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TBR News Media Police Blotter for issue of 1/13/22

by Heidi Sutton - January 15, 2022

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The following incidents have been reported by the Suffolk County Police:

Commack

■ Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit detectives are investigating a robbery that occurred at a Commack bank on Dec. 29. A man entered Capital One, located at 2050 Jericho Turnpike, at approximately 11:50 a.m. and allegedly handed a teller a note threatening violence and demanding money. The teller gave the man cash from the drawer and the man fled on foot. The man was wearing a mask, a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, a ski cap and gloves. Update: Suspect is in custody.

■ Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit detectives are also investigating a robbery that occurred at a HSBC bank in Commack on Dec. 29. A man entered the bank, located at 5880 Jericho Turnpike, at approximately 4:35 p.m. and allegedly handed an employee a note threatening violence and demanding money. The teller complied and the man fled on foot. The man was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt under a dark colored jacket. His hood was up and he was also wearing a blue baseball cap, a blue face mask, and gloves. Update: Suspect is in custody.

■ A person allegedly stole a 2021 black Mazda 3 that was parked in the driveway of Balsam Lane in Commack on Jan. 4 at 12:30 a.m.

■ Two men walked into Walmart on Crooked Hill Road in Commack on Jan. 3 at 1:40 p.m. and allegedly stole two coffee machines and two Kitchen-Aid machines.

■ An unidentified person in a car allegedly took two outgoing payment checks from a mailbox on Holly Drive in Commack on Jan. 3. The incident was caught on a neighbor’s Ring security camera.

East Northport

■ Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit detectives are investigating a robbery that occurred at an East Northport bank in the afternoon of Jan. 3. A man entered Citibank, located on Larkfield Road, and allegedly handed an employee a note threatening violence and demanding money at approximately 3:45 p.m. The teller complied and the man fled on foot. The man is white and was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt under a dark colored jacket. He was also wearing a COVID facemask. Update: Suspect is in custody.

■ A person allegedly removed a catalytic converter from a 2003 Ford F250 parked on the street in front of a residence on Grant Street in East Northport on Jan. 3.

■ A catalytic converter was removed from a 1999 Honda Accord parked on 4th Street on the corner of 5th Avenue in East Northport on Jan. 3.

■ The theft of a catalytic converter from a 2009 Toyota Prius parked on Harding Street in East Northport was reported on Jan. 3.

■ A catalytic converter was removed from a 2005 Honda Accord parked in front of a residence on Heath Lane in East Northport on Jan. 5.

East Setauket

■ BJ’s Wholesale Club on Nesconset Highway in East Setauket reported that 12 cases of beer were stolen on Jan 5 at 12:50 p.m. The items were allegedly placed in a shopping cart by an adult male who then exited the store without paying for them. The items are valued at approximately $365.

■ The police were summoned to Walmart on Nesconset Highway in East Setauket to investigate a petit larceny on Jan. 5 at 3 p.m. An unidentified female allegedly took miscellaneous household items valued at $25 and walked out of the store without paying.

Hauppauge

■ Lynbrook Glass on Motor Parkway in Hauppauge reported that several catalytic converters were stolen from vehicles on their property on Jan 1 at 2 a.m.

Huntington

■ A wallet containing credit cards and cash was stolen from an unlocked vehicle parked in the driveway of a residence on La Rue Drive in Huntington on Jan. 3 at 9 p.m.

■ A 1999 Chrysler Town and Country was stolen from a residence on Meadowlawn Street in Huntington on Jan. 5. The owner reported that the keys had been left in the vehicle.

Huntington Station

■ Rite Aid on West Jericho Turnpike in Huntington Station reported the alleged theft of 10 cases of beer by an unidentified man on Jan. 2 at 5:40 p.m.

Kings Park

■ A Razor E200 electric scooter was stolen from outside T.J. Maxx on Indian Head Road in Kings Park on Jan. 5 at 4:30 p.m.

Lake Grove

■ Mayra’s Bakery on Hawkins Ave., Lake Grove was the victim of a scam on Dec. 28, 2021. A caller allegedly claiming to be a PSEG employee told the owner they would shut the power off to the bakery if they didn’t send a payment. A payment was made over the phone using a bank card.

■ Police were summoned to Dick’s Sporting Goods at the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove on Jan. 6 at 4 p.m. after two women allegedly placed assorted clothing in bags and left the store without paying for it.

Mount Sinai

■ A resident on Mount Sinai Coram Road in Mount Sinai called the police on Jan. 2 at 1 a.m. to report license plates were stolen off a vehicle parked in front of his home.

Port Jefferson

■ Miscellaneous groceries were reported stolen from Cafe Latino on Main Street in Port Jefferson on Jan. 3 at 3 p.m. The value was estimated at $15.

Port Jefferson Station

■ On Jan. 2 at 6 p.m. a resident on Rush Street in Port Jefferson Station reported that approximately $500 in gift cards and cash had been stolen from a wallet inside the home.

Rocky Point

■ While loading groceries into trunk at Stop & Shop on Route 25A in Rocky Point on Jan. 3 around 6:30 p.m., a woman left her pocketbook in the shopping cart and drove away. When she returned to retrieve it the pocketbook containing her wallet and cellphone were gone. No one turned the purse in

Selden

■ Employees at Home Depot on Middle Country Road in Selden called police on Jan. 4 to report merchandise including copper wire had been allegedly stolen by two males. The items were placed on a utility cart and the two suspects walked out of the store without paying. Estimated value of the items is $6800.

■ A woman called the police on Jan. 4 at 4:45 p.m. to report that her wallet had been stolen while she was shopping at ShopRite on Middle Country Road in Selden.

■ Police were summoned to Home Depot on Middle Country Road in Selden on Jan. 4 at 3:30 p.m. after two adult males allegedly walked out without paying for two cordless nail guns valued at a total of $360.

■ Home Depot on Middle Country Road in Selden called police on Jan. 5 at 12:40 p.m. to report that a spool of copper wire valued at approximately $430 had been allegedly stolen by an adult male.

■ On Jan 6 at 1:15 a.m. a resident on Hawkins Road in Selden reported that a laptop and some personal items were allegedly stolen from a car parked in the street in front of the resident’s home.

■ A manager at Walgreens on Middle Country Road in Selden called the police on Jan. 6 at 9:40 p.m. to report that two cases of Heineken beer were stolen from the store.

South Setauket

■ Target on Pond Path in South Setauket reported on Jan. 2 at 3:15 p.m. that an unidentified woman allegedly switched price stickers on four LEGO sets before purchasing them. The original price was listed at $570.

Stony Brook

■ Lowes on Nesconset Highway in Stony Brook called the police on Jan. 2 at 1:45 p.m. to report an adult male allegedly stole two garage door openers valued at approximately $450 in total.

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.

— COMPILED BY HEIDI SUTTON

BJ’s Wholesale Club opens 12th store on Long Island

by Heidi Sutton - January 15, 2022

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BJs-Exterior-from-press-release-for-Commack — The exterior of BJ's Wholesale Club in Commack

BJ’s Wholesale Club opened its latest wholesale club in Commack on Jan. 7. The new store brings the retailer’s total number of U.S. locations to 224, with 12 of those being on Long Island.

“We’re excited to expand our footprint in Long Island, with the opening our new club in Commack,” said Dan Smith, Manager of BJ’s Wholesale Club in Commack. “We’re looking forward to bringing BJ’s outstanding offerings to Commack and the surrounding community.”

Located at 2 Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack in the former Macy’s location, the new store will feature a vast selection of fresh foods and produce, a full-service deli, household essentials, pet supplies, seasonal items, home décor, fashion for the family, toys, hot tech, and a selection of local products. For more information, call 631-850-8260.

Last chance to catch a performance of ‘Frozen Jr.’ in Smithtown!

by Heidi Sutton - January 14, 2022

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258768697_9865761773441492_4519414725221474184_n — Brody Hampson and Lorelai Mucciolo sing 'Love Is an Open Door'

Do you want to build a snowman? The Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. Main St., Smithtown will present Disney’s Frozen Jr. through Jan. 17. Six shows are left:

Sat. Jan. 15 – 10 am

Sat. Jan. 15 – 2 pm

Sun. Jan. 16 – 10 am

Sun. Jan. 16 – 2 pm

Mon. Jan 17 – 10 am

Mon. Jan 17 – 2 pm

A story of true love and acceptance between sisters, Frozen Jr. expands upon the emotional relationship and journey between Princesses Anna and Elsa. When faced with danger, the two discover their hidden potential and the powerful bond of sisterhood. With a cast of beloved characters and loaded with magic, adventure, and plenty of humor, Frozen Jr. is sure to thaw even the coldest heart! Tickets are $25. Call 724-3700 or visit www.smithtownpac.org.

Between You and Me: Can you believe she said that? Share with us

by Leah Dunaief - January 14, 2022

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By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

It’s a new year and I have a new suggestion for our readers. Inspired by The New York Times column that is published on Sundays, called Metropolitan Diary, we would like to offer a similar feature. The Diary is made up of short vignettes, sent in by readers, of anecdotes and interactions that occur as part of city life. Each week, while individually interesting, they also reflect the unique tone of what it is like to live in New York City.

We would like to start a Village Diary, perhaps to run once a month, which would be fun to read and also speak of our existence here in Suffolk County. We would have to depend on you to do this because it would consist of stories and conversations you would like to share. They could be anything exemplifying, “Would you believe this!” to “Why I am proud of the place in which I live,” or “This is what my wife said to me at breakfast this morning,” or even “What they yelled at the umpire.”

As an illustration, I can tell you one of my favorites from the NYT about life in the Big Apple. Two couples were sharing a cab ride to the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. The older couple was taking the younger one to their first opera, Verdi’s Otello. The older man was seated in front, and as they rode along, he draped his left arm over the back of the seat and was telling the plot to those in the back. Just as he got to the part of Iago, his green-eyed jealousy, and the misplaced handkerchief, they pulled up in front of Lincoln Center, and he reached over to pay the fare. To his surprise, the cab driver blocked his arm and said, “Nobody leaves this cab until I hear the end.”

There are a couple of encounters I have thought to send in. One involves parking my car in the theater district. Because I have special plates, I usually park on a block west of the district that has four spaces reserved for those cars. This time, when my friend and I pulled up at the usual place, the spots were taken by cars without proper plates. “Where else can you park?” asked my friend.

As I sat there, my head down, trying to think of alternatives, there was a knock at my window. Surprised, I turned to see a smiling man in an orange jumpsuit. When I opened the window, he asked, “Want a parking space? Wait two minutes and you can have four.” I looked back and there was a long, flatbed truck with a huge hook on the end.

True to his word, he had pulled the illegally parked cars onto his truck in a couple of minutes, and with a wave, he and his load were off. I now had my choice of spot. “You are lucky I am here as a witness,” commented my friend. “No one would believe this story.”

Another such incident involved a friend who was visiting from Boston and was driving us both into the city. Only when she had stopped alongside the electronic machine of the EZ Pass lane at the entrance to the tunnel, did she realize she was not driving the car with the pass on the windshield. “You can’t back up,” I yelled. “Oh my gosh, here comes a cop,” she shouted. Indeed, a police officer was bearing down on us from the next lane, a ticket book in his hand and a deep scowl on his face.

“Whatsa matter wit chou?” he yelled as he reached us. “Don’t ya know hadda drive?”

“I’m so sorry officer,” my friend replied. “I thought I had the other car.” Only she didn’t say “car” but rather “cahhr,” revealing her origin.

“Cahhr? Cahhr?” the policeman repeated. Then, “Go on, get odda here,” and he waved us through the raised gate. We never paid the toll.

Please send any such local stories to [email protected]. We will gladly print them.

D. None of the Above: Yes, we are sore losers, but we don’t have to be

by Daniel Dunaief - January 14, 2022

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By Daniel Dunaief

I am a terrible loser.

I blame John McEnroe, Billy Martin, Lou Piniella, Pete Rose, and a host of politicians who couldn’t, or wouldn’t, accept defeat.

All of those people hated to lose. McEnroe had temper tantrums that were so epic that he’s spoofed himself many times, complaining in movies that “you can’t be serious” when things don’t go his way.

Frustrated with the umpiring in a game, Martin would kick dirt on home plate or have an epic meltdown in front of over 50,000 people.

I don’t ever remember any of those tirades or temper tantrums when they or their teams were winning.

Being American means winning. To borrow from the cliche, it means giving 110%.

I can’t tolerate losing, just as CEOs, politicians, athletes and sports coaches and managers can’t stand it, either. Many people hate losing as much if not more than they enjoy winning.

The fans who pay to see their teams win, not just to see them play, boo mercilessly when stars like the New York Knicks Julius Randle don’t live up to their contracts and don’t lead the team to more victories than defeats.

Randle recently expressed his frustration in response to the fans’ disappointment by giving them the thumbs down in a game.

Unconditioned positive regard, however, doesn’t come with having your name in lights or being a star on a celebrated team.

We get that from family members, sometimes, and from psychologists or psychiatrists.

As Americans, we have expectations of ourselves that have been set, in some cases, by role models like athletes, politicians and other popular icons.

At the end of the year, sports networks don’t focus on the best concessions speeches and the most gracious losers.

They are much more likely to replay the greatest rants and epic press conferences when athletes or coaches completely lose their composure in response to a question. We watch in rapt fascination as these superstars have a tantrum or glumly express disappointment.

Being a sore loser is also good business. The media empires on the left and the right long ago figured that out. During the Trump administration, nothing the former president said or did was good enough. The outrage factor over his thoughts, actions, gaffes and verbal inadequacies were attacked mercilessly.

Fox, which spent the last four years laughing at the liberal crying machine, has now turned its attention to attacking President Joe Biden (D) in a similar fashion, mocking everything he says or does or doesn’t do.

People in the sports world describe muscle memory. They train their bodies and minds to react to evolving situations instantly, so they know where to go, what to do, and how to advance their cause.

That preparation almost never includes lessons on what to do when you lose or are losing. No one plays to lose, and yet, every game has a loser.

Maybe this year, we should prepare ourselves better for the moment we lose. We don’t have to be miserable, stare out blankly at the field, the way baseball players always do after the last game of the World Series, wishing they could have been that team that’s dogpiling near the pitcher’s mound.

Maybe this year, when people are continuing to struggle with a third year of the pandemic, we can hope for a celebration of great competition from both teams.

We can take comfort and feel joy in the recognition that we brought out the best in each other.

Even when we lose, we can, to borrow from Lou Gehrig, still feel like the “luckiest people on the face of the Earth” for having been a part of something we know is special, regardless of the outcome.

Editorial: Keep options open

by TBR Staff - January 14, 2022

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As the holiday break began to wind down and COVID-19 infection rates climbed, many parents hoped their children would be learning remotely for a week or two instead of returning to their classrooms.

Many feared that their children would get sick if they returned to school buildings and hoped that their districts would take advantage of their past remote learning experiences and allow students to return to a virtual classroom temporarily — just long enough for the holiday virus surge to pass.

While a few schools on Long Island did switch to remote and other districts offered an option, many school officials opened the doors to their classrooms as if they didn’t have a clue as to how to use alternative methods to educate.

Many people would agree that learning during the pandemic for a majority of students was difficult when a day at school meant logging into a computer instead of boarding a bus. The ideal option is to be seated in a classroom. However, in the worst of times, such as the world continuing to fight a virus that could be deadly to some, would switching to remote learning for a week or two be so harmful?

To keep our children and their families safe, school districts should be at the ready to switch to remote learning when infection rates soar. While health officials can advise not to gather during the holidays, is it such a terrible thing to allow people to be with their loved ones and then look at a screen when school is back in session?

Technology has made it possible to continue learning and working during difficult times such as these. Perfecting remote techniques and always being prepared to use them means that learning, working, basic health care and more can continue no matter what is going on around us, except for maybe a power outage.

And with more employers offering work-from-home options, many parents will be able to watch their children in the house if their children need to log into a computer to connect with their classroom. Which in turn, eliminates the old snow or sick day problem of who is going to watch the kids.

It’s been said many times during the pandemic that maybe instead of getting back to normal, it might be better to embrace a new normal. Let’s retain the lessons we have learned the last two years and increase our country’s chances of soon enjoying good times once again.

New police commissioner sworn in

by Julianne Mosher - January 13, 2022

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CWC_4320 — New Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harris sworn in this week by County Executive Steve Bellone. Photo from SCPD

As of this week, the new Suffolk County police commissioner is officially on board.

On Tuesday, Jan. 11, former NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison was sworn in by County Executive Steve Bellone (D) at the Police Academy in Brentwood.

The law enforcement veteran retired after a 30-year career with the NYPD and replaces Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart, who resigned in May for a job as head of security at Hofstra University.

Bellone also swore in Suffolk’s new Chief of Department Robert Waring, who was promoted from chief of patrol.

Holiday COVID surge causes local schools to continue protocols

by Julianne Mosher - January 13, 2022

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N2105P18008C — North Shore school districts share what they’re doing to keep up with the new COVID variants. Stock photo

As students went back to school after the winter break, a spike in COVID-19 cases caused widespread absences fueled by the Omicron variant.

As of Monday, Suffolk County has experienced a 24.1% positivity rate, according to the New York State Department of Health.

These numbers come just one day before Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced that the state will be ending contact tracing for the virus. She said that keeping up with the number of cases is “nearly impossible” with the Omicron surge and the focus should rather be on vaccinations and testing.

“We have 12,000 new cases a day. It is almost impossible to do contact tracing the way we have been in the past,” Hochul said at a news briefing in Manhattan Jan. 11.

The county has yet to announce if it will also stop contact tracing on the local level.

But to continue keeping children safe in their schools, some North Shore districts have implemented new protocols, on top of mask wearing, social distancing and virtual learning.

Elwood

In a statement from Elwood school district, Superintendent Kenneth Bossert said that at the high point of the COVID surge, which was immediately following the holiday break, the district had approximately 200 students isolated or in quarantine.

“Any student who is directed to isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19 has the opportunity to work remotely in Elwood, K-12,” he said.

Northport-East Northport

Residents in the Northport-East Northport community received a letter from Superintendent Robert Banzer last week providing an update on some changes that took place due to the surge.

At the time of the notice, which was sent out Jan. 7, the quarantine and isolation expectations for students and staff reduced for positive cases from 10 days to five days as long as the conditions in the guidance are met. These changes to quarantine protocols are also outlined and are based on vaccination/booster status.

For remote learning while quarantining, Banzer expressed his sympathy noting, “We understand that remote learning is not ideal,” but some changes were made for students to learn while at home.

High school and middle school students were updated on the district’s virtual quarantine support schedule, which provides periodic access to a subject area teacher throughout the day. Elementary students were granted increased access to their quarantine support teacher.

“A key difference between virtual quarantine support versus livestreaming a classroom (aka: turning the camera on in the classroom) is the ability for students to interact with a teacher and ask questions, which is not typically possible with a traditional livestreaming approach,” he wrote. “This creates conditions that allow for full attention on students; the large majority who are present in class, and those who are online seeking virtual assistance from the subject area teacher.”

The district, along with others on Long Island, was given testing kits for students and staff to conduct at home, as well as community testing to take place on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Bellerose Avenue location.

Smithtown

Smithtown schools are prioritizing in-person instruction, according to Superintendent Mark Secaur.

“We strongly believe it to be superior to remote learning,” he stated. “That said, we do allow for remote learning via livestreaming for students who are unable to attend due to COVID-related quarantine and isolation requirements.”

He said he believes the district offers a safe in-person learning environment, so it has not allowed for students to “opt-in” to a remote environment unless they are forced to miss school due to a COVID quarantine or isolation period.

Three Village

In a letter sent to residents, the Three Village School District has continued to keep students spaced at 3 feet and 6 feet when in the cafeteria. Plastic barriers can be put up if requested by the family, but none are being distributed to all at this time.

The notice stated for secondary students, “Due to an increased number of COVID-19 cases after the post-winter recess, the following procedures will be enacted from Thursday, Jan. 6, until Friday, Jan. 21, at the high school, and until Friday, Jan. 28, at the junior high schools.”

These include livestreaming into classes if a student or family is in isolation. The livestream for Three Village occurs for the entire day, and not for individual periods of instruction. It is not interactive and will continue beyond the dates indicated for quarantined students only.

Comsewogue

Superintendent Jennifer Quinn said that some parents were concerned sending their children back to school after winter break, so the district implemented a 10-day virtual option for families, ending this week. Students always have the option to livestream into their classes.

“Virtual learning is good for the time being, but it’s not the best way to learn,” she said, noting that in-person learning is important for social and emotional growth.

In conjunction with the virtual option, the district continues to follow the state’s mask mandate and 6-feet distancing.

“When things calm down, we have written a letter to send to the governor asking that students sit at their desk with no masks,” Quinn said. “The spread is not happening in schools.”

But until the Omicron variant ceases, and things get back to some type of normalcy, Comsewogue will continue providing tests to students and staff.

Quinn added that the day before school started, over 2,000 tests were given out.

Middle Country

Roberta Gerold, superintendent of Middle Country Central School District, is confident that things are looking up. She said on Tuesday, Jan. 11, that attendance in her schools is starting to get better.

“I think we’re starting to plateau,” she said. “After reporting 10 days of absences after the breaks with family, today it’s finally slowing down.”

She added that the district is testing staff once a week, while students can get tested every Monday if the parent asks.

“We want to make sure that if they have symptoms it’s not COVID,” she said.

Middle Country has kept up with its mask mandates and physical distancing, as well.

“Our positivity rate is still below the county and state rate,” she added. “We’re still as careful now as we were before.”

Students have the option to livestream into their classes if absent and are offered virtual instruction during quarantine.

“Our staff is amazing,” Gerold said. “They are working double, triple duty to support the staff who aren’t there, and they are impacted at home, too, but are still here for our students relentlessly.”

Gerold commended the district as a whole: “We just want the students to be safe.”

Shoreham-Wading River

Superintendent Gerard Poole said that “luckily” things are better this week.

“We are full in-person learning, but if someone is out, they can get a livestream,” he said.

For grades K-5, students are spaced out at 6 feet and it’s the same for secondary students with activities like chorus, band and in the cafeteria.

“The community parents continue to collaborate to help students,” he said. “And our nurses continue to be heroes … the flexibility of the staff is amazing. We are so thankful for them.”

County legislature approves access to fentanyl test strips

by Julianne Mosher - January 12, 2022

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To end 2021, the Suffolk County Legislature voted to approve Legislator Kara Hahn’s (D-Setauket) plan to increase access to fentanyl test strips in an effort to reduce overdose deaths.

According to the New York State Department of Health, Suffolk County experienced 337 opioid overdose deaths in 2020. The data for 2021 is unavailable.

Signed by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) Dec. 28, the bill came just days following a warning from the national Drug Enforcement Administration that, during 2021 alone, it had seized enough fentanyl to give a lethal dose to every American.

In response, the Legislature approved a plan to make fentanyl detection strips more readily available to residents, thus helping to prevent overdoses.

Through the legislation, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services will soon be required to include fentanyl test strips with naloxone kits distributed during department trainings on how to use the opioid antidote. Increasing access to fentanyl detection strips will enable recipients to test drug doses for the presence of this deadly synthetic substance prior to using the drugs tested.

“Opioids kill, that is why I pushed for the county to become certified to provide naloxone trainings that put this life-saving antidote in more hands; fentanyl kills, that is why I am pushing for increased access to test strips, which will give this life-saving tool greater reach,” Hahn said. “Allowing users the ability to know if they are about to put a drug in their body that also contains fentanyl will save lives and begin to reduce the increasing overdose deaths devastating our community.”

In a statement, the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence commended Hahn and the county government for addressing the realities of the dual pandemic of the opioid crisis, fueled by fear and anxieties of COVID-19.

“The distribution of fentanyl test strips and continued widespread distribution of naloxone (Narcan) meets this public health challenge head on with the sole and primary objective of saving lives in Suffolk County,” said Steve Chassman, LICADD executive director. “Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures to aid so many individuals and families struggling with opioid use disorder.”

Deaths attributed to fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that according to the Nation Institutes of Health is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, have been steadily rising since 2013.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids were nearly 12 times higher in 2019 than in 2013,” the last year for which complete data is available. The agency goes on to report “provisional drug overdose death counts through May 2020 suggest an acceleration of overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The link between fentanyl and increasing overdose deaths also concerned the DEA, which in September issued its first Public Safety Alert in six years to warn the public about the alarming increase in the availability and lethality of fake prescription pills in the United States that often contain deadly doses of fentanyl.

In its advisory, the DEA reported it had “determined that four out of 10 DEA-tested fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills contain at least 2 milligrams of fentanyl — an amount that is considered to be a lethal dose.”

“What we are offering through this new policy is a harm reduction strategy,” Hahn added. “Addiction is a disease that must not be allowed to become a death sentence, which, as more and more fentanyl has been released into our communities, it has become for many who might otherwise have recovered if given a chance.”

On Nov. 17, the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reported that there were an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the United States during the 12-month period ending in April 2021.

This is an increase of 28.5% from the 78,056 deaths during the same period the year before. NCHS also reported that 64% of those deaths were due to synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, an almost 50% jump from the prior year.

Local municipalities are already starting to utilize the new testing strips and have been in contact with the county to retrieve them.

According to Fred Leute, chief of Port Jefferson’s code enforcement, the village has ordered the new fentanyl testing strips through the county “but it takes a bit of time to get,” he said, noting that they are in possession of the basic kit that was provided previously through the DOHS.

“All of our personnel are fully trained,” he added. “They glove up with the plastic gloves so they don’t touch anything on scene.”

Smithtown East competes in SCCC crossover meet

by Bill Landon - January 10, 2022

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The Smithtown High School East girls winter track team competed in an indoor crossover meet at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood on Saturday, Jan. 9.

Sarah Wisnieski clocked a 5:32.34 in the 1500 meter event, and Kate Ball placed 10th. Grace McDonald placed sixth in shot put with a throw of 28 feet and 3 1/2.”

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