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Times of Middle Country

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Boating, whether for fishing, leisure or sport, is a cherished pastime that brings joy to many residents all over the Island. However, with the thrill and relaxation that come with boating, there is an accompanying responsibility that must not be overlooked — safety! This is why National Safe Boating Week, observed from May 18-24 this year, holds such significance for our waterfront communities.

National Safe Boating Week serves as a vital reminder of the importance of adhering to safety protocols on the water. Statistics from the U.S. Coast Guard highlight that the vast majority of boating accidents are preventable. In 2023 alone, there were 3,844 boating incidents, resulting in 564 fatalities. Alarmingly, 75% of these deaths were due to drowning, and 87% of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets. There was also a total of property damage of $63 million.

These statistics are a valuable reminder that simple precautions can save lives.

Importance of life preservers

One of the simplest yet most effective safety measures is wearing a life jacket. Modern life jackets are designed for comfort and ease of use. Ensuring that each passenger on your vessel is properly outfitted with a life jacket is a basic yet critical step in boating safety. It is not just about compliance with regulations, it is about safeguarding lives.

Boating safety courses

Understanding how to operate your boat and navigate the waters is crucial. Boating safety courses are widely available and provide essential knowledge on navigation rules, emergency procedures and boat handling. These courses are not just for beginners. Even experienced boaters can benefit from refresher classes to stay updated on the latest safety practices and regulations.

The U.S. Power Squadrons offer a plethora of courses for those seeking boating safety advice, information and knowledge. Visit their website, www.usps.org/sss-boating-courses, for more information. Additionally, New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation has over 55 years of experience teaching captains to operate their boats safely. It offers an in-classroom course option designed as a comprehensive study of boating safety to teach the fundamentals of safe boating operation at parks.ny.gov/boating/boating-safety-class. 

Don’t drink and drive

Alcohol is a leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents. Like driving, operating a boat under the influence impairs judgment, balance and coordination, significantly increasing the risk of an accident. Our community must recognize that boating under the influence is not only illegal but also endangers everyone on the water. Designating a sober captain is a responsible choice that can prevent tragedies.

Be prepared

Being prepared for emergencies can make a significant difference in the outcome of a boating trip. This includes having a well-equipped first-aid kit, signaling devices and a fire extinguisher on board. Additionally, boaters should file a float plan with a friend or family member, detailing the trip’s destination, purpose and timeframe. This simple step can expedite rescue efforts in case of an emergency. Regular vessel safety checks are essential, too.

We share the responsibility of promoting and practicing boating safety. Even after National Safe Boating Week, let us commit to making our waterways safer for everyone. By embracing safety measures, educating ourselves and others and fostering a culture of responsibility, we can ensure that boating remains a joyous and safe activity for everyone. It is, after all, one of Long Island’s main attractions.

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By Samantha Rutt

In a move to address environmental concerns on Long Island, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has signed the Suffolk County Water Restoration Act. This legislation grants county officials the authority to present a proposal to voters, seeking approval for a 0.0125% increase in the county sales tax. The revenue from this tax hike is earmarked for sewer expansion projects and the replacement of nitrogen-polluting septic systems with advanced clean water technology.

The act, sponsored by state Sen. Monica Martinez (D-Brentwood), is projected to generate between $3 billion and $4 billion in new funding dedicated to water quality improvements. These funds will be divided between expanding sewer infrastructure and upgrading outdated cesspools and septic systems with modern, nitrogen-removing technologies. This initiative aims to combat nitrogen pollution, which poses a severe threat to the region’s ground and surface waters.

“Today, we have given authorization for the voters of Suffolk County to decide how best to address the impacts of nitrogen pollution,” Martinez said in a statement. “This serious threat to our region’s ground and surface waters is reversible, but only by making investments in the technology and infrastructure needed to stop its release into the environment. I am proud to have had this once-in-a-generation opportunity to sponsor legislation that addresses one of Long Island’s greatest environmental challenges, and I thank Governor Hochul for her continued support.”

Governor Hochul’s presence represents the importance of the legislation, which passed the New York State Assembly unanimously in April and subsequently cleared the state Senate with a 57-1 vote. The bill’s progression to the governor’s desk highlights the urgency felt by legislators, environmental advocates and the community regarding the need for decisive action on water quality issues.

David Ansel, vice president of water protection at Save the Sound, expressed his enthusiasm for the legislation in a statement: “We are thrilled that Governor Hochul made signing the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act such a priority, and appreciate that she came to Long Island to showcase the importance of this legislation. We appreciate the leadership and commitment of Assemblyman Fred Thiele [D-Sag Harbor] and Senator Monica Martinez, who sponsored the bill in their respective chambers, as well as the overwhelming bipartisan support of the New York State Legislature.”

The next step lies with the Suffolk County Legislature, which is expected to convene on June 4 to discuss and potentially approve placing the funding program on the November ballot. Last year, a similar measure failed to reach voters due to disagreements among lawmakers over the allocation of funds for sewer and septic system projects.

If the referendum passes, the Suffolk County water restoration sales tax will remain in effect until 2060, providing long-term funding for essential water quality improvements. This initiative represents a significant opportunity for county residents to invest in the health and sustainability of their local environment.

Ansel added, “Now, we look forward to the Suffolk County Legislature taking the necessary next steps to ensure the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act is added to the November ballot, giving county voters a voice in their clean water future. So much work remains to be done to protect Long Island Sound, its rivers and streams, and Suffolk County’s groundwater from the degrading effects of nitrogen pollution. But for the first time in decades, we are making progress toward addressing this long-standing problem in a meaningful way.”

As the county Legislature prepares for this critical vote, the collaboration between state and local leaders, environmental advocates and the community underscores a shared commitment to preserving Long Island’s precious water resources for future generations.

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Legislator Steve Englebright. Photo courtesy Office of Leg. Englebright

By Steve Englebright

The dust has barely settled from the demolition of 14 buildings at the long-blighted Lawrence Aviation Industries site. However, the promise the site holds as the only viable location for the rail yard needed to facilitate the modernization of the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Jefferson Branch is quickly fading.

For years, community organizations, business leaders and a united bipartisan coalition of elected officials — from County Executive Ed Romaine (R) to U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) and virtually every elected office in between — have worked tirelessly to craft a community-supported plan to clean up and redevelop the site. In fact, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority/LIRR is currently in contract to purchase a portion of the Lawrence Aviation site for railroad use, including a rail yard, as part of the Port Jefferson Branch modernization project included in the MTA’s recently published 20-Year Needs Assessment. The purchase price from Suffolk County Landbank Corp. to the MTA for the site is only $10.

Now, with a hard-fought victory in sight, the remaining puzzle piece that could derail the community’s vision is a slow-motion negotiation between the New York State Department of Transportation and the MTA to finalize an easement over a state-owned right-of-way for an unbuilt highway that has been converted into the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway trail to make the entire site inclusive of a functioning, relocated rail yard terminus for the LIRR. For the plan to move forward, DOT and MTA must finalize an agreement before June 30.

The modernization of the Port Jefferson railroad line is imperative to address climate change issues and prepare our regional transportation system for the future. The stakes are high — communities along the Port Jefferson Branch comprise 30% of Suffolk County’s population. The branch also serves faculty and students at Stony Brook University, the largest single-site employer on Long Island.

Stations along the Port Jefferson Branch are among the most reliant on outdated and polluting diesel technology in the LIRR system. Further, inferior service on the branch contributes to roadway congestion and additional air pollution as Suffolk residents along the Port Jefferson Branch opt to drive to Ronkonkoma and other stations to access single-seat service to their destinations.

Modernization of the Port Jefferson line has been promised for decades. An internal MTA study determined that double-tracking and electrifying the line is feasible. There is overwhelming support among residents and businesses, and long memories of broken promises for change.

If DOT and MTA — two state-controlled agencies — can’t agree to easement language quickly, communities from Huntington to Port Jefferson will lose out on the opportunity to include funding for the early planning and preliminary construction phases of modernization in the upcoming 2025-2029 MTA Capital Program, delaying the planning process for this long overdue and transformative project for at least another five years.

If this hard-fought plan, built on a solid foundation of community and bipartisan political support, is allowed to fall by the wayside, electrification may never happen — to the lasting detriment of the entire region.

State agencies must work together in the weeks ahead to ensure that this unique opportunity to modernize the Port Jefferson Branch can, finally, leave the station.

Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) is the Suffolk County legislator for the 5th Legislative District, and was formerly a New York State assemblyman.

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Early learning educators and faculty at the Day Without Childcare Rally in Mt Sinai. Photo by Aidan Johnson

By Aidan Johnson 

Early learning educators on Long Island took part May 13 in a rally for a Day Without Child Care, a movement centered around affordable child care and fair wages for teachers who work in child care.

The demonstration took place near the Paper Planes Early Learning Center in Mount Sinai, and was attended by staff along with teachers from other early learning facilities in Suffolk County.

“Child care is paid solely out of the pockets of the parents — there’s no funding for child care unless you’re getting a subsidy,” explained Maria Ahrens, owner of PPELC. She further described how everything, including the teachers payroll, supplies and the building itself, is paid for by the parents out of pocket.

“And so when you have ratios to follow, such as one-to-four infants [per teacher], there’s almost no profit margin,” Ahrens said.

She stressed the importance of early learning education, as 90% of a child’s brain develops during their first five years.

This lack of funding does not leave room for high wages, benefits or health care for the teachers, helping contribute to the turnover rate of teachers in private pay age 0-5 learning centers.

Some teachers in the Day Without Child Care rallies are fighting for universal child care, which would be supported by taxes in the same fashion as public K-12 education. However, Ahrens also saw a voucher program that isn’t reliant on one’s income and can help families choose a quality child care facility as a starting point.

Ahrens said that support has been received from state legislators from both sides of the aisle, including Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead) and Sen. Jabari Brisport (D-Brooklyn). 

A bill was introduced by Brisport and Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn) that would have allowed social service districts to provide child care assistance to parents during more than just the hours they spend in work or education. This was aimed to help parents and caretakers who have uncertain work hours or other big responsibilities outside of work and school. 

While Bill S5327A passed both the Assembly and Senate, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) vetoed it last December.

In a statement Brisport said, “Governor Hochul knows exactly how bad tying child care to employment is for families, for child care providers and for the economy as a whole. It’s remarkable to see how consistently this governor will publicly claim to support universal child care while quietly moving New York in the opposite direction.”

“She’s a governor who chooses her words based on the needs of voters, but her actions based almost exclusively on the interests of her ultra-rich campaign donors,” he added.

Despite Hochul’s veto of Bill S5327A, Brisport is pushing again for improved child care services by sponsoring Bill S8152A, which is currently being reviewed by the Senate Finance Committee.  

“All of us love [teaching] because it’s our passion,” Ahrens said. “We love children. We want to educate them, but the pay isn’t enough to survive on.”

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Photo by Raymond Janis

Suffolk County transit system in need of additional state funding

In a recent letter, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine [R] called on Gov. Kathy Hochul [D] to increase financial assistance from Albany for Suffolk County Transit bus system. 

SCT was created in 1980 as a county-run oversight and funding agency for a group of private contract operators which had previously provided such services on their own. These companies manage the maintenance and operations of their buses. Buses are paid for by grants from the Federal Transit Administration with the 20% local share split between Suffolk County and New York State Department of Transportation. Both Suffolk County and NYSDOT provide operating assistance to cover shortfalls from fare box revenues.

SCT uses FTA grants to pay for buses, paratransit vehicles, fareboxes, radio communication equipment, bus shelters, bus stop signs and other capital improvements required by private operators to continue providing safe and reliable service that riders count on. All of the above also applies to the Huntington Area Rapid Transit bus system, known as HART.

Let us give thanks to the hardworking men and women of the Suffolk County departments of Public Works and Transportation responsible for preparing and filing FTA grants, implementing the grants funding capital projects and periodically winning extra-discretionary national competitive grant FTA dollars.

Larry Penner

Great Neck

Thank you National Association of Letter Carriers

On behalf of the Island Heart Food Pantry in Middle Island, a mission of the Mount Sinai Congregational Church, I’d like to thank the National Association of Letter Carriers for their annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. 

Once again, their efforts made a tremendous difference in stocking our shelves and meeting the needs of our community. Times have been difficult, especially since the pandemic, with little relief in sight. But, thanks to their commitment to communities across this country, we will be able to help our neighbors in need.

Kathy Lahey

IHFP Director

Middle Island

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North Shore Jewish Center. File photo

By Peter Sloniewsky 

On Sunday, May 5, the North Shore Jewish Center hosted a Silver Jubilee gala celebration honoring two women, Executive Director Marcie Platkin and bookkeeper Mary Ellen Shouler, for 25 years of service to the NSJC.

“I am extremely proud to be the executive director of this wonderful congregation … I always say there is a feeling of Chevra [‘’your people”] and fulfillment working for NSJC,” Platkin said.

Shouler added that, “Working here at the North Shore Jewish Center has been like working for a family business. I will always remember the families I have come to know and the children I have watched grow over the years.”

The NSJC is a Conservative Jewish congregation in Port Jefferson Station that describes itself as a “vibrant center of Judaism in Suffolk County.”

Platkin, raised in Jericho and certified with a master’s degree in social work from Adelphi University, began a long career of community and religious services as an organizer for the Jewish Association for Services to the Aged. She later went on to become an administrator of the New York State Family Self-Sufficiency Program under Gov. Mario Cuomo before starting at the NSJC in 1999.

Shouler, described as being “known for her sweet and calm disposition,” said she has “worn many hats.” Growing up in Smithtown, she worked at first for Western Electric in New Jersey but then “wound up back in Smithtown.” She found herself at the NSJC first as a part-time secretary and gradually advanced to the position of bookkeeper. 

Both women placed extensive value on the positive effect that the NSJC has to the Long Island community. 

In her speech at the event, Platkin described it as a place to learn and grow as a Jewish people and to formulate Jewish identity, but also “the one place outside home where [she] feels most comfortable,” noting that she had announced her engagement on the same bimah [podium where the Torah is read] 22 years earlier.

Shouler was similarly grateful for her experience: “[Starting at the NSJC] was a totally new experience for me, I was also learning about Jewish culture and the Jewish faith. Who would have known when I started here at the North Shore Jewish Center that so much time would pass and that we would be able to share many life events with each other.”

The gala was a heartfelt tribute to the two remarkable women for their dedicated 25 years of service. Their personal reflections highlighted the profound impact NSJC has had on their lives and the community. 

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Dr. Suzanne Fields, Professor of Clinical Medicine and Chief of the Division of General, Geriatric and Hospital Medicine. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Medicine

By Daniel Dunaief

A year after its formation, the Center for Healthy Aging has not only brought groups of scientists and doctors across the Stony Brook University campus together, but has also funded several early-stage projects.

An initiative started by SBU President Maurie McInnis and that received financial support from the Stony Brook University Presidential Innovation and Excellence Fund, the CHA is currently jointly run by interim co-directors Dr. Suzanne Fields, Professor of Clinical Medicine and Chief of the Division of General, Geriatric and Hospital Medicine and Dr. Christine DeLorenzo, Professor of Psychiatry and Biomedical Engineering and Director of the Center for Understanding Biology using Imaging Technology.

The CHA has several themes, including helping people live longer and healthier lives. In addition, it will serve as a research center that will include basic science, translational, clinical and health services research.

McInnis spoke with Dr. Peter Igarashi, the Dean of the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, to create this initiative.

Dr. Igarashi wanted to make it a center where people from different departments in the university, the five Health Sciences Schools and the Program in Public Health, as well as affiliated institutions such as the Northport VA and the Long Island State Veterans Home collaborated on innovative projects related to aging.

Fields and DeLorenzo anticipate the collaborative research with bioinformatics, pharmacology and bioengineering, for example, will help clinical providers prescribe effective medications for older patients safely through special alerts/ suggestions, identify patients at risk for falling through mobility sensors, and assist clinical providers with AI diagnostic tools.

‘Shark Tank’

Last June, the CHA held a workshop in the style of the “Shark Tank” television show.

Over 100 faculty members attended that meeting from different parts of the university, where they formed groups with other attendees to pose research questions and address challenges people face as they age.

“There was so much enthusiasm there,” said DeLorenzo. “We have so much expertise on campus. We have brilliant researchers who are working on everything from age-related effects at the cellular level all the way through to lifestyle interventions for elderly folks.”

After that meeting, the CHA provided $40,000 to two projects, hoping the support could help ideas get off the ground enough that the principal investigators could then apply to larger funding agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Aging, for additional funding.

Led by Adam Singer, the chair of the Emergency Room department, one group of faculty developed ideas to help people who suffered from falls.

“When people who are elderly come into the ER and they’ve fallen, the chances” of them falling again doubles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” said DeLorenzo. “What I love about that pitch the table gave, which was a mixture of clinicians, biomedical engineers, a respiratory therapist, and a physical therapist is that people were coming at this question from all angles.”

The group pitched an idea to create an intervention program that helps explain how to change a person’s lifestyle to prevent another fall.

Senescent cells

Markus Riessland, an Assistant Professor in the Empire Innovation Program in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, led the other funded pitch.

Riessland’s project looks at a particular type of cell that can become problematic as people age.

Older cells sometimes get stuck in a senescent state, where they don’t die, but give off signals that cause an inflammatory response.

Riessland’s group “got together and asked, ‘How can we intervene to clear away these senescent cells?’” said DeLorenzo.

Young immune systems typically recognize senescent cells and remove them. As people age, the immune system has a diminished ability to detect and remove these cells, causing inflammaging, which describes a build up of inflammation during the aging process, Riessland explained in an email.

“If you remove senescent cells from an old mouse, these mice show improvements in the function of virtually all tissue” including heart, liver, lung and brain and the lifespan increases by 30 percent, Riessland added.

Researchers have hypothesized that there is also a threshold number of senescent cells a human body can tolerate. If a person exceeds that threshold, it “causes inflammaging and age-related symptoms,” he wrote.

Based on his laboratory work, Riessland found that specific neurons in the brain become senescent and that these neurons secrete proinflammatory factors.

Riessland and his colleagues aim to ameliorate this inflammation and have found a molecular regulator that could be a drug target.

Based on the work Riessland did through the CHA study, he and his colleagues are writing a grant proposal for the National Institutes of Health. In the future, he, DeLorenzo and Dr. Carine Maurer will perform a clinical trial on Long Island that will assess the feasibility to ameliorate the inflammaging process in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Fall awards

In the fall, the center gave out six awards for $40,000 each and six for $100,000, many of which were in basic science, according to Dr. Fields.

“There was a broad array of topics, with some translational and some basic,” said Fields. “We’re following up with those people.”

Nancy Reich, a Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, received support as a part of the fall round.

The funding from CHA has “allowed us to begin to investigate the development of pancreatic cancer in the older population versus the young using a mouse cancer model,” Reich explained in an email. “Our hypothesis centers on the immune defense response.”

Search for a new director

Now that the center has made some headway and brought various teams together, the university is searching for a permanent director.

“It’s a real joy and pleasure to see this center start up,” said DeLorenzo.

DeLorenzo urges anyone interested in learning more to check the center’s web site, Center for Healthy Aging | Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University.

“We have events, and we would love for the community to go to them,” said DeLorenzo.

DeLorenzo encourages community members to reach out to Fields and her with any questions.

Riessland added that the CHA-funded projects will “have an impact on the understanding of the aging process itself.”

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By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

In connection with the Times Beacon Record Newspapers’ coverage of Stony Brook University’s Center for Healthy Aging, I asked a host of people what gets better for them with age. I promised each of them anonymity, so I have altered their names.

Starting with people in their 40’s to 60’s, one of the most common responses involved the relationship they had with their children.

“The first thing that comes to my mind is that my kids get better with age,” explained John in an email. “It has been such a joy to watch [his 15-year old daughter and 13-year-old son] grow up and become smart, relatively well-adjusted, and really interesting young adults.”

Indeed, Mary, whose children are in their early 20’s, suggested that her relationship with both of them has gotten better with each passing year. She appreciates their support and caring and feels time with them, by definition, has become quality time.

Julie, who is an empty nester, believes her relationship with her husband has improved dramatically. In the first few years after her children graduated from college, she and her husband did not have the same ideas about how to help guide and direct their children, leading to tension in their household and their marriage.

After a few important and stressful conversations, as well as an ultimatum or two, Julie and her husband have never been closer and are enjoying the opportunity to live, work and play together.

The 40’s to 60’s group also shared their professional confidence and comfort, trusting their own judgment as they have poured considerable time and effort into building their careers.

“Perspective gets better since you’ve seen more situations and something that might have appeared catastrophic earlier comes into focus as something that will pass,” Robert said in an email.

Dana feels her sense of self has improved. “I know who I am, and my thoughts, feelings and actions are now more aligned, which leads to contentment,” she said.

Fred suggested that his friendships have gotten better over time, both in importance and depth. He also feels his dog has made a ‘tremendous difference in my life.”

As the years since formal schooling slip further back in his life, Fred appreciates the opportunity to read for his own enjoyment and for himself, instead of to fulfill the requirements for a class.

The younger generation, which includes a sampling of people in their low to mid 20’s, couldn’t resist showing a little attitude.

The first response to “what gets better with age” was “cheese and wine.”

Sharing the sentiment expressed by those who have older children, they added “their appreciation for their parents.”

Also making the cut were “little things you took for granted,” “going on a long run and not getting hurt,” and “an appreciation for hanging out with friends.”

In the years after playing on school teams became less frequent, they also appreciate the opportunity to return to the court or to the field to play sports that are no longer scheduled a few times a week over the course of a long season.

As for those over 65, the list includes “focusing on the things that matter,” said Sheila. “Don’t sweat the little things.”

Carrie has learned to care less about what others think and do what she wants to do.

Joe suggested that “wisdom and temperament” come with age, although he added that’s not always the case.

“I don’t have to worry everyday about whether I will succeed in my goals,” said Paula, who is still working and traveling as a part of her job as she approaches 80. “I don’t have to worry whether my child will survive or thrive, whether I can pay my bills. I can relax a bit, but not too much because there is so much yet to do.”

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By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief,
Publisher

Please note that we have added something new to the front page of the newspaper. In the upper right hand corner, next to our flag, is a QR code. When you open that code with your cellphone, you will immediately be transported to the home page of our website, and there you will find a button that says, “LISTEN NOW.” Click there and you will be able to hear the current week’s podcast.

Do you know about our podcast?

Each week, after the newspaper comes out, members of the editorial team sit around a table in the recording studio and chat about the week’s news for a little over half an hour. We talk about what lies behind the headlines and perhaps throw in other bits of information that may not have fit into the limited space in the paper. 

Called “Pressroom Afterhour,” our regular participants include Samantha Rutt, managing editor; Mike Vincenti, co-producer; and myself. At the other end is our audio engineer, Michael Dunaief, in California. 

Different reporters, who have contributed stories each week, join us, either in person or as a call-in, and give more depth to the stories they have written, as well as commentary on other articles. We also include sports, with our sportscasters, Bill Landon and Steve Zaitz, and a weekly round-up of the news. 

Sometimes, we invite guests, like Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich, historian Bev Tyler, estate lawyers Nancy Burner and Gail Prudenti, and SCWA Chairman Charlie Lefkowitz, when they have participated in the week’s events.

This week, beginning tomorrow, May 31, we have joining us Dr. Suzanne Fields, interim co-director of the new Center for Healthy Aging at Stony Brook Medical Center. A distinguished geriatrician, she speaks about the Center, its purpose and goals, and offers an insightful overview of the aging process. Interviewing her this week, both for the newspapers and on the podcast, is reporter Daniel Dunaief. 

The podcast is available after noon every Friday, can be heard from the car or wherever you have your cellphone, and is available throughout the ensuing week either from our website, via the QR code, the home page at www.tbrnewsmedia.com or Spotify.

Please join us for a better understanding of the local news and the fun of discussing what’s happening in our daily lives. We would welcome any comments from you, as well as suggestions for articles to be featured on future podcasts. 

This is a bit of news with a local perspective you might not get elsewhere. Ben Brown, a freshman pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, pitched seven innings of no-hit ball on Tuesday against the the Milwaukee Brewers before he was taken out of the game by the manager, after throwing 93 pitches, for fear of straining his arm. At that point, the Cubs led by the score of 1-0.

Now, Ben Brown is a graduate of Ward Melville High School in the Three Village School District. He is a hometown boy, drafted right out of high school, at the age of 17, by the Phillies, as we wrote in a comprehensive previous article a couple of months ago. Brown, 24, was traded to the Cubs and brought up from the Minors this Spring.

The reliever, after getting the first out, opened the door. The Brewers tied the game by the ninth inning.

Fortunately for the Cubs, they were able to score five runs in the top of the tenth, and although the Brewers threatened in the bottom of the inning, scoring two, the Cubs shut the door, winning 6-3. And all of the game was played by the Cubs with some of the team, including Brown, ill with a bug.

We will surely talk about this game on the podcast this week, even though neither of the major league teams is local. But Ben Brown is and is richly worth a shout-out.

This is surely a game he will never forget.

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Do you recognize these two? Photo from SCPD
Do you recognize these two? Photo from SCPD
Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the people who allegedly used a debit card in Centereach and Middle Island stores that was stolen in Medford earlier that day

A woman lost her debit card at the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles located at 2799 Route 112, Medford on May 10 at approximately 12 p.m. Two men then allegedly used the stolen credit cards a short time later at two Walmart stores, located at 161 Centereach Mall in Centereach and 750 Route 25A in Middle Island. Additional transactions were also made.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.

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