feng Shui coin. Hansen Lee from the Town of Huntington Asian-American Task Force held demonstrations on how to fold your own origami.
Huntington Councilwoman Brooke Lupinacci showed her support for the Asian American community by participating in the event. Lupinacci works with the Asian-American Task Force in the Town of Huntington to formulate and implement plans that strengthen Asian American participation in town affairs, addressing issues regarding the Asian American community and promoting greater cultural understanding. She said, “I’ve been in the public sector my entire career and I always love coming to events like this because it brings the entire Long Island community together to learn and appreciate different cultures and ways of life.”
Shih, who owns a mobile Chinese museum that travels to classrooms on Long Island, brought her own collection of authentic artifacts that showcased the history, art and culture of Chinese traditions. She said, “This event is not only a celebration but also an educational opportunity for the community to learn about the traditions that shape various Asian cultures and how art is integral to those celebrations.”
Guest artist Joan Kim Suzuki used her artwork to express her respect for Asian cultures. Her paintings, she says, are inspired by her upbringing in Seoul, the stories her grandmother told her and the pride of being Asian American instilled in her by her parents. Suzuki says she wants people to look at her artwork and be happy.
Jane Kang, a member of the Asian-American Task Force, gave lessons in Chinese paper cutting, which originated in the sixth century when paper was invented. She explained that people would use paper to decorate their homes to celebrate Chinese New Year or for special occasions. The red paper would welcome good fortune and health. Kang says paper cutting “is an art form that doesn’t get enough exposure and it’s a beautiful method of expression.”
In addition to the activities, families also had the chance to explore the museum’s current exhibits, many of which reflect Asian influences in art. Visitors were able to view works from renowned artists that connect to the theme ofLunar New Year, offering a deeper appreciation for the artistic traditions of the continent.
Weiner explained, “Events bring together the local community and showcase the diversity of culture that we have in our community.” She added, “Art is a way to communicate, even when you don’t understand the language.”
For more information about upcoming programs and exhibits at Heckscher Museum of Art, visit www.heckscher.org.
Afew years ago, a friend of mine called the night before a major operation.
I could tell he was nervous. His usual, unflappable voice was weaker and unsteady, as if he weren’t sure how things would go and was reaching out for encouragement.
“There’s pretty much nothing you can do at this point,” I said. “You really don’t need to be sharp or focused or even attentive tomorrow. You better hope the doctor is getting plenty of rest and is at his best.”
“That’s true,” he laughed. “Maybe I should send over a good dinner or encourage him to go to bed early tonight.”
Doctors, like so many other people in other professions, deal with activities and routines that are unimaginable for the rest of us.
As a child, I watched my father slowly and carefully remove glass from the eyes of a construction worker who had been in an accident. I also sat in horror as he ate a steak just hours after being in surgery for most of the day to reconstruct the eye of a local patient who had suffered extensive trauma.
The medical world’s ability to get past the “ick” factor is pretty incredible. These professionals, on whom we rely for our overall health and for the health of our specific organs and systems, improve and extend our lives, offering the best of modern medicine to counteract the effect of bad habits, hidden genetic problems that can complicate and threaten our lives, and pathogens that cause damage and destruction.
Recently, I visited a urologist. If you’ve been reading this column long enough, you might recall that I’ve had kidney stones. These are exceptionally unpleasant, causing pain and vomiting, among other discomforts.
Long ago, I shuffled into an emergency room, bent over double from the pain. After I told the admitting nurse what was wrong, she didn’t even bother with paperwork or with taking my blood pressure. She immediately took me to a room, where another nurse almost instantly provided a painkiller. I am still grateful to them years later.
So, you see, I feel the need to monitor the health of this system to reduce the risk of future such episodes.
This year, I was meeting with a new urologist. I tried not to think about the parts that are unpleasant but that are much less problematic than a kidney stone.
He knocked politely on the door, as if he might have been delivering a dish of salmon with steamed vegetables and couscous.
Who is it? I was tempted to ask in a falsetto voice. What difference did it make? Anyone who knocked was coming in regardless of what I said.
He washed his hands – thankfully – sat down and asked me to tell him about myself.
“My health history?” I wondered.
“No, I mean, are you married, do you have kids, what do you do for a living?”
Well, I write about weird meetings like this. But enough about me, how do you do what you do? I wondered. No, I didn’t say that. I smiled and offered the 20 second tour of my life.
We even chatted about the Yankees losing Juan Soto to the Mets. Would they be better or worse this year?
After he asked me about my health history, he told me to lower my pants and underwear and put my elbows on the examining table.
“You’re going to feel some pressure as I examine your prostate,” he said.
I thought of my dog, whose head is often in my lap or near my face when they probe parts of his body he’d just as soon no human ever touched. He makes a face I imagine was similar to mine at that moment. Shocked expressions transcend species.
Afterwards, the urologist smiled at me, gave me a quick assessment and told me he wished me and the Yankees well this year.
Later, I tried to imagine sitting at a meal with him, chatting in an airport waiting room, or standing outside the backstop of a softball field as we waited for the chance to hit.
I couldn’t do it. Routine as his work might be for him and necessary as it might be for me, I struggle to disconnect from an exam that is a routine part of his work.
But, hey, I’m not anticipating that either of us will call the other on our birthdays this year. I’m glad he’s there, doing his thing and hope not to need additional services.
The articles I’ve read recently call it “financial infidelity” and blame it on some percentage of all couples, but especially on Generation Z. “It” refers to hiding money from each other, or if not exactly hiding, then not sharing either the money itself or its existence. And since money seems to be the primary issue couples argue about over the long term, the question of how much to share is highly relevant to any relationship.
A survey by consumer financial services firm Bankrate indicated that 67 percent of 18 to 28- year-olds hide money information from each other in committed relationships. That drops to 54 percent of millennials, 33 percent of Gen Xers and 30 percent of baby boomers, according to Newsweek. For some reason, older than baby boomers aren’t in the survey. I can try to offer that perspective since I am in the older group.
“Hidden debts, undisclosed spending, or secret accounts can, as well as undermining a partner’s trust, disrupt shared financial plans, such as saving for a home, retirement or children’s education, causing long-term financial strain,” according to the article.
Some 40 percent of couples in the United States have kept secrets from each other about money, according to the study involving 2217 adults. These secrets may include spending more than a partner would approve of (33 percent), keeping hidden debt (23 percent), having a secret credit card (12 percent), a secret savings account (15 percent), or a secret checking account (13 percent).
Yet these figures exist despite 45 percent of those surveyed disapproving of what is termed financial infidelity and even equating it with actual unfaithfulness. If a secret financial situation is discovered, it tends to disrupt the trust that relationships are built upon and perhaps cause speculation over what else might be hidden
One senior industry analyst, Ted Rossman, maintains, “Money secrets can undermine a relationship. It’s hard enough to meet your financial goals when you are pulling in the same direction. It’s almost impossible when you’re pulling in opposite directions.”
Rossman goes on to say that being open about your finances doesn’t mean you need to combine all your money. A yours-mine-ours is a possible arrangement for those who feel more comfortable that way.
Despite the importance of money in a marriage or committed relationship, half a century ago, when I was married, money was the last thing on our minds. We were entirely caught up in the romance and didn’t consider the business aspect of lifetime coupling. So when the time came to buy a house, my husband and I counted our pennies and came up a little short for the down payment on the mortgage.
“I’ll take a loan from the bank, using my stocks as collateral,” I said.
“Stocks?” he responded with surprise.
“Yes, I think I have just enough to bridge the difference between our savings and what we need,” I said. “I have been buying a couple of shares of stocks each year with my allowance since I was a child,” I explained.
It had never occurred to me to tell my husband. Needless to say, he was delighted to discover this mysterious side of me. Marriage arrangements were traditional at that time. The husband was the breadwinner, the wife the homemaker. The husband’s paychecks went into a joint bank account andboth drew from that account for expenses.
Husbands may have laughed at the saying, “What’s mine is hers and what’s hers is hers,” but they subscribed to it. What we brought to the marriage financially was of little concern since we were young and generally without any serious assets, and we didn’t think of pooling those. We wives were advised then, in women’s magazines for example, to keep a little stash on the side for personal expenditures that needn’t be discussed.
Many couples are older now when they marry, and both work, thus the landscape is different. So I don’t know what to advise. Maybe that’s why we elders weren’t polled.
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