Tackan Elementary School students officially got into the swing at their new playground on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. Photo Smithtown Central School District
Tackan Elementary School students officially got into the swing at their new playground on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. Photo Smithtown Central School District
Tackan Elementary School students officially got into the swing at their new playground on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. Photo Smithtown Central School District
Tackan Elementary School students officially got into the swing at their new playground on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. Photo Smithtown Central School District
Tackan Elementary School students officially got into the swing at their new playground on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. Photo Smithtown Central School District
Tackan Elementary School students officially got into the swing at their new playground on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. Photo Smithtown Central School District
Tackan Elementary School students officially got into the swing at their new playground on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. Photo Smithtown Central School District
Tackan Elementary School students officially got into the swing at their new playground on Jan. 13.
With the temperature reaching the upper-40s and the sun brightly shining with no wind, Barbara Beard and Kelly Bennis’ third grade students became the first of several classes to use the new playground throughout the school day.
Students shouted, “I’m so excited!” and, “This is so cool!” and, “It’s like a wild carnival ride!” as they approached and then began using the state-of-the-art new playground.
The playground includes eight swings, a pair of slides and several other climbing structures. One swing even resembles a car seat for those who may have accessibility issues with a traditional playground swing.
Staff, including the entire group of cafeteria workers, were so excited by the Tackan addition, they posed for photos on Day 1 of its use.
The playground is part of Director of Facilities Daniel Leddy and the Smithtown Central School District’s ongoing project to try to introduce one new playground annually around the district, provided the budget continues to allow it.
Angela Veeck, center, said she and her employees such as Linda Arias, left, and Debbie Deeds, right, pivoted and adapted to continue serving Pieceful Quilting customers during the pandemic. Photo from Angela Veeck
The owner of Pieceful Quilting on Jericho Turnpike is ready to retire. The milestone comes after two years of learning the importance of pivoting when times are rough and discovering how adaptable she and her staff can be.
Pieceful Quilting storefront. Photo from Angela Veeck
After 13 years in business in East Northport, Angela Veeck has decided to retire and close the doors of Pieceful Quilting for good. The business owner said a date hasn’t been chosen yet, but she will close the doors for the last time once everything in the store is sold.
Veeck, who in the past has owned quilting shops in Riverhead and Calverton, said running a small business has changed over the years, especially during the pandemic. She said she was fortunate to be able to apply for an exemption when New York State mandates were first issued during the earlier months and stay open due to the store making and selling masks, even though she was only able to have one employee in the store with her at a time. Customers would order the masks online and then pick them up outside the store.
Another way they have adapted is by offering the quilting workshops that were once in person by posting livestream classes on the store’s Facebook page.
“Now we are essentially running two businesses, one brick-and-mortar and one internet based,” she said.
Veeck added that as stores began to open again after mandates were relaxed, many customers became accustomed to shopping online. She said competing with other online businesses can be overwhelming at times, especially when one is involved in a niche market like hers. Veeck likened the online niche business to the entertainment industry where “you always have to keep up and do something new and exciting.”
Her website is one that she felt fortunate to have once the pandemic kept many at home. In addition to local customers, the site attracts those that don’t have a quilting store near them. Veeck said to her knowledge there are only a few such stores in Suffolk County and none in Nassau County. Once the doors of Pieceful Quilting are closed, Veeck said she will also cease the online business that she began in 2003.
Veeck, who has an extensive background in marketing, said the main reason she opened Pieceful Quilting in East Northport was that, with her business sense, she knew the area would be ideal for a store such as hers where people could come and pick out their own materials to quilt.
She said she’s noticed a lot of businesses in the area closing even though she feels the area is a good one to open up a place if one can find a reasonable rent.
“Small businesses are what keeps this country going,” she said.
While it was a difficult decision to retire, the business owner, who splits her time between East Northport and her home in Riverhead, said she’s looking forward to more time with her husband, Ken. She added she will finally be able to work on some of her own sewing and quilting projects.
“Unbelievably, the quilt shop owner has little time to quilt and sew.”
The last two years have left her with advice to business owners going through rough times.
“You got to pivot and you got to pivot fast,” she said.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Civil Rights March In Washington D.C. in 1963.
During a march on Washington, D.C., back in August 1963, civil rights activist and minister the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech that was heard around the world.
“I have a dream,” he recited, “that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.”
Now, nearly 54 years after his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, that speech still has clout, and its message is still being spread, but unfortunately King’s children and granddaughter still do not see what he had envisioned so long ago.
The murders of Black men and women including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain and David McAtee — just to name a few — still continue some five decades after King’s plea for our country to stop its racism, bigotry and hate.
How can we as a society still continue to judge, harass and kill people based solely on the color of their skin? Have we not learned?
This week would have been MLK’s 93rd birthday, and he would be ashamed of what is going on in our country.
When he died in 1968, Black people in America were fighting for their basic human rights. Now it’s 2022 and people of color are still fighting. Fortunately, they’re being joined by many others in the fight.
While the summer of 2020 was one of civil unrest, protests, anger and tears, it was a summer which again started the conversation that enough is enough.
In 2022, we as a society need to continue moving forward — not backward.
MLK’s dream was for children, Black or white, to play happily and peacefully together.
Let us start this new year with his dream in mind. Let us show respect for our neighbors and support causes of conscience. Let us remember the injustices and work to make sure they are not repeated.
We have the ability to succeed better as a society but what it will take is an awareness of injustice and the resolve to root it out.
Isaiah Nengo recalled a day years ago when he was working in a field station in Kenya, searching for fossils.
A man who had a tremendous influence on his life was on the way to alter his horizons yet again, although this time the visit would have nothing to do with science.
Richard Leakey, the late founder of the Turkana Basin Institute (TBI) and a famed paleoanthropologist and conservationist, was bringing food from his home on the coast of Kenya in Lamu to the field station.
Leakey “prepared this lobster meal,” said Nengo, who is native of Nairobi, Kenya, and is currently associate director of TBI. “It was my first seafood meal. It was fantastic. I was like, ‘I’m sitting almost 600 miles from the ocean, it’s hot as hell and I’m eating lobster.’ That always stuck in my mind.”
Leakey, who died on Jan. 2 (see a tribute to the Stony Brook legend in this week’s Arts & Lifestyles page B12), left behind a lasting scientific legacy that filled science textbooks of people around the world, while he left an enduring food legacy that filled the stomachs of family, friends, coworkers and colleagues.
People fortunate enough to dine with him shared tales of Leakey’s culinary prowess and refined tastes.
Sonia Harmand, associate professor in the Anthropology Department at Stony Brook, took a long flight with Leakey to Kenya. Leakey had a salmon meal on the plane that didn’t meet his standards.
“He called the staff, and even the pilot came by to say hi because everybody knows about him,” Harmand said. Amid the introductions, he expressed his displeasure with the salmon.
When he returned to Kenya, he wrote to the airline and complained about the food.
As a host, Leakey went out of his way to make sure all of his guests enjoyed the food he purchased, prepared and served.
Harmand said her daughter Scarlett, who will turn nine in February, enjoyed eating at Leakey’s house because he prepared mussels and oysters he knew appealed to her.
“Every time you had a meal with him, he kept on asking if you liked it,” Harmand said.
Harmand also appreciated the unexpected gifts of incongruous foods at TBI. One day, Leakey arrived with ice cream and fresh strawberries.
“We had to eat it quickly,” she recalled with a laugh.
Another long time friend and colleague, Lawrence Martin, the director of TBI, said Leakey had a fondness for some Long Island foods. He particularly enjoyed ducks, as well as oysters and mussels from Long Island’s waterways.
“He said mussels were never as good in the warm water as they were in Stony Brook,” Martin said.
When he first got to know Leakey, Martin said Leakey cooked all the meals they shared, whether they were in Stony Brook or Kenya.
Martin called Leakey a “great chef” and said his late colleague “loved good food and loved going food shopping.”
While Leakey shared important information with former Stony Brook President Shirley Kenny, he also dined on memorable meals.
When they were on their own on Long Island without their spouses, Kenny invited Leakey over to her home for a meal.
After the dinner, he thanked her and promised he would return, providing she allowed him to do the cooking.
Sharing food with Leakey often meant benefiting from his storytelling prowess and his sense of humor.
Kenny and her family went on a safari with Jim and Marilyn Simons, co-founders of the Simons Foundation and supporters of science throughout Long Island.
“At the end of the day, we would sit in a circle and have drinks and [Leakey] would regale us with stories that were absolutely wonderful,” Kenny said. “You can’t even imagine how they made these [incredible] meals when there’s nothing out there to do it with.”
With hyenas howling at night and hot showers created with water heated by the sun during the day, the entire experience was “so exotic and so elegant at the same time,” Kenny added.
Harmand said Leakey didn’t cook with the goal of winning over people, but, rather, to share a connection.
“I don’t think he needed to impress anyone,” Harmand said. “He wanted to please you through food.”
There has been a lot in the news recently about COVID testing. We can request at-home test kits, and the government promises to send them to us through the mail. Also, we can shortly obtain N95 masks, the most efficient at filtering out microbes from the air, from pharmacies and other health centers. Those should be available to us by the end of next week.
Here is a new angle for consideration. Testing thus far has focused on using swabs inserted up the nose. But there is, perhaps, a more comfortable and more accurate possibility: spitting into a tube. “The virus shows up first in your mouth and throat,” according to Dr. Donald Milton, an expert on respiratory viruses at the University of Maryland who was quoted by The New York Times last Saturday. This means that testing saliva or swabbing the inside of the mouth could help identify people who are infected days earlier, some research suggests.
Here are some findings from Dr. Milton and his associates. Three days before symptoms appear and for two days after, “saliva samples contained about three times as much virus nasal samples and were 12 times as likely to produce a positive P.C.R. (gold standard) result. After that, however, more virus began accumulating in the nose …” The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now authorized numerous saliva-based PCR tests which work well for screening students at schools.
“Saliva really has turned out to be a valuable specimen type and one that has increasingly been advocated as a primary testing sample,” said Dr. Glen Hansen, of the clinical microbiology and molecular diagnostics laboratory at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minnesota.
Since Omicron “appears to replicate more quickly in the upper respiratory tract and have a shorter incubation period than earlier variants,” if attention to the mouth and throat would be able to detect the virus earlier it would be particularly valuable, according to Emily Anthes, the NYT reporter.
Further, researchers in South Africa, where Omicron was first identified, have determined that saliva swabs of that variant were better indicators of infection than nasal swabs in the P.C.R. tests, although the opposite was true for the Delta variant. But other research studies have had mixed results. As is usual, more research is needed.
There are also other aspects to saliva tests. It is possible that while highly sensitive tests like PCR might identify infection in saliva days earlier, less sensitive tests like the antigen test in the at-home kit, might not. And there are other considerations. What else has passed through the mouth before the test is given? And how will that affect the pH and the result? Also, saliva can be “viscous and difficult to work with,” especially when patients are sick and dehydrated, according to Dr. Marie-Louise Landry, director of the clinical virology laboratory at Yale New Haven Hospital, who is also quoted in the NYT.
In Britain, some at-home tests require swabbing both the throat and the nose. Multiple site testing would seem to offer an advantage. But test manufacturers would have to reconfigure their tests accordingly. Throat swabs need to be bigger. And most importantly, the at-home rapid antigen tests would have to be authorized for mouths or throats, which they currently are NOT. The biochemistry of the mouth is different from that of the nose and may yield a false positive.
Ultimately a variety of test options to meet a variety of situations would seem the best result. For those who have symptoms for several days, a nasal swab might be the choice. Saliva tests might work better for large-scale surveillance of asymptomatic people.
Meanwhile making at-home antigen tests available for everyone is a positive step.
PSEG Long Island said it is prepared for the potentially strong winds and heavy precipitation forecasted for the holiday weekend, Sunday, Jan. 16 into Monday, Jan. 17.
Snow changing to rain is expected to begin later today and continue through Monday afternoon. Strong winds with the possibility of peak gusts of up to 70 miles per hour are forecasted – conditions that could break tree limbs, pull down wires and cause outages.
“PSEG Long Island is ready for the impending bad weather, and we encourage our customers to prepare as well,” said Michael Sullivan, vice president of Transmission & Distribution at PSEG Long Island. “As we watch the forecast, we have performed system and logistic checks, and have additional personnel ready to jump into storm mode, regardless of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday. In the event of any outages, our crews stand ready to safely restore service as quickly as conditions will allow.”
During this storm, PSEG Long Island may use an enhancement to its outage communications process to increase the accuracy of estimated times of restoration (ETRs). With this enhancement, customers contacting the Call Center early in the storm may receive an “Assessing Conditions” message rather than an ETR message. This will allow crews to assess storm impact first to provide more precise ETRs. For more information about this new process, visit https://www.psegliny.com/outages/estimatedrestorationtimes.
COVID-19-related storm processes remain in place to ensure the health and safety of employees and the public. To that end, we ask that customers remain in their homes when crews are working nearby. If customers must speak with our crews, we ask them to practice responsible “physical distancing” and remain at least 6 feet away. For more information about how PSEG Long Island continues to live up to its commitment to safety during the pandemic, please visit www.psegliny.com/covid19.
Downed wires should always be considered “live.” Please stay away from them, and do not drive over or stand near them. It is best to maintain a distance of at least 30 feet from a downed power line. To report a downed wire, call 911.
Electric current passes easily through water. If you encounter a pool of slush or standing water, stop, back up and choose another path. And remember, downed lines are not easy to see in snow.
Never use a generator, pressure washer, or any gasoline-powered engine inside your home, basement, or garage or less than 20 feet from any window, door, or vent. Use an extension cord that is more than 20 feet long to keep the generator at a safe distance.
Stay connected:
Download the PSEG Long Island mobile app to report outages and receive information on restoration times, crew locations and more.
Report an outage and receive status updates by texting OUT to PSEGLI (773454). You can also report your outage through our app, our website at www.psegliny.com/outages or with your voice using the Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant app on your smartphone.
To report an outage or downed wire, call PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour Electric Service number at 800-490-0075, or use our web chat feature at www.psegliny.com.
Follow PSEG Long Island on Facebook and Twitter to report an outage and for updates before, during and after the storm.
Visit PSEG Long Island’s MyPower map for the latest in outage info, restoration times and crew locations across Long Island and the Rockaways at https://mypowermap. psegliny.com/
Newfield senior Troy Guy sets the play for the Wolverines in a 57-50 victory over Commack Jan 13. Bill Landon
Newfield senior Troy Guy with a baseline pass for the Wolverines in a 57-50 victory over Commack Jan 13. Bill Landon
Time out Newfield.
Senior point guard Michael Agostino hits a trey for the Wolverines in a 57-50 victory over Commack Jan 13. Bill Landon
The Newfield line dancers entertain at the halftime break Jan 13. Bill Landon photo
The Newfield line dancers entertain at the halftime break Jan 13. Bill Landon photo
Newfield junior Kyle Milano looks for the rebound for the Wolverines in a 57-50 victory over Commack Jan 13. Bill Landon
Newfield junior Kyle Milano shoots from the top of the key for the Wolverines in a 57-50 victory over Commack Jan 13. Bill Landon
Newfield junior Kyle Milano scores for the Wolverines in a 57-50 victory over Commack Jan 13. Bill Landon
Newfield senior Josiah Fields looks for the open shooter in a League II matchup against Commack Jan 13. Photo by Bill Landon
Newfield senior forward Josh Jacob lays up for 2 of his 10 points in a League II matchup against Commack Jan 13. Photo by Bill Landon
Newfield senior Isaiah Brown fights his way to the rim in a League II matchup against Commack Jan 13. Photo by Bill Landon
Newfield senior Isaiah Brown goes to the rim in a League II matchup against Commack Jan 13. Photo by Bill Landon
Newfield senior Isaiah Brown hits 2 of his 11 points in a League II matchup against Commack Jan 13. Photo by Bill Landon
Newfield senior Hamza Yousef lays up for two more in a home game against Commack Jan 13. Bill Landon photo
Newfield senior Hamza Yousef lays up for 2 of his 18 points in a League II matchup against Commack Jan 13. Photo by Bill Landon
Newfield senior Hamza Yousef drains a three-pointer in a home game against Commack Jan 13. Bill Landon photo
Trailing by three at the halftime break, Newfield had a productive third quarter to retake the lead over Commack in a League II matchup at home. The Wolverines kept the Cougars at bay in the final eight minutes to secure a 57-50 victory Jan 13.
Senior Hamza Yousef led the way for Newfield hitting two triples, five field goals and two from the free throw line for 18 points. Isaiah Brown followed with four from the floor, three at the line for 11 points along with 16 rebounds, and Josh Jacobs the senior along with junior Kyle Milano netted 10 points apiece. Michael Agostino added eight.
The win lifts the Wolverines to 5-2 in league, 7-5 overall, to move third place behind Northport and Ward Melville.The Wolverines retake the court Jan 15 in a non-league matchup at home against Walt Whitman. Game time is at noon.
Suffolk County Police arrested two men for allegedly attempting to rob a bank in Deer Park on Jan. 13.
Dominic Scotto entered the Chase Bank, located at 615 Grand Blvd., and allegedly handed a teller a note demanding cash. The teller declined and Scotto left the bank without proceeds. Scotto was arrested in front of the bank at approximately 4:50 p.m. His driver, Adam Postiglione was also arrested.
An investigation by Major Case Unit detectives determined Scotto robbed the following banks:
Chase, located at 39 Vanderbilt Parkway, Commack, on December 21, 2021
Capital One, located at 2050 Jericho Turnpike, Commack, on December 29, 2021
HSBC, 5880 Jericho Turnpike, Commack, on December 29, 2021
Citibank, 710 Larkfield Road, East Northport, on January 3, 2022
Scotto, 31, of 124 Meadowmere Ave., Mastic, was charged with four counts of Robbery 3rd Degree, Attempted Robbery 3rd Degree, and a Parole Warrant. Postiglione, 32, of 386 Garden St., West Islip, was charged with Attempted Robbery 3rd Degree. Both will be held overnight at the Fourth Precinct. Their arraignment date is pending.
The Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs, two Smithtown-based nonprofits that provide guide and service dogs to individuals with disabilities, is in urgent need for volunteer temp (temporary) homes across Long Island and the New York Tri-state area, to open their hearts and homes during the Omicron surge to host a puppy or trained dog, from anywhere between 1 to 3 weeks and continue to support their training during the duration of the stay.
Temp homes provide a puppy/mature dog a safe and friendly home with a loving environment where a puppy will learn, or an adult dog will maintain, housebreaking, obedience, excellent house manners, and socialization.
Requirements include a fenced in yard or access to daily and frequent walks, attend an online orientation class, access to a smart phone for virtual home check and is comfortable with emailing, texting and attending virtual classes. Veterinary care, dog food and supplies are provided by the Foundation and VetDogs.
Anyone interested in becoming a Temp Home volunteer, can apply directly online at: guidedog.org.
B-roll of Foundation puppies and dogs in training can be found here.
Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are investigating a motorcycle crash that killed a man in Commack on Friday, Jan. 14.
James Coogan was riding a 2020 Honda Excelsior motorcycle northbound on Harned Road, west of Florida Avenue, when his vehicle crashed at approximately 7:20 p.m. Coogan, 63, of Commack, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The vehicle was impounded for a safety check. Detectives are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452.
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