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Editorial: Climate change comes close to home

by TBR Staff - July 31, 2023

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thermometer-gb76b5ff7e_1280 — Pixabay photo

From wildfire smoke to heat waves, Long Island has experienced significant impacts of climate change this summer like many parts of this country and the rest of the world.

People tend to ignore the problem until it directly affects them. Signs of climate change have been evident on Long Island for generations, such as water quality issues, rising sea levels and erosion. Some have overlooked newspaper articles covering these issues, dismissed local environmental activists and prioritized other concerns like affordability, cultural debates and health care.

However, the undeniable reality of a changing environment can no longer be ignored. The memory of walking outside within the past two months, suffocating in residual smoke from Canadian wildfires, remains vivid for many. The relentlessness of this summer’s heat and the overall warming trend throughout the year are hard to ignore.

The issues we face are not just anecdotal. Moody’s ranked Long Island as the fourth worst area among major American population centers regarding chronic physical risks associated with climate change. The consequences are not only on human health but are costly economically.

While our area boasts beauty and affluence, a significant portion of this prosperity comes from shoreline businesses and homeowners. With rising sea levels threatening these properties, the potential for immense property damage looms, leading some to consider leaving the island before catastrophe strikes.

This departure would not only impact local businesses but also philanthropic efforts and community engagement. Furthermore, the loss of beaches, parks and recreational spaces would profoundly affect the essence of the North Shore.

It is now imperative for our community and elected leaders to take this problem seriously. We don’t envy those in positions of power. With climate change on the brink, the decisions they make will affect future generations irreversibly.

Experts at every level of government, from federal to the village, must work diligently to assess the specific risks of climate change in our area and develop effective solutions to mitigate its impact.

We encourage our U.S. Congressman Nick LaLota (R-NY1) to advocate for federal funding to address environmental concerns in our district and to sponsor national legislation to combat climate change.

To protect the North Shore we cherish, we must invest in solutions like wind energy, the preservation of open spaces and beaches, safeguarding aquifers and water quality and monitoring toxic waste.

Climate change does not offer an easy, one-size-fits-all solution. It requires extensive research and collective effort to both understand and address it. It falls on all of us to support experts in finding solutions, whether through financial support or spreading awareness.

Climate change is a scary prospect, especially when imagining how much Long Island could be affected according to expert projections. Change itself can be terrifying for the average person, making it tempting to push aside the problem. But avoiding the issue will only exacerbate the situation. Superficial solutions will not suffice in confronting the serious consequences of climate change.

This is not a political issue. It is a matter that impacts our community and economy — as well as the world at large. We urge everyone to treat climate change with deep respect and do their part in protecting the environment. Let’s unite in safeguarding the place we call home.

Ronkonkoma man arrested for dragging man with stolen vehicle and assaulting police officer

by Press Release - July 30, 2023

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Police-car-siren-SCPD-grassw — File photo

Suffolk County Police arrested a Ronkonkoma man on July 29 for allegedly stealing a car, assaulting a police officer and attempting to steal a marked police vehicle.

A 45-year-old man was driving a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox on School Street in Ronkonkoma when William Gilmartin jumped onto the hood of the vehicle at 7:11 a.m. During a verbal altercation between the two men during which the victim exited the Chevrolet, Gilmartin jumped into the driver-side door and drove away. The owner of the vehicle held onto the driver’s side door and was dragged for more than one block before being thrown off the vehicle.

Following an investigation, Fourth Precinct officers located the vehicle at Gilmartin’s home on Arlington Road. Gilmartin was observed attempting to leave the scene in a black 2005 Nissan Altima that became disabled. While officers were attempting to place Gilmartin under arrest, Gilmartin punched a Fourth Precinct sergeant in the face and fled on foot.

Gilmartin entered a marked police patrol vehicle in an attempt to steal the police car when another officer opened the door and deployed a Taser, taking him into custody.

The owner of the Chevrolet and the sergeant were both transported to area hospitals for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Gilmartin was taken to an area hospital for treatment before being transported to the Fourth Precinct.

Gilmartin, 31, was charged with Robbery 2nd Degree, Grand Larceny 3rd Degree, Attempted Grand Larceny 3rd Degree, Reckless Endangerment 1st Degree, Assault 2nd Degree on a Police Officer, and two counts of Resisting Arrest.

Merchandise stolen from Walmart in Islandia

by Press Release - July 29, 2023

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Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole merchandise from an Islandia store in July.

A man allegedly stole a power washer from Walmart, located at 1850 Veterans Memorial Highway, on July 25.

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.

Best LI quarterbacks, boys and girls, battle for skills supremacy at Kings Park

by Steven Zaitz - July 28, 2023

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For the second straight year, Kings Park High School hosted the National Football Foundation’s Long Island Quarterback Challenge skills competition.

The star-studded event, held Sunday, July 23, had no shortage of signal callers from the North Shore. And unlike last year when it was a boys-only event, the girls were also part of the fun.

Commack’s Jeremy Weiss, the reigning champion coming into this year’s competition, finished third this time. He was just behind Smithtown West’s Brayden Stahl, who finished in second place.

The 2023 overall winner was Mustafa Mozawalla of Syosset, who prospered in the classroom as well as the gridiron, completing each throwing drill with panache.

Players from Nassau and Suffolk, including from the Catholic leagues, were eligible to participate. Jake Fields from Smithtown East, Shane Kiernan of Miller Place and Kaeden West from Comsewogue were all part of the field of 16, who were put through their paces on the field as well as the film room.

In addition to second overall, Stahl won the award for accuracy and West had the longest throw of the day, launching a majestic rainbow that rang against the crossbar in the back of the south end zone. It measured 64 yards.

Former NFL quarterback Matt Simms judged the boys as they ran drills in anticipation, arm strength, touch, mobility and football IQ. One of the highlights of the day was when Mozawalla scrambled to his left and, while sprinting to the sideline, threw a 40-yard dart in perfect stride to his receiver who tapped his toes in the back corner of the end zone.

“That was a magnificent throw,” Simms said. “Probably one of the best in the two years since we’ve done this.”

Kiernan and Fields also looked very good in the mobility drills as well as quarterback progressions.

As the sport of flag football has exploded on Long Island, organizers smartly added a contest for the girls — seven out of the 10 contestants were from Suffolk, including Grace Gilmartin and Pixie Ryan, both from Northport, and Taylor Mileti of Hauppauge.

However, it was Jennifer Canarutto of Plainview-Old Bethpage in Nassau who took first prize. Canarutto, who led her team to an undefeated season as well as the New York State championship just two short months ago, beat Alexandra DaEira-Loccisano of Eastport-South Manor and Delaney Israel of Longwood, who finished in second and third place, respectively.

Many familiar faces came down as receivers for the quarterbacks as Hauppauge Lady Eagles Stephanie Braun, Emma Condos, Meghan Goutink and Melissa O’Connor all caught passes for not only Mileti, but a few of the other contestants who were in need of targets.

Four Northport Lady Tiger pass catchers — Caitlyn Muzyka, Dana Restivo, Caitlyn Ryan and Jamie Weissman — braved the 90-degree heat to support Gilmartin and Ryan. Hauppauge’s head coach Steve Mileti watched his daughter Taylor from the press box as he served as color commentator on the live stream with Newsday’s high school sports editor, Gregg Sarra. Northport head coach Pat Campbell cheered on his sextet of athletes from the sidelines.

Muzyka was awarded “best receiver” on the girls side.

In total, eight quarterbacks and 18 receivers from TBR’s readership area competed on a long, hot, competitive and ultimately successful day.

Suffolk County Legislature recesses, blocks referendum on wastewater fund

by Raymond Janis - July 28, 2023

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Protest copy — Environmental advocates protest outside the William H. Rogers Legislature Building in Hauppauge on Tuesday, July 25. Photo by Raymond Janis

Cries for liberty and demands for clean water were heard outside the William H. Rogers Legislature Building in Hauppauge Tuesday, July 25.

For the second straight month, the Republican-led Suffolk County Legislature shot down a proposed 1/8 penny sales tax creating a local match program for state and federal subsidization for wastewater infrastructure.

The 10-7 vote to recess was along party lines, effectively dooming the measure from reaching the November ballot.

According to environmentalists and county officials, individually operated cesspools have grown increasingly problematic, with leakage from septic tanks contributing to brown tides, rust tides, algal blooms and fish kills.

Dave Calone, Democratic nominee for Suffolk County executive. Photo by Raymond Janis

In a rally, dozens of environmental advocates and community members joined Democratic candidates Tuesday morning, who collectively condemned the course taken by the majority.

“Today, the most fundamental need of water meets that most fundamental of American values — the right to vote,” said Dave Calone, Democratic nominee for Suffolk County executive. “The county Legislature needs to act. They need to give the people of Suffolk County the right to have a say about their own future.”

Joining Calone and others were several Democratic candidates running for county seats, including former New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright of Setauket and pediatrician Eve Meltzer-Krief of Centerport.

Englebright, a geologist by training who had previously served as chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Environmental Conservation, tied clean water initiatives to regional economic development.

“Our two largest industries on Long Island are tourism and agriculture,” he said. “Both of them require clean water.”

He added that Long Island’s sole-source aquifer is continually “in motion,” with contaminated groundwater “changing the chemistry and ecology” of the county’s harbors and bays.

“Do you think the tourists who visit us, who put the money into our restaurants, hotels and motels, will want to come out here if there are dead fish and putrid algae masses in the harbors?” Englebright said.

Skyler Johnson, chair of Suffolk County Young Democrats. Photo by Raymond Janis

Meltzer-Krief maintained that the Legislature is depriving county residents of limited grant opportunities from the state and federal governments.

Skyler Johnson, chair of Suffolk County Young Democrats and former candidate for New York State Senate, referred to the Legislature’s posture as “willful apathy.”

“The Republican majority in the Legislature is throwing young people’s futures under the bus,” he said, adding, “We cannot afford to be using water that is polluted. It is not fair for our residents, our children or our future.”

Legislators quarrel

Inside the Legislature building, Republicans and Democrats went back and forth on the issue.

Majority leader Nick Caracappa (C-Selden) indicated that the “bill as it sits right now is not right.”

“We disagree on resolutions all the time,” he said. “Let’s get together and fix it, and we can.”

Eve Meltzer-Krief, candidate for Suffolk County Legislature. Photo by Raymond Janis

Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) said the majority is passing up on “the opportunity of a lifetime.”

“If we keep waiting … the water will get worse,” she said. “It will cost us more to fix the water. People will be getting sick. We’ll be losing money on our economy.”

Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) suggested there are surpluses within the county budget better suited for reallocation for sewers. He said he objected to introducing new taxes with alternatives on the table.

“Stop taxing the people and run the government more efficiently,” he said.

Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) said she was saddened by the decision, suggesting that as the body delays funding “our water gets dirtier.”

“If we wait to get it just right, the money gets allocated elsewhere,” she said. “Why should we wait for clean water?”

A second measure that would consolidate the county’s 27 sewer districts was also tabled.

As the Legislature recesses, wastewater infrastructure will likely remain central as campaign season ramps up.

Letters to the Editor – July 27

by - July 27, 2023

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Denying Suffolk voters input is undemocratic

Newsday, yet again, reports that our water quality in Suffolk is hitting an all-time low.

When many of us moved to Suffolk after the establishment of the Suffolk County Legislature in 1970 — to be more representative after 200 years of the Board of Supervisors — the Legislature took a lead in protecting our land and water.

We were proud of its ability to “work across the aisle” for the good of our county community. We were proud to have a government that put the well-being of people and our treasured island ahead of any hint of partisan politics.

The case has been made over and over again that septic discharge is the culprit. Now there is a major proposed funding mechanism to make it all work — a sales tax increase of 0.125% to generate an estimated $3.1 billion through 2060 to expand sewers and offer grants to homeowners for new septic systems. It’s the culmination of a 10-year campaign and part of a referendum authorized by the state Legislature in April to be placed on the ballot as early as November. This mechanism is IR1573.

The county Legislature’s decision to table IR1573 and remove it from Suffolk voter input is undemocratic and suggests their underlying distrust of voters to educate themselves when the referendum would be voted on in November. Objections to details of IR1573 should not be the issue now.

Arguments that we have enough money to make a difference in water quality are beside the point. Work is already in progress — for 10 years — and there can always be more money allocated if we have fiscal windfall. We need to do much more, and only allowing voters to take personal responsibility and decide on the $0.125 increase to the sales tax is the first step.

The science is clear, our economy is paying the price, our children’s health is at stake.

Last week, both the Republican and Democratic candidates for Suffolk County executive supported putting the referendum on the ballot. If they can agree, why can’t the Legislature?

The League of Women Voters’ mission is making democracy work through informed and active participation in government. Let the voters decide, not individual politicians in an election year.

Lisa Scott, President

League of Women Voters of Suffolk County

Republican majority is failing its homework

Ironically, in the very same week we learned that the water quality in Suffolk’s waterways is at an all-time low, the Republican-led county Legislature effectively turned down billions of dollars in time-sensitive state and federal grants that would have paid for the needed interventions to clean our waters.

They blocked residents the opportunity to vote on a .125% tax increase, essentially 12 cents per $100 that would have funded the expansion of sewer projects and updated septic systems leaking nitrogen into our waters, the culprit of our poor water quality. The tax funds collected were to be matched by New York State and would have allowed us to access the grant funds. These monies will not be waiting for Suffolk County in a lockbox until this can be revisited next year. The waters which deteriorate in quality with every passing day have also now become much more expensive for us to clean thanks to the actions of the legislature.

In a recent letter [“Voters deserve legislators who do their homework,” July 20], Legislator Stephanie Bontempi [R-Centerport] asserted that the legislators are keeping the water quality referendum off the ballot this November because they want to “do their homework” before bringing the initiative to the people. Anyone with knowledge of the water quality project knows that this plan, which has wide bipartisan support, has been years in the making with ample opportunity to raise concerns, propose changes and “do their homework” rather than waiting until the 11th hour. It was in fact the legislators’ responsibility to do their homework long before they claimed they needed time for further exploration. Interestingly, the Presiding Officer [Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst)] had given every indication that the Republican caucus would be supporting including the referendum on the ballot on Election Day.

Reversing course now with contrived concerns shows utter disregard for the bipartisan group of policymakers, scientists and legislators who have been dedicated to this work along with every credible environmentalist group who implored the legislature to move forward with the referendum.

Either they did not do their due diligence when they should have or are concerned that having water quality on the ballot will risk bringing out voters who might not be voting for them. In any case, their decision has effectively lost the county a window of opportunity to affordably address one of the greatest environmental challenges faced by Suffolk County. They have failed “their homework” and have failed the people of Suffolk County.

Eve Meltzer-Krief

Centerport

Democratic candidate, Suffolk County Legislature LD18

Intervention on water quality is long overdue

Contrary to what County Legislator Stephanie Bontempi [R-Centerport] claims, the environmental record of the Republican majority does not “speak for itself.” [Letter, “Voters deserve legislators who do their homework,” TBR News Media editions, July 20.]

What does speak volumes is unanimously blocking voters from deciding for themselves in a general election whether the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act, 10 years in the making, should be implemented. All Suffolk state legislators from both parties support it. Ditto Suffolk congressmen. And ditto both candidates for Suffolk County executive.

Legislator Bontempi refers to “a false sense of urgency.” Last summer and this summer, there have been record fish kills, algal blooms and other water quality impairments. According to the Gobler Laboratory at Stony Brook University, “Excessive nitrogen coming from household sewage that seeps into groundwater and ultimately into bays, harbors and estuaries or, in some cases, is directly discharged into surface waters, is a root cause of these maladies.”

So, should we continue to allow this problem to fester as it has for decades. Or should we finally do something about it? What will it take to give Bontempi a true sense of urgency?

She promises that it’s the “intention” of the Republican majority to “ultimately” allow voters a referendum. Why should we believe this? Excuses for inaction are a dime a dozen. As they say, get it in writing.

In another letter about the same issue, Peter Akras complains about cost [“Proposed sales tax a blank check for developers”]. Implementing this plan would unlock state and federal matching funds. That’s free money for the benefit of Suffolk. He claims our water quality is as good as that of Nassau County. In fact, Suffolk County has more lakes with blue-green algal blooms than any of the 64 counties in New York state. Most water quality impairments in Long Island — brown tides, algal blooms, fish kills, hypoxias — are in Suffolk.

He also asserts that if homeowners want to install advanced septic systems, the cost should be on them, not “on the public dime.” This is fundamentally wrongheaded. The benefit of installing these systems doesn’t go to the individual homeowner no more than does the benefit of lugging disposed toxic chemicals to a recycling center instead of simply dumping them in the garbage. The benefit goes to the public — to all of us — in the form of cleaning up the environment in which all of us live and finally doing something about the toxic algal blooms and hundreds of thousands of dead fish in our bays and estuaries.

David Friedman

St. James

Let voters decide

Thomas Paine said something like, “A body holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.” The majority in the Suffolk County Legislature is blatantly exercising the evils of “legislature-ism,” stealing the residents’ ability to register their vote on their own drinking water and claiming to know more than the voters.

The Republican majority in the Suffolk Legislature cannot be trusted. What choices will they deny next?

Joan Nickeson

Terryville

Legislature appropriately nixes sewer tax

Kudos for the Suffolk County Legislature for not enacting another tax — that always increases over time — for sewering the county by closing cesspools and septic tanks in homes and small buildings, while building and expanding sewer plants and laying the large and numerous pipes needed for connections. This is no small change as $2.1 billion is mentioned arising from this initial tax.

Sewering is the landowners’ and developers’ dream. Lack of sewers prevents them from increasing building height, numbers and density, hence more rent, profits and value. If they could get the Legislature to have the public pay for sewering, they hit the lottery.

Regional sewer plants are concerning. Huntington has one as does Northport, for example. They discharge into the harbor and even with “upgrades,” high nitrogen and other components flow into the harbor and beaches. In stagnant conditions, the water is deoxygenated, fish die and green and brown tides of algae proliferate. Would you swim from a town beach in a harbor with a discharging sewer plant?

But are cesspools contaminating groundwater? They have been used since Roman times and work for single homes and structures. Waste goes into a perforated cement cylinder buried in soil and bacteria digest it. The effluent flows through the dozens of feet of sand and soil and is cleansed before entering the water table.

Sewering may be useful in coastal and near-coastal areas to prevent pollution. The rest of Long Island is doing fine with cesspools and septic tanks, and is quite happy that high-rise offices, housing, commercial structures and density are not blighting their communities.

Mark Sertoff

East Northport

Maryhaven is not just a facade

The July 13 article, “Port Jeff village board cans code changes for Maryhaven,” states that the proposed changes “were an effort by the previous administration to preserve the historic building.” That’s not entirely the case.

While the preservation of the building’s facade was touted as a concern, the proposed code change was, as former village attorney Brian Egan explained, a “proactive” step to clear the path for developers. And because that change in code, from Professional Office to Moderate-Density Residence, would have allowed developers to construct nearly 200 condos — a significant increase in density — it came under strong opposition from the public.

Many residents urged the board of trustees to consider alternative uses for the property that would not only be in the best interests of the village as a whole, like moving our Fire Department and EMS there, but more in line with the legacy of a building once known as the Center of Hope.

We thank Mayor Lauren Sheprow and the current board of trustees for rejecting this code change and allowing us the opportunity to explore those other options. A building, which for generations was used to help those in need, should be repurposed for something greater than expensive condominiums that would only serve the few at the expense of the many.

Ana Hozyainova, President

Kathleen McLane, Outreach Officer

Port Jefferson Civic Association

Official newspaper of the Northport-East Northport school district

It is with great pleasure that I notify you that at the Annual Organization Meeting of the Board of Education of the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District, held on Thursday evening, July 13, The Times of Huntington-Northport was designated as the official newspaper for the district publications and legal notices for the 2023-24 school year.

We thank you for your support and extend our best wishes for the new school year.

Beth M. Nystrom

District Clerk

Official newspaper of the Village of Belle Terre

At the Organizational Meeting of the Board of Trustees held on July 18, The Port Times Record was designated as the official newspaper for the Village of Belle Terre for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024.

Louise Smit

Deputy Village Clerk-Treasurer

Gurwin Healthcare System hosts Barbie Dream Salon makovers for residents

by Press Release - July 27, 2023

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Residents and staff of Gurwin Healthcare System in Commack caught “Barbie Fever” days before the release of the new Barbie movie on July 21 with a campus-wide “Barbie-fest” featuring all-pink days of relaxation, fun and resident makeovers at the System’s Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Gurwin Adult Day Care Program, Gurwin Jewish Fay J. Lindner Residences Assisted Living and Fountaingate Gardens independent living community, on Tuesday, July 18 and Wednesday, July 19.

“Many of our residents remember Barbie’s introduction in the late 1950s and the excitement of getting a brand new doll, or their children grew up with Barbie and they played with the dolls together,” said Nicole Hopper, Director of Therapeutic Recreation at Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. “It really brings back wonderful memories to a simpler time when they could be children themselves.”

The Barbie celebration took place at “Barbie’s Dream Salon,” created by Gurwin staff, dripping in Barbie’s signature Pantone 219 C “Barbie pink” hues. It was there where Gurwin residents had the opportunity to get “Barbiefied,” with manicures, makeup and hot pink hair extensions, all while sipping on Barbie mocktails. Other Barbie-themed activities included paint-your-own Barbie canvas and a Barbie photo booth for social media posting. The celebration extended to Gurwin’s Adult Day Care Programs, where program participants created bedazzled berets for an afternoon “Barbie in Paris” fashion show.

In Gurwin’s senior living communities, staff at Gurwin’s Fay J. Lindner Residences created a Barbie salon and Malibu beach-themed celebration; residents played beach volleyball, posed for Barbie and Ken photos, and created Barbie crafts while enjoying an array of pink-colored delicacies. And, at Fountaingate Gardens independent living community, staff hosted a Barbie pink lemonade and prosecco social with a viewing of the Barbie documentary.

Gurwin staff got in on the BarbieMania, dressing in their best Barbie and Ken-inspired fashions, and posing for photos with residents!

“My daughter had a Barbie collection and it made me feel good when she took care of the dolls as if they were her children,” said Marie Olivia, a 92 year-old-resident of Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. “She had a lot of dolls and we constantly had to wash each of their clothes, press them, then dress them. She was so particular about her dolls that when her friends would come over, they were not allowed to leave until the Barbie’s were put back in their box and safely away.”

“It was truly a remarkable campus-wide celebration for our residents, as well as our staff and visitors,” said Stuart B. Almer, President and CEO of Gurwin Healthcare System. “Our amazing team pulled out all the stops to bring the Barbie pop culture phenomenon event to life at Gurwin for our residents to experience and enjoy.”

D. None of the Above: A soggy hamburger that helped a defendant flee

by Daniel Dunaief - July 26, 2023

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By Daniel Dunaief

They found me.

After several decades without my civil service responsibilities cropping up, I recently received a summons to appear for jury duty.

The summons brought back memories of a jury I served on years ago. While I was sitting in the courtroom waiting as a court officer chose names of potential jurors for a criminal case, a woman sitting next to me asked my name. When I told her, she said I’d be picked for that jury.

I smirked because there were 200 of us in the room.

Two names later, they called me. I looked back quizzically at the woman, who smiled and walked out of the room with the others who weren’t called.

I served on that jury. It was a buy and bust drug case. I listened carefully as the defense attorney questioned the under cover police officer who tried to buy drugs from the defendant.

When the defense attorney asked how many such operations the policeman had been on, the number was high enough to raise questions about how well he remembered this defendant.

The officer said he made notes, which the defense attorney asked him to read. Going through the notes, he described someone who was about the same build and age as the defendant. He also described a leather jacket with a specific insignia. That was not the defense attorney’s finest moment, as the defendant was wearing that exact same jacket to court. Whoops!

The rest of the trial wasn’t particularly memorable. On closing, the defense attorney suggested that the defendant became addicted to drugs when he served in Vietnam. The judge asked us to focus only on whether the defendant broke the law and not on how he might have gotten addicted to drugs.

After the judge sent us to deliberate, the foreman suggested that we take a vote. Who thought the man had drugs in his possession?

Every hand shot up.

Who thought he intended to sell those drugs?

Everyone but one person agreed.

We asked her about her concerns. She said she had ordered lunch and wanted her hamburger and fries. We told her we’d be happy to pitch in and give her money for a lunch if that was the only reason she wasn’t voting to convict.

Was that, we wondered, paying her for a verdict?

It didn’t matter. She wanted to wait. When lunch came, we ate quietly, waiting for the moment we could take another vote. The holdout said the burger wasn’t good and the fries were soggy.

Gnashing our teeth, we voted again. This time, we all voted to convict. One of the other jurors asked her if she had any other concerns or questions. She shook her head.

When we knocked on the door to let the officer know we were ready, he told us to wait. We spent another three hours in that room.

We returned to the courtroom, where the foreman announced our verdict. The defense attorney polled us all on both counts.

Once we were out in the hallway, I asked the prosecutor why we had to wait so long. She said the judge had held them in the courtroom, figuring that we’d have a verdict before lunch. When he heard we broke for lunch, he told everyone to leave and return in an hour.

Everyone but the defendant came back. The defense attorney spent the next few hours calling his relatives and trying to bring him back.

“What’s going to happen?” I asked.

The police would go to his residence and there would be a warrant for his arrest. He would also enter a database. How hard, I wondered, would the police search for him?

She suggested they would look, but that he was more likely to be caught committing another crime.

“He’s out because someone wanted a soggy burger?” I asked.

She shrugged.

With cell phones and an electronic footprint, the system today may work better than it did then.

Between You and Me: A spy story whose heroes were largely unknown until now

by Leah Dunaief - July 26, 2023

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Toole-Andre-1 — 'The Capture of John Andre' by John Toole. Wikimedia Commons

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

But for the fact that three militia men were playing cards and having lunch in the bushes alongside the Albany Post Road south of the West Point fort in 1780, we might be speaking English with a British accent.

It was down this road that British Major John Andre came galloping, and when the three stopped him near Tarrytown, N. Y. to ascertain his business, they searched him and found detailed maps in one of his boots. It was key information about the fort, and the men realized the rider was a spy, trying to get behind the British lines in New York City.

As it turned out, Andre was coming from a meeting with Benedict Arnold, the commander at West Point, who was about to turn over the fortification to the British and join them in the Revolutionary War. The fort was a most important installation, blocking the British garrisons from moving up the Hudson, splitting New England from the rest of the colonies and connecting with their troops in Canada. This strategy could well have ended the war.

The British troops had tried to overwhelm the fort but failed. There was a British ship moored in the Hudson, and when Arnold got word that Andre had been captured, he boarded the ship and crossed over to the other side of the river where the British were camped, making his escape and marking him for all of history as a traitor to his country.

Andre was recognized as an important figure and turned out to be head of British intelligence. The Colonists questioned him in detail. The map and information he carried would have allowed the British to enter and capture West Point. Andre confessed his role and ultimately was hanged as a spy, much as Nathan Hale had been four years earlier.

During the time Andre was held prisoner, he succeeded in charming his captors. A well educated man, of keen wit and culture, he was appealing to the upper-class American officers, including Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette, of the Colonial Army for his patriotism to his country. Ironically, we have heard of “Poor” Andre and Benedict Arnold, but most of us have never heard of John Paulding, David Williams and Isaac Van Wart, the three who captured the Brit. That is, until now.

Van Wart and the other two were farmers in their early twenties and were part of a local militia attempting to protect the much harassed residents sandwiched between Washington’s forces in the Hudson Highlands and the British army in Manhattan. That is why the three were stationed along the dirt road. Andre tried to bribe the men to release him, but they handed him over to American forces.

The men “were recognized by the Continental Congress with hand-wrought, silver military medals, now considered to be the first ever awarded to American soldiers,” according to a New York Times article in last Saturday’s issue. And while two of the three medals were stolen from the New York Historical Society in 1975 and never found, the third was held by the Van Wart family for over two hundred years and has now been donated to the New York State Museum in Albany, where it can be seen starting in the fall.

The three men met with Washington, were given the medals, and each a plot of land and a lifetime annual pension of $200, which was then a “princely sum.”

Van Wart died in 1828, and the medal was passed down through the generations of his family until it reached Rae Faith Van Wart Robinson in White Plains. She was inordinately proud of her ancestor and kept the medal in a shoe box under her bed, taking it out to display at historical events. She never married, had no children or siblings, and when she died in 2020, she instructed that the medal be given to a museum where it could always be viewed and the story told. The front of the medal prominently bears one word: “Fidelity.”

Lake Grove woman arrested for stealing jewelry from clients

by Press Release - July 26, 2023

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Suffolk County Police arrested a Lake Grove woman on July 25 for allegedly stealing from clients of a Huntington jewelry store over a three-year span.

Following an investigation by Second Squad detectives, it was determined Laura Bee, an employee of Ever Love Jewelers, located at 374 New York Ave., had allegedly stolen jewelry valued at more than $125,000 from seven clients between September 2019 and December 2022. In some instances, Bee allegedly knowingly issued checks with insufficient funds to cover the transaction and then kept the jewelry. In others, she swapped real diamonds for fakes, or used inferior quality diamonds but charged full price.

Bee, 59, was arrested at her home and charged with seven counts of Grand Larceny 3rd Degree, a felony, and six counts of Issuing a Bad Check, a misdemeanor.

Anyone with information, or who believes they may have been a victim, is asked to contact Second Squad detectives at 631-854-8252.

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