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Fake police calls target locals

by Samantha Rutt - January 12, 2024

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An anonymous caller posing as a member of the Port Jeff Village code enforcement targeted a local business Jan. 4, demanding immediate payment for an alleged outstanding violation. The caller was reported to have requested the business to send money immediately electronically.

The village authorities were quick to respond to this scam, issuing a warning to all residents and local businesses. The affected business reported the fraudulent call on the morning of Jan. 5, prompting immediate action from code enforcement.

Port Jefferson Village code enforcement chief Andy Owen emphasized in a statement that the village officers “will never call your business demanding money.” He urged residents and businesses to remain vigilant.

“We want to assure and alert the community that this is, in fact, a scam, and we are actively working to prevent further incidents,” Owen said in a statement to the community.

The village code enforcement team is collaborating with Suffolk County Police Department to investigate the matter thoroughly. Anyone who receives suspicious calls or demands for immediate payment is urged to report them immediately to both Suffolk police and the village Code Enforcement Bureau.

In light of this incident, the community is advised to be cautious of unsolicited calls, especially those demanding immediate payments. The Port Jeff Village code enforcement team is actively working on increasing awareness and implementing measures to prevent such scams in the future.

With the increased presence of technology in our communities, scams of all kinds are on the rise. According to TechReport, “Daily, one out of every 10 calls is a scam call.” Additionally, TechReport statistics reveal that scam calls increase by the year. From the source’s scam call trend, there was an increase of 118% in 2021 from 2020.

Suffolk County residents are reporting increased scam calls, with fraudsters employing tactics such as posing as utility companies, enforcement authorities or even distant relatives in distress. The rise in these deceptive practices has prompted local authorities to collaborate with telecommunications providers to explore ways to combat and trace these illicit activities.

In lieu of the recent uptick in reported scams, New York State Attorney General Letitia James (D) issued an alert advising residents to take the following precautions to safeguard themselves from falling victim to scams:

Never give your personal or financial information to someone who calls you. Think of the phone as a “one-way street” — only give out personal information if you made the call. Be sure to verify that the phone number is legitimate.

Don’t engage the caller. Scammers can manipulate caller ID so that it appears to be an “official” call or a call from your city or town. Only answer calls when you recognize the number. If you do answer, hang up if it seems like a scam, or consider using a call-blocking app.

Government agencies usually reach out to you in writing. A government agency will not call you, threaten your arrest or demand payment.

Residents and business owners are urged to report any suspicious calls or demands to the authorities.

Suffolk County Executive-elect Ed Romaine inaugurated

by Samantha Rutt - January 12, 2024

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1-1-24 Ed Romaine Inaugration as Suffolk County Executive. — Suffolk County executive Ed Romaine and family at his inauguration ceremony at Eastport-South Manor Junior-Senior High School on Jan. 1. Photos courtesy Ed Romaine’s Office

After 12 years, Suffolk County will see a new face in the executive seat, Ed Romaine, a Republican, the first for his party in two decades. He replaces term-limited Steve Bellone (D).

Romaine was sworn in Jan. 1 at Eastport-South Manor Junior-Senior High School, joined by family and fellow county officials. As well as state officials, also in attendance was U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) who proclaimed the day as “great” for Suffolk County.

Before the podium stood the new county executive as he delivered a speech detailing his thoughts on the upcoming term.

“As I take this job, I know there will be more problems than solutions, more to be done than what has been done, more quest than conquest,” Romaine said. “Each [new] generation stands on the shoulders of those who have come before us, as I do. So our path must be based on the experiences of past administrations, while being willing to find our own path and reinvent county government.”

Prior to assuming his new post, Romaine stood as the Town of Brookhaven supervisor since 2012, where he advocated for environmental and quality of life issues while maintaining a focus on strengthening Brookhaven’s finances, a focal point to be continued in his new role. Romaine served as a Suffolk County legislator from 1986-89, before becoming county clerk from 1990 through 2005.

“One of my top priorities will be strengthening county finances and making our budget structurally balanced,” Romaine said.

In his inaugural speech, Romaine spoke to key issues at the forefront of his campaign. Placing special emphasis on cybersecurity, improving child protective services, cleaning off surface and groundwaters, securing funding for sewage and alternative denitrification systems, and preserving open space and farmland to prevent overdevelopment.

“This administration will be rooted in the values and traditions of hard work, personal initiative and accountability so we can build a future that is safe and more affordable, and provides hope and opportunity to our citizens,” Romaine said. “As we cast new eyes on old problems, I will seek to reorganize our county government to consolidate services wherever we can to improve efficiency, and to make this government far more cost effective than it has been.”

Amid respiratory illnesses, county residents also battle spike in ‘whooping cough’

by Daniel Dunaief - January 12, 2024

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PertussisSC2023 — Graphic showing the number of pertussis cases from 2019 to 2023 in Suffolk County. Photo courtesy Suffolk County Department of Health

Cases of whooping cough, which is caused by the Bordatella pertussis bacteria, have spiked in Suffolk County this year, raising concerns for the health of newborn babies who don’t have the kind of immunological tools to fight off the infection and its potential consequences.

The Suffolk County Department of Health reported that 113 people had whooping cough, which is dramatically higher than the four people suspected of contracting this bacteria last year.

Whooping cough is “highly contagious,” explained Dr. Gregson Pigott, Suffolk County Health Commissioner in an email. “It is a cyclical disease with outbreaks occurring every three to five years.”

A large majority of people who have pertussis – 105 of the 113 – reported contracting the illness after November 28th, according to Dr. Pigott. Most of those who are sick are school aged children and their families, he added.

The surge in infections this year may be because immunity from the routine vaccination series, which is given between ages two months to six years, wanes over time.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people receive the TDaP booster, which offers immunological protection from diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, every 10 years.

Vaccination rates are “fairly high in Suffolk County, but we do know that some residents fell behind in their vaccinations during the height of the Covid pandemic,” Dr. Pigott added.

A preventable problem

Doctors urged residents, particularly those who might be interacting with young children or whose health is compromised, to check with their doctors on their vaccination status.

“Pertussis is a completely preventable disease,” said Dr. Adrian Popp, Chair of Infection Control at Huntington Hospital.

Indeed, doctors suggested that some of the people who aren’t receiving the vaccine may have pulled back from their normal inoculations amid the political discussion about the Covid vaccine.

“Covid has polarized our society in terms of vaccinations,” said Dr. Popp. Pertussis has “fallen prey” to this kind of thinking.

The pertussis shot has been around for over 50 years and can prevent bacterial infection, doctors said.

The vaccine is “completely safe and efficacious,” said Dr. Galinkin, infectious disease specialist at Port Jefferson-based St. Charles Hospital.

Dr. Galinkin, who has been practicing medicine in Suffolk County since 2004, said this is the highest level of whooping cough he’s seen in the county.

Indeed, even before the pandemic, the number of people infected with pertussis was 64 in 2019, according to the Department of Health.

The pertussis vaccine doesn’t completely prevent infection, but it does create a much milder case than it would for those who have no immunity, doctors said.

The incidence of pertussis can wax and wane, said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. The increase in cases this year likely means that “it won’t happen next year” as people do what they can to protect themselves, their family and their community when the numbers rise, as they have this year.

Indistinct early symptoms

Like other respiratory illnesses that are actively circulating among the Suffolk County population, whooping cough starts out as a cough and can include a runny nose and a low grade fever.

A whooping cough, however, often transitions into a more distinctive sound, as people who have it struggle to catch their breath after they cough.

Threat to infants

Health care providers suggested that pregnant mothers receive a booster for pertussis between the 27th and 36th week of pregnancy, which can not only reduce the risk of infection for the mom but can also provide some immunological benefit to the unborn child.

Doctors urged who are expecting a newborn to encourage anyone who has regular contact with the child in the first few months after birth to have updated immunizations, including for pertussis.

“The household of a newborn should consider being vaccinated,” said Dr. Popp. Infants who contract pertussis and who don’t have protection can develop complications such as encephalitis.

Pertussis is “an incredibly big problem for infants in the first year of life,” said Dr. Nachman.

Adults who contract pertussis can receive antibiotics, which generally eradicates the illness within five days. Untreated, however, pertussis symptoms and contagiousness can persist for weeks or even months.

Untreated pertussis can also lead to secondary pneumonia, added Dr. Nachman.

Respiratory illnesses climb

The combination of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), flu, and Covid continues to keep emergency rooms busy during the start of the new year.

Doctors urged adults who are immunocompromised or who are vulnerable to follow the same habits that reduced their risk during the worst of the pandemic, which includes washing their hands, keeping a safe distance from anyone who is sick, and wearing masks when they are in densely-populated indoor areas with less ventilation.

“You don’t necessarily want to isolate yourself to an extreme, but there are certain ways to decrease the chance of getting exposed to illnesses in general,” said Dr. Popp. People who are riding on crowded trains to and from work might want to search for cars that have fewer people when that’s an option, he suggested.

Hospitals are taking precautions to limit the likelihood of passing along infections. The staff in the emergency room at Stony Brook is wearing masks on rounds, said Dr. Nachman.

At this point, people who come to the hospital are offered masks, but are not required to wear them.

D. None of the Above: Ways to refill our personal energy when we’re otherwise exhausted

by Daniel Dunaief - January 12, 2024

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By Daniel Dunaief

The reality of aging is that we sometimes wake up feeling like we’ve got less than a full tank of gas, or, for those of you driving electric vehicles, a fully charged battery, with which to maneuver through the day.

Maybe our ankles are sore from the moment we imagined we could still dive across the grass to catch a foul ball. Perhaps, less ambitiously, we twisted our ankle when we took a bad step on a sidewalk as we did something much less heroic, like texting an old friend or playing a mindless video game. Or it hurts because it, like our jobs, our cars, and our homes, inexplicably needs attention.

What’s the antidote to the numerous headwinds that slow us down and make us feel exhausted earlier each day?

The start of a new year can provide that energy and inspiration. We get to write 2024 on our checks, if we’re still writing them, we can imagine a blank canvas on which we can reinvent ourselves, find new friends, get new jobs, travel to new places, live our values and contribute meaningfully to the world.

We can start jotting activities into that new calendar, smiling as we imagine seeing friends we haven’t seen in years or decades or fulfilling long-held desires to shape our lives, our bodies or both into what we’ve always imagined.

On a more immediate scale, we have other ways to boost our energy. We can grab a steaming hot cup of hot chocolate or coffee, loading our nervous system up with caffeine, which can wake us up and help us power through the next few hours.

We can also grab a donut, a cookie, or some other food loaded with sugar, knowing, of course, that we run the risk of emptying that short-energy tank quickly after the sugar rush ends.

I have discovered plenty of places I can go, literally and figuratively, to feel energized and inspired. My list includes:

Our children: Yes, they are draining and can be demanding and needy, but their youth and energy can be restorative. They take us to places we hadn’t been before, give us an opportunity to share books we might have missed in our own education and offer insights about themselves and their world that amaze us. Their different interests and thoughts keep us on our toes, focused and, yes, young, as we try to meet them where they live. As we relate to them, we can also imagine our own lives at that age.

Our pets: Watching a dog chase a ball, its tail or a frisbee, or observing a cat push a ball of string across the floor can be invigorating. If we threw that ball or tossed that string, we become a human partner in their games, giving us a role to play even as they expend considerably more effort in this entertaining exchange.

Nature: Energy surrounds us. Water lapping on the shores of Long Island at any time of year, small leaf buds responding to the cues of spring, and birds calling to each other through the trees can inspire us and help us feel alert, alive and aware of the symphony of life that serenades us and that invites us to participate in the evolving narrative around us.

Science: I have the incredible privilege of speaking with scientists almost every day. Listening to them discuss their work, when they don’t travel down a jargon rabbit hole filled with uncommon acronyms, is inspirational. The insatiable curiosity of scientists at any age and any stage of their careers makes each discovery a new beginning. Each of their answers raises new questions. Scientists are always on the verge of the next hypothesis, the next great idea and the next adventure. Their energy, dedication and unquenchable thirst for knowledge invites listeners to participate in the next chapter in the evolving knowledge story.

Sunrises: Okay, if you’ve read this column often enough, you know I’m a morning person. I try to be quiet in the morning, for my family and for anyone else who stayed up late into the night. Sunrises, however, bring a welcome introduction to something new and original.

History: reading about or studying history puts our world into perspective. We not only can contrast previous time periods with today, but we also can enjoy and appreciate that we have the opportunity to share in and shape this moment.

CSHL’s Stillman concerned about the effect of anti-immigrant talk, policies on US science

by Daniel Dunaief - January 11, 2024

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CSHL-Bruce-Stillman-700x525 — Bruce Stillman. Photo from CSHL

The toxic talk and policies towards immigrants in the United States is hurting American science and could threaten the country’s ability to compete in technology, an important economic driver.

That’s one of several messages Bruce Stillman, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory President and Chief Executive Officer, shared in an exclusive interview.

The attitude of some Americans towards immigrants, particularly amid the southern border issue, is “scaring a lot of people off, thinking about working in the United States,” said Stillman. Some of these talented immigrants are wondering why they would come to America. “The perception is that the US is not as welcoming as it used to be,” even for the immigration of highly skilled people, he added.

This hostility could have a detrimental top-down effect on science.

Indeed, immigrants have distinguished themselves, earning top prizes in science and accounting for 38 percent of the Nobel Prizes in physics, 34 percent in medicine and 37 percent in chemistry since 1901, according to Forbes.

“This is a very important economic and competitiveness issue,” said Stillman, who grew up in Australia.

It is increasingly difficult to recruit people from certain countries, particularly amid challenges getting visas, Stillman said.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has an offer out to a “very talented scientist” who has been waiting for almost a year to receive a visa, he said.

Many people have an opinion on the way things ought to be, Stillman explained, including issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

“The dialog in the US is no longer civil, but now people are emboldened to attack those in leadership positions,” he explained in an email. “It is part of the wider adversarial dialog going on in America.”

Policies in some states like Florida create the impression, even to accomplished and dedicated workers, that the country does not want them to work here.

CSHL embraces “talented scientists who want to work in the US to come to CSHL,” he explained.

Major scientific recession

Apart from immigration policies that exclude a broad swath of people who might otherwise ensure American technological competitiveness, Stillman is also worried about how political logjams in Washington could limit future funding for science.

“The moderates on both sides of Congress need to come together to override those on the left wing of the Democratic party and those on the right wing in the Republican party,” he explained.

Stillman does not understand why most members of Congress don’t vote out the extremes. If everyone in the middle stood up, “they would be lauded by the general public,” Stillman wrote in an email.

Listening to the fringes of science on both sides who attack science raises the risk of maintaining a leadership position.

Still, he maintains that he is optimistic that the general public and the moderate majority will prevail.

Learning from history

As the leader of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory for 29 years, Stillman recognizes his institution’s role in a dubious chapter in American history.

Indeed, a century ago, the United States passed the Johnson-Reed Act, or the Immigration Act of 1924, which provided a quota that limited the number of immigrants to two percent of the people of each nationality in the country as of the 1890 census. The law excluded immigrants from Asia.

After that law, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory played a role in this policy by creating a eugenics record office.

CSHL put up a web site 18 years ago to chronicle the lab’s involvement in a period when science was used to justify discriminatory policies.

“We have highlighted on our web site about the eugenics movement so as to educate children and adults about how misunderstanding science, in this case genetics, can lead to dangerous public policy,” he explained in an email.

This year, on the 100th anniversary of the immigration law, the lab plans to highlight the 1924 Immigration Act as something that led to policies that are “not compatible with what the US is about,” he said.

Building for the future

Like other labs, CSHL is competing to earn federal grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

The lab needs to raise “considerable amounts of money each year to eep cutting edge science moving forward,” he wrote.

Indeed, CSHL recently started a major expansion on seven acres of land at the top of the campus to build four research buildings. The lab plans to hire about 14 to 16 new faculty to join the current staff of 56 investigators.

These buildings will expand on programs that explore brain-body physiology, which describes how organs such as the stomach and others interact with the brain.

Many diseases, including cancer, upset the normal brain body interactions, he added. Intervening in these circuits can lead to new therapeutics for cancer and for many neurological disorders.

Researchers at CSHL will publish several discoveries in the next few years in this field that represent “important breakthroughs,” Stillman said.

At the end of May and early June, CSHL will host an annual symposium on brain body physiology, which will include a lecture for the general public.

CSHL is pursuing the most ambitious capital campaign in the lab’s history, raising funds to support the construction of new research and education buildings and to increase the endowment to support the science.

The lab is also building another center called NeuroAI that integrates neuroscience, artificial intelligence and computer science. The computational AI effort has “taken on a life of its own,” he explained. “We plan a major effort to understand how our brain does normal computation and then use this knowledge to improve computer programs.”

In the realm of artificial intelligence, CSHL has used a program called alpha fold, which a unit of Google called Deep Mind developed.

This program predicts protein-protein interactions and protein-drug interactions, which helps “transform the way biology is done,” he said.

While the work “accelerates” the science, it doesn’t “replace doing real experiments,” he added.

Between You and Me: A true story of when a weather forecast saved the day

by Leah Dunaief - January 11, 2024

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By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

A lot of information about the weather has filled the airwaves in the last couple of weeks. We’ve been warned about huge rainfalls, flooding, perhaps some snow, even possible tornadoes have made the news.

One weather warning, in 1944, may have changed the course of history. And it all had to do with an ordinary Irish woman named Maureen Flavin Sweeney.

Ms. Flavin was a postal clerk, and on what happened to be her 21st birthday, June 3rd, reported for work on the midnight to 4:00 am shift, not to sort the mail but to record and transmit weather data. The location of the post office on a remote stretch of the northwest coast that jutted into the Atlantic, was ideal for monitoring the incoming weather and transmitting it along, although she didn’t know where her reports went.

Actually, they were part of the Allied war effort.

Eisenhower, who planned for two years, then led the assault on Normandy beach, originally wanted to launch 160,000 troops, some 12,000 aircraft and 7000 sea vessels on June 5. It was a time of low tides & full moon, which would aid access to the 50-mile stretch of beach. The invasion, to be successful, required clear skies for the planes and calm seas for the landing troops. At that time of relatively primitive prediction, the Allies would have only a few days warning about the conditions.

Ms. Flavin and the others at the postal station now had to send in reports every hour rather than the previously arranged every six hours. They barely had finished one when they had to start the next.

When she looked at her barometer, she saw a rapid drop in pressure, indicating the strong possibility of approaching rain or stormy weather.

She forwarded that on to Dublin, as usual, and then it went to England’s meteorological headquarters in Dunstable. She then received a series of calls from a woman with a British accent who urged, “Please check. Please repeat!”

Ms. Flavin asked the postmistress’s son and the lighthouse keeper, Ted Sweeney, if her data were correct. They checked and rechecked. As a result of Ms. Flavin’s readings about the bad weather on the 5th and a patch of clearing on the 6th, which would make it just good enough, Eisenhower and the other leaders postponed the invasion to the next day.

As a result of Ms. Flavin, soon after the war to become Mrs Sweeney, history records “D-Day: The 6th of June.”

Mrs. Sweeney died at 100 on December 17, in a nursing home. She only became somewhat aware of her roll in 1956, when officials moved the postal station to a neighboring town. Wider information emerged on the 50th anniversary of D-Day.

Mrs. Sweeney’s extensive obituary was printed in The New York Times on Friday, January 5 of this year, written by Alex Traub, and is the source of this footnote on history.

Update: Police issue Silver Alert for missing Melville woman

by Press Release - January 11, 2024

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Have you seen Altomare Fornuto? Photo from SCPD

Update: Altomare Fornuto has been located unharmed.

Suffolk County Police have issued a Silver Alert for a missing Melville woman who suffers from cardiac issues.

Altomare Fornuto, 90, was last seen driving a tan Nissan Maxima with New York State license plate CAN 7602 near the intersection of Newbridge Road and Hempstead Turnpike East, in East Meadow, on January 10 at approximately 3:30 p.m. Fornuto resides at 1603 Shannon Way.

Fornuto is white, 5 feet tall, and 100 pounds. She has brown hair with brown eyes.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on Fornuto’s location to call 911 or Second Squad detectives at 631-854-8252.

Silver Alert is a program implemented in Suffolk County that allows local law enforcement to share information with media outlets about individuals with special needs who have been reported missing.

Narwhal Ball returns to The Whaling Museum Feb. 4

by Press Release - January 10, 2024

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The Whaling Museum and Education Center, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor is bringing back its Narwhal Ball for a second year in a row on Sunday, February 4 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (10:30 a.m. for members). This popular winter celebration promises to excite guests with arctic tales and treasures including a very special guest from the north, the icy queen Elsa.

The museum will welcome visitors into a magical winter wonderland with snowflakes and glittering lights throughout the museum. To further immerse visitors in the icy feels of winter, the museum’s workshop will once again be fashioned into an old school ice cream parlor serving two flavors of delicious Original Recipe Ice Cream courtesy of Kilwin’s of Huntington. Every ticket includes a scoop to sit and enjoy.

Guests will learn all about arctic creatures through interactive presentations where polar animal tusks will be exhibited for exploring. The museum education team will share facts and engage kids in the wonderment of the world’s coldest regions.

Throughout the museum, participants will find lots of frosty crafts to make and take and fun arctic learning activities. Crafts will include Painting with Ice, a beloved activity where kids can let their creativity shine like the Northern Lights! Guests will make a stop at the Wheel of Fortune: Arctic Edition activity table where they can challenge their knowledge of arctic creatures and win a prize. More crafts and activities await Narwhal Ball-goers at every turn including some new surprises for this year.

Guests will gather around as Elsa shares Nordic tales from her icy domain. When not sharing fascinating tales of encounters with polar creatures and brave adventurers, Elsa will be waiting to meet guests in front of a snow filled backdrop, a perfect photo opportunity.

“Narwhals have inspired story tellers for thousands of years with thoughts of unicorns and mystical creatures galore. This event is a celebration of awe-inspiring arctic animals, shimmering snow-covered lands and the adventurers that explored these icy places. We can’t wait to share it with you!” said Brenna McCormick-Thompson, Curator of Education at The Whaling Museum.

The Whaling Museum is selling limited timed tickets online until Friday, February 2 at noon at $20 per child, $8 adults, $6 seniors; $15 per child, $5 adults/seniors for museum members. Tickets at the door will be $25 per child, $8 adults, $6 seniors; $20 per child, $5 adults/senior for museum members. To order, visit www.cshwhalingmuseum.org. For further information, call 631-367-3418.