Shoreham-Wading River senior Tristan Costello goes up and over a Center Moriches defender in the Conference IV finals Feb. 28. Photo by Bill Landon
Co-captain Tristan Costello shoots from the baseline in the Conference IV finals on the road against Center Moriches Feb. 28. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River senior Joey Dwyer drains a three-pointer for the Wildcats in the Conference IV championship finals Feb. 28. Photo by Bill Landon
Joey Marchese (L) looks for a rebound at the free throw line for the Wildcats in the Conference IV finals Feb. 28. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River senior co-captain Thomas Bell scores for the Wildcats in the Conference IV championship final at Center Moriches High School Feb. 28. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River senior co-captain Thomas Bell goes to the rim for the Wildcats in the Conference IV championship final Feb. 28. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River senior co-captain Thomas Bell scores from the paint in the Conference IV championship final Feb. 28. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River senior co-captain Tristan Costello shoots for two in the Conference IV championship finals at Center Moriches Feb. 28. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River senior Joey Dwyer goes to the rim for the Wildcats in the Conference IV championship finals Feb. 28. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River senior Joey Dwyer goes to the rim for the Wildcats in the Conference IV championship finals Feb. 28. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River junior Aiden Clifford shoots for the Wildcats in the Conference IV championship final at Center Moriches High School Feb. 28. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River dropped their season opener at home Feb. 11 against Center Moriches falling to the Red Devils by 7 points.
The Wildcats dusted themselves off and went on a 7-game winning streak that included a semi-final 64-54 victory over Mattituck the day before only to face Center Moriches in the Conference IV finals Feb. 28. Hungry to avenge that season opening loss the Wildcats stayed withing striking distance through 8 minutes of play when the Red Devils stood on the gas and never looked back, to win it 76-61.
The Wildcat seniors led the way from the opening tip off with Joey Dwyer hitting 8 field goals 2 triples and 3 from the line to lead his team with 25 points. Co-Captains Thomas Bell nailed 10 from the floor along with a pair of free throws for 22 and Tristan Costello netted 9.
The Wildcats concluded their abbreviated season at 6-2 for 2nd place in League-VII, 7-2 overall.Photos by Bill Landon
The ALS Ride for Life board of directors unanimously appointed Ray Manzoni as president of the organization.
Manzoni, of Miller Place and proprietor of Manzoni Real Estate located in Mount Sinai, replaces Chris Pendergast, a beloved community member and founder of the nonprofit, who died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in October after a 28-year-long battle.
But Manzoni said Pendergast’s legacy will live on, and he’ll be there to help see the organization through.
When ALS Ride for Life was incorporated back in 1997, Manzoni stood alongside Pendergast — a man he became good friends with.
“We had been friends for years before he was diagnosed. Then he sucked me in and here I am 28 years later,” he laughed. “I knew him well. I knew his mind. He taught me well.”
While Pendergast was still alive and spreading awareness on ALS (often referred to as Lou Gehrig disease), the new president served on the board of directors, eventually — and currently — as board chairman.
“Chris was a nationally known leader in the world of ALS,” Manzoni said. “I was proud to be his friend. I look forward to continuing his mission and that of our organization toward providing patient services, awareness and supporting research so that a cure can one day be found.”
ALS Ride for Life started when Pendergast embarked on a ride with his electric scooter from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to Washington, D.C., 22 years ago to raise awareness about the disease and raise funds for research. After a few years, the ride was contained to New York state — from Riverhead to the Bronx — where participants stop by schools along the way that take part in the organization’s presentations throughout the school year.
Pendergast, a Miller Place resident and former Northport elementary teacher, had lived with the disease for 28 years. When doctors diagnosed him, they thought he only had a few years to live. He lived to be 71.
Pendergast became an icon and symbol for the North Shore for never giving up.
Even as he lost the ability to speak and had to communicate with an eye-to-speech device, his determination never seemed to relent. Just this year, Pendergast, alongside his wife Christine, released the book “Blink Spoken Here: Tales from a Journey to Within” about his life since his diagnosis in 1993.
The ALS Ride for Life organization has raised over $10 million for advocacy and research. Their yearly Ride for Life trips were later accompanied by visits to close to 90 school districts on Long Island.
“His story still resonates,” Manzoni said. “ALS is not gone.”
The new president is looking forward to keeping Pendergast’s legacy alive.
“We fortunately have this great team,” he said. “We held it all together and are refining in these COVID times.”
Known to visit schools and give presentations on the disease, the group had to change shape to get their word out, while adhering to coronavirus guidelines. But he is asking people to continue supporting their local nonprofits.
“The kids want this, administrators want this,” he said.
In honor of Black History Month, Errol Toulon Jr. (D), of Lake Grove, is the first African American Suffolk County sheriff. Ever since his youth through the lessons that he learned from his father, Toulon has been motivated to achieve his duty and responsibilities.
As a kid, he asked his father, a longtime correction officer, what he did for a living. His dad replied, “We rehabilitate individuals that are incarcerated, we never throw away the key and we try to help these people safely return back to society.”
The story of Toulon Jr. began in the Bronx, where he was born in 1962, and he lived in the city until 1990.
Yankee batboy
Errol Toulon Jr. as a Yankee batboy. Photo from Errol Toulon Jr.
A talented baseball player who excelled as a center fielder and a leadoff hitter during his high school and college years, Toulon had the unique chance of being a batboy for the New York Yankees in 1979 through 1980.
He was in the locker room to observe the impressive leadership skills and character of the late Yankee great catcher Thurman Munson. In the Bronx, Toulon watched Billy Martin manage the baseball stars of Reggie Jackson and Bobby Murcer, and he also met boxing champ Roberto Durán.
As a young man in the Yankee Clubhouse, Toulon encountered a young boy, and asked him his name. It was Hal Steinbrenner, who now owns the team after his father George.
The former batboy ended up becoming the first African American sheriff of Suffolk County, and had a wonderful time being welcomed back by senior management of the Yankees. Players like Ron Blomberg and Mickey Rivers were pleased to see their former batboy who has always worked to protect his community. Still to this day, Toulon is an avid baseball fan who glowingly recalls his special time in pinstripes around the “Boys of Summer.”
City correction officer
Errol Toulon Jr., left, with Hal Steinbrenner, general partner of the New York Yankees. Photo from Errol Toulon Jr.
During those earlier years, Toulon took the city correction officer exam, after he completed an associate’s degree in business.As a 20-year-old, he became one of the youngest recruits within the New York City Department of Correction.
He observed the older jails that were built from the 1930s through 1960s, were cold, secured with steel, and lacking any of the advancements of the penitentiaries of today. Early in his career, Toulon was impacted by watching inmates hold few liberties and living in poor conditions.
There were dangerous moments during fights, riots and emergencies, that saw officers isolated and unable to see each other where their own safety was compromised. Over the years, Toulon has learned from these lessons to ensure the constant support of the current officers of his department.
As a lifelong officer, a captain and official, Toulon always follow the examples that were established by his father. Toulon Sr. was employed by the NYC Department of Correction for 36 years in positions ranging from officer to a warden at Rikers Island.
From his dad, he learned the value of attention to detail and always treating his staff with the utmost amount of respect. Whether it was his junior years as a correction officer or as the present Suffolk County sheriff, Toulon never loses focus on the evolving complexities of operating the county system of imprisonment. Over the past decades, he has been involved in hostage crisis, handling drug abuse, attempted escapes, and seizure of guns and contraband that were smuggled into jails by prisoners.
Suffolk County sheriff
Gov. Andrew Cuomo administers the oath of office to Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. during his inauguration ceremony in 2018. Toulon was joined by his wife Tina. File photo by Kevin Redding
Toulon has always believed in the necessity in analyzing the complexity of criminal justice problems that are always evolving. There was recently a major riot in St. Louis, where the inmates broke windows and set debris on fire. Always understanding the usefulness of information, Toulon’s Sheriff’s Office examines these situations by calling different corrections agencies around the country. They try to determine the root of local or national incidents and utilize these resources to be prepared to sufficiently handle these concerns in Suffolk County.
Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner (R-Rocky Point) has worked with him through their tenures in office.
“Sheriff Toulon leads a proud department of men and women dedicated to upholding the law and running the Suffolk County Correctional Facility,” she said.
There is always the major process of investigating prisoner grievances over health care, food, communication with family members, religious services and more. Toulon tries to improve these concerns before they materialize into a major crisis.
During his career, he has dealt with the Ebola and swine flu outbreaks and the health implications within the jail environment. Through the determination to always contain the strength of these sicknesses, protective measures were already established within the county jails before the first COVID-19 case hit New York in last March.
Due to the pandemic, new ways had to be developed to handle the services that were needed for the prisoners. Toulon’s office made a goal in always sharing current information on the threats and changes that COVID-19 presented to both the outside world and the jails. The virus prevented family visits, but prisoners were allocated two extra calls a week, pictures of loved ones were printed for inmates, and there were virtual substance and psychological programs.
Professional and educationalexperiences
Errol Toulon Jr. with Yankees Mickey Rivers and Ron Bloomberg
Education has always been an important part of Toulon’s life which he has incorporated into his many correctional positions. He has a doctorate in educational administration, an advanced certificate in Homeland Security Management and an MBA.
Since his election as sheriff, Toulon has spoken to many educational programs with local school districts to address the daily concerns that his department handles, always with a positive demeanor.
VFW Post 6249 Rocky Point Comdr. Joe Cognitore has always viewed Toulon “as an upstanding and an energetic people person that has always protected our residents, worked well with community leaders, aided veterans that have fallen on criminal times in jail, and he has helped create local 9/11 memorials.”
For two years, Toulon taught at Dowling College as an adjunct faculty member. He planned to instruct students at St. John’s University, but was unable to do so due to his present position.
Harvard University has invited Toulon to address its student body on his professional and educational experiences. While he enjoys his current position and is hopeful that he will be reelected to another term, Toulon enjoys teaching, and he would like to teach again. A leader with a tremendous amount of energy, there have been some personal battles that he has had to endure as a survivor of pancreatic cancer and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Whereas Toulon is determined to have a secure prison system within the county, provide resources and support for his officers, he also wants to ensure that prisoners do not return. Through the Sheriff’s Transition and Reentry Team, known as the START program, correction officers help inmates find housing, jobs, medical services and food, and to become productive and safe citizens.
Shoreham-Wading River sophomore GraceAnn Leonard drives the lane against Wyandanch in a League VII matchup Feb. 24. Photo by Bill Landon
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Sophia Lavey boxes out for the Wildcats at home against Wyandanch Feb. 24. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River 8th grader Reese Marcario finds the open shooter against visiting Wyandanch Feb. 24. Bill Landon photo
8th grader Reese Marcario drives the baseline for the Wildcats against visiting Wyandanch Feb. 24. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River senior Rachael Sereno shoots for the Wildcats in a home victory over Wyandanch Feb. 24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River junior Mia Rosati passes to the open shooter in a victory over visiting Wyandanch Feb. 24. Bill Landon photo
Mia Rosati shoots for two for the Wildcats in a home victory over Wyandanch Feb. 24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River junior Mia Rosati drives the lane in a victory over visiting Wyandanch Feb. 24. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River sophomore Katie Coster shoots in the Wildcats League VII matchup Feb. 24. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River sophomore GraceAnn Leonard lays up for two against Wyandanch in a League VII matchup Feb. 24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River sophomore GraceAnn Leonard drives the lane against Wyandanch in a League VII matchup Feb. 24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River sophomore GraceAnn Leonard battles her way to the rim against Wyandanch in a League VII matchup Feb. 24. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River sophomore GraceAnn Leonard shoots over two Wyandanch defenders in the Wildcats League VII matchup Feb. 24. Bill Landon photo
Sophomore Colleen Ohrtman scores for the Wildcats in a league VII victory at home over Wyandanch Feb. 24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River sophomore Annie Sheehan battles in the pain in a home victory over Wyandanch Feb. 24. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River sophomore Annie Sheehan nails a three-pointer in a home victory over Wyandanch Feb. 24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River sophomore Annie Sheehan sets the play in a home victory over Wyandanch Feb. 24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River sophomore Annie Sheehan scores in a home victory over Wyandanch Feb. 24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River sophomore Annie Sheehan scores in traffic in a home victory over Wyandanch Feb. 24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River’s Alexa Constant shoots from the baseline in a league VII victory over Wyandanch Feb. 24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River’s Alexa Constant shoots from the paint in a league VII victory over Wyandanch Feb. 24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River punched their playoff ticket with a 67-49 victory against Wyandanch at home led by Sophomore GraceAnn Leonard who topped the scoring chart for the Wildcats in the League VII matchup Feb. 24.
The win lifts the Wildcats to 3-0 to conclude regular season play in the age of COVID-19, where Leonard had 13 field goals three triples and a free throw for a team high 36 points.
Colleen Ohrtman followed with 14 points with Annie Sheehan and Mia Rosati netting 8 and 5 points respectively.
Funeral service personnel at one of the Moloney Funeral Home locations wait for family to arrive for a drive-thru viewing, one of the ways to give mourners a chance to say last goodbyes during COVID-19. Photo from Moloney Family Funeral Homes
They worked considerably longer hours, sometimes alongside people who came to help from other parts of the state during a time of need. They buried their own family members, sometimes urging out-of-state relatives to stay where they were. They counted the number of people who entered their funeral homes, making sure they complied with changing rules about the number of people allowed at the time.
Below, a family gathers under an outdoor committal tent at one of the Moloney Funeral Home locations awaiting the completion of the cremation for their relative. Photo from Moloney Family Funeral Homes
And, as with many other businesses, funeral directors maneuvered through the challenges of procuring personal protective equipment and supplies during the difficult and tragic early months of the pandemic.
Funeral homes, which have sometimes been described as the “last responders,” have had to react to changing state regulations, protecting the families of those who come to pay their final respects — and their own staffs.
During prepandemic times, “we might have had three or four wakes at one time,” said Fred Bryant, president of East Setauket-based Bryant Funeral Home. “That doesn’t happen now.”
Bryant converted three rooms into one large room, which made it possible to have 50 percent of their capacity.
Sergio Benites, managing partner at Bryant Funeral Home, said the business has allowed between 80 and 90 people at a time in the facility.
Like other public gathering places, funeral homes initially could have up to 10 people. Over time, as the number of infections, hospitalizations and deaths declined, the state, through Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) office, relaxed regulations, first increasing the limit to 33 percent of capacity and then raising that to the current 50 percent.
Even with the higher capacities, funeral home directors have sometimes asked people to wait for someone to leave the facility before allowing new people to enter.
“It happened more than several times,” said Michael Connell, who runs the M.A. Connell Funeral Home in Huntington Station which was started by his grandfather in 1923, five years after the Spanish flu pandemic. As with many other funeral homes during COVID-19, M.A. Connell has had mourners wait in line in the parking lot.
“When we reach our number, we make an announcement inside,” Connell said.
Indeed, funeral directors have received guidance from several organizations during the pandemic.
“It is encouraged that folks paying respects keep the time in the chapel to a minimum,” wrote Michael Gorton Jr., president of the Nassau-Suffolk Funeral Directors Association, in an email. “Pay your respects, offer condolences, have a comfortable conversation and be considerate of those who may be waiting to come in and pay respects. Because of capacity limits, there could be people waiting outside the building.”
During the worst of the pandemic, Gorton, who is a licensed funeral director at McManus-Lorey Funeral Home in Medford, said funeral directors from outside Long Island came to the area to help.
“The governor’s office allowed us to ‘deputize agents’ and allow nonlicensed people to help us with transfers as long as they were under the direct supervision of a licensed funeral director,” Gorton added.
“People are tending to come and go at a faster rate. People are aware of the fact that other people may want to come in.”
— Peter Moloney
Funeral directors appreciate how mourners have understood the circumstances of the pandemic and have shortened the time they spend on site.
“People are tending to come and go at a faster rate,” said Peter Moloney, co-owner of Moloney Family Funeral Homes, which has eight locations, including in Port Jefferson Station and Hauppauge. “People are aware of the fact that other people may want to come in.”
Some families have chosen to reduce the number of people who attend funerals, asking relatives who might be coming in from out of state to join the service through live streaming.
When Connell’s mother Betty Ann died in May, he said his family went through the same difficult decision that hundreds of other families have had to make.
“We decided we weren’t even going to have a public wake,” Connell said. “We had 10 people attend [who were all] immediate family.”
The Connells spent an hour visiting at the funeral home, had a short prayer service and then went to the graveside. Some people met the family in the parking lot and followed in the procession, without getting out of their cars at the cemetery.
Connell’s father, John, who had been married to his wife for close to 60 years, visited with his grandchildren, in a socially distanced setting, at his house.
Like many others, Connell has not set a date for a celebration and memorial for his mother’s life.
“Until we know we’re home free [with the virus], we’re not going to start the planning process,” he said.
Benites said Bryant Funeral Home still has about a dozen families that have postponed a larger event for their loved ones.
“They still aren’t ready” for any larger or more elaborate gathering as a part of a memorializing event,” Benites said. “When they’re ready, we’ll go back and try to give them a celebration of life.”
At times, grieving families have also had to wait to hold a service until close members of the family either have recovered from quarantine or have tested negative for COVID-19.
Benites said around three to five families are waiting for their next of kin to finish quarantine before they hold a service.
While these funeral homes are accustomed to thorough cleaning efforts, directors and owners said they have also complied with rules regarding disinfecting their sites between visits.
Funeral homes, some of which have held services for more than one member of the same family over the past year during the pandemic, have provided their customers and visitors with help managing their grief.
“We have more grief literature available to families during this time,” Moloney said. “The COVID pandemic has been very disruptive to the grief process. We’re all aware of the fact that people are grieving differently today.”
After all the challenges of the pandemic, funeral directors anticipate that more residents on Long Island and throughout the country will likely consider preplanning funerals.
“After we go through COVID, there will be a more obvious increase in the numbers of preplanned funerals,” Benites said.
Port Jefferson Station’s Zach Gallant, who just earned Eagle Scout, stands next to his project — refurbishing a statue at Comsewogue Public Libray originally created by Mount Sinai’s Pauli Suominen. Photo by Julianne Mosher
An Eagle Scout decided to help out his local library and spruce up a Mount Sinai artist’s sculpture.
Sculptor Pauli Suominen gifted the sculpture to the Comsewogue Public Library in 1999. After more than two decades greeting visitors outside the library’s doors, Zach Gallant, of Port Jefferson Station, decided to make its restoration his Eagle Scout project.
The 18-year-old from Troop #354 said that he wasn’t even born yet when the sculpture was first created, but he knew that the community would love to see it shine again.
“I had been working on it for about nine months from start to finish,” he said, adding it was a complete team effort that included his troop, scoutmaster, the library and Suominen’s oversight.
At first, the Scout wasn’t sure what he wanted to do for his final project. It wasn’t until he visited the library and spoke with Library Director Debbie Engelhardt after a tour of the library grounds.
“We walked the property together and saw the sculpture needed some TLC,” she said. “He got support from his scoutmaster and it became a plan.”
The sculpture, titled “Tiger,” previously was on the opposite side of the library, and could be seen from Terryville Road. With Gallant’s renovation, they moved it to the front door, so it be seen easier by all.
“It’s a focal point now where it’s going to make people smile,” Engelhardt said. “It’s nice and bright, whimsical and we’re shining a spotlight on it.
Suominen, a Vietnam veteran, was a carpenter by trade, but his passion is as a self-taught artist. He uses scraps of metal, pieces of wood and stone to create abstract sculptures, that are seen throughout the library property and across the country.
“Pauli was very happy to work with Zach Gallant on the refurbishment project,” his wife, Christine, said. “It is always encouraging when younger people are interested in doing something for the community. Zach and his group did a great job of restoring the sculpture to its original luster.”
Gallant said the sculpture is unique because it’s made from recycled materials.
“Mr. Suominen had just taken scraps off the ground and things he’d seen and created the sculpture with four chairs and a bike rack,” he said.
During his project process, he and six other people took the whole sculpture off the library grounds and brought it to their scoutmaster’s garage. There, he sanded it, painted it and made sure all changes were approved from its original artist.
“It was a lot of work, more than I expected,” he said. “But I’m proud of myself … It’s definitely not something you can just do with no help. You need people to guide you.”
Gallant said the whole renovation took about three months, overall. It was put back in its new spot at the library in January.
“A lot of people love it already, or can’t wait to see it,” he said.
And the statue can now stand there for another set of decades for people to enjoy.
“It was really a wonderful community partnership,” Engelhardt said. “We’re always so happy to connect.”
The Eagle Scout said that although it was a lot of hard work, he’s so happy he was able to help his community, and earn his new title.He gave advice to fellow Boy Scouts who are thinking of joining the higher rank.
“If you’re close to becoming an Eagle Scout, just finish it because being so close doesn’t get you anywhere in life — finishing it does,” he said.
A Centereach couple is looking to score big with their coffee café concept.
Cat and Tim Smith both had experience working in different coffee spots. Being natural baristas and mixologists, they decided they wanted to open up their own spot, blending some of their favorite things — coffee, snacks, games and a cozy atmosphere everyone can enjoy.
“There’s really nothing on Long Island that has both a gaming atmosphere and a café,” she said. “When we were younger, we would play games all the time. We’d have game nights every week.”
There is, however, a cafe with this concept a little further west from where the couple lives, Main St. Board Game Cafe, located at 307 Main Street in Huntington.
But the duo and their friends and family all began having kids — making it harder to go out, chill with their friends and find a space that can accommodate board games.
Cat and Tim Smith have been experimenting with different coffee flavors and showing off their new Level Up logo, seen on Tim’s shirt. Photo from Cat Smith
“We’ve put the feelers out there,” she said. “And so many people have said that they would love a place like this.”
Their idea for Level Up — a coffee and gaming café — originally started up nearly three years ago. While collecting more games to add to their library and finding a local roaster for beans, they devoted their weekends to finding a home to their soon-to-be business endeavor.
The Smith’s began saving, with the goal to settle down and officially open in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic derailed them. But Cat said that was a blessing in disguise.
“It’s been good in a few ways because we’ve been able to really take time and make sure we’re doing it the right way,” she said. “We want to use everything that we’ve been able to accomplish in this past year and really try to give back and make our business as community centered as possible.”
And it’s allowing them to thoroughly search the North and South Shores to find the best location possible. They want to be on a Main Street, with tons of foot traffic.
“We’ve been primarily looking on the South Shore, but we’re also considering Port Jeff,” she said. “We want to be where we can attract people who are interested in supporting local businesses and have a place to go to spend time with their friends when COVID settles down.”
But Level Up won’t be just for board game lovers, she said.
“We want people to nerd out and talk with fellow fan geeks about pop culture, comics and anything like that,” she said. “We want to have this community where people who are the deepest fans will come in and get really nerdy and chat with other people who are just as interested or people who are just mildly interested and want to learn more.
She added that Level Up will be a place that offers something different to do for locals.
“I think we want connection,” she said. “We want people to be able to come to us and find connection if they want it, or just delicious coffee.”
And the coffee drinks will be something out-of-this-world. Working with Brooklyn-based Sweetleaf Coffee Roasters.
“Our goal is to be really creative,” she said, adding that Level Up is going to be a “pop culture coffee house.”
For fans of Marvel, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, they’re working on some themed drinks that even Professor Severus Snape will want to order.
The couple said their goal is to be opened up sometime in the summer, so stay tuned.
To stay updated, follow @LevelUpCafeNY on Instagram and Level Up Cafe on Facebook.
This article was updated to include Main St. Board Game Cafe.
Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives are investigating the death of a cemetery employee who was killed while working in a grave in Mount Sinai Thursday morning.
Rodwin Allicock was working at the bottom of a grave, which was more than 7 feet deep, at Washington Memorial Park, located at 855 Canal Road, when the grave collapsed at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 25.
His co-workers attempted to dig Allicock out, but were unsuccessful. Allicock, 42, of Coram, was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Center.
Officers from the Suffolk County Police Emergency Service Section as well as Suffolk County Fire Rescue coordinators, representatives from the Suffolk County Department of Public Works, and members of the Middle Island Fire Department, Hagerman Fire Department, Selden Fire Department and Setauket Fire Department responded to the scene. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was notified and is investigating.
Autumn Goldfinches on New York Ironweed. Photo by Luci Betti-Nash
Wood thrush at a manmade pond. Photo by Sue Avery
Orchard Oriole on Pye-weed looking for insect snack. Photo by Luci Betti-Nash
Gold Finch eating Joe-Pye-weed seed. Photo by Luci Betti-Nash
Commom yellowthroat drinks at man-made pond. Photo by Sue Avery
Four Harbors Audubon Society (4HAS) is launching a brand-new, aptly named, “Bird Oasis” program on March 1. Property owners can now request a consultant from 4HAS to assess the quantity and quality of native plants and eco-friendly practices on the premises to help local bird populations and other wildlife to not just survive, but to thrive.
If the property qualifies, a certification level is determined and a sign is given to the owner, proclaiming the property a bird- and wildlife-friendly habitat. If the property is not quite ready, or a higher Bird Oasis certification level is sought, the consultant will create a list of improvements for the owner to implement.
Photos of the finished property are sent back to the 4HAS Bird Oasis team for reassessment. In addition, photos of the most attractive, “birdiest” yards will be featured throughout the year on the chapter’s website. There are also future plans to have a yearly “Best Bird Oasis” contest.
The reasons for this program are abundant.In suburbia, open space is at a premium and what exists is usually overrun by invasive plant species, creating large areas of low-quality food sources unable to support native wildlife in healthy numbers. Such habitat fragmentation and loss, coupled with climate change and inappropriate environmental practices is causing bird and other wildlife populations to fall into steep decline.
In 2018, the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development & Planning published its 2016 Land Use Study. In the report, Brookhaven Township and Smithtown Township had 27% and 17% recreational and open space, respectively.The report went on to quantify Brookhaven Township’s residential, commercial, institutional and industrial land use at a bit more than 50%. Smithtown Township in total is a bit higher at 63%. This land is the focus of the Bird Oasis program.
The program takes the concept of a healthy, robust ecosystem and places it directly into the homeowner’s or commercial building’s landscape by requesting property owners use more native plants and incorporate planet-healthy and sustainable practices when creating their outside space.
By choosing native plants with both excellent habitat services and tidy habits, landscapes that are both attractive and environmentally functional can be created. Bird Oasis consultants will also be looking for habitat features like wood or brush piles, ponds or birdbaths, winter forage in the form of seedheads and the insects found in plant stalks to be left up over the cold months and cut back in the spring, and other important ecoscaping concepts.
Additionally, the program focuses on environmentally healthy practices, like mulching grass clippings back into lawns, leaving leaves or shredded leaf litter down as, or under, mulch, and using organic slow-release fertilizers. An ecologically balanced yard cures its own ills within a short amount of time, so targeted pest management with organic principals should be used only when insect outbreaks or other issues are severe.
Chemical fertilizers and pesticides should be avoided on certified properties.Most insecticides and fungicides are broad spectrum, which kills both the good and the bad. They also seriously harm the soil food web. Additionally, excess nitrogen does not stay in the soil, but runs off or down into the water table — as do chemical pesticides — and causes harmful algal blooms in Long Island bays and estuaries.
It is hoped that people will see the beauty in these certified properties and notice all of the birds they attract. This will create additional excitement — and habitats —as more people create their own private sanctuaries, which will shift the current landscape paradigm to something more sustainable and environmentally-friendly.
“The potential to reverse the trend is there,” explains Joy Cirigliano, President of 4HAS. “If we can harness our managed landscapes and other properties to provide suitable habitat for our native plants and animals, and make them beautiful at the same time, it will help strengthen and heal our local ecosystem. All of our neighbors will be happy, including the furred and feathered ones.”
The Four Harbors Audubon Society Bird Oasis Program is available to any property within the *4HAS territory, including residential, commercial, industrial and municipal for a fee. The program consists of a one-hour consultation and property assessment and a certification sign.
*4HAS Territory:
Centereach, Coram, East Setauket, Hauppauge, Kings Park, Lake Grove, Middle Island, Miller Place, Mount Sinai , Nesconset, Port Jefferson, Port Jefferson Station, Ridge, Rocky Point, Saint James, Selden. Setauket, Shoreham. Smithtown, Sound Beach, South Setauket, Stony Brook, and Stony Brook Campus.
For more information, visit https://4has.org/bird-oasis after the program launch on March 1. For additional inquiries, please send an email to [email protected].
Four Harbors Audubon Society is a local chapter of the National Audubon Society.It is affiliated with Audubon New York and is a member of the Audubon Council of New York State. Its mission is to protect and preserve birds, wildlife, and the places and resources needed, for today and tomorrow.
The gooey inside of the O-Mellow cookie. Photo by Julianne Mosher
This Port Jefferson Station mom has a secret that everyone is talking about: Secret Stuffed Cookies.
When the COVID-19 pandemic caused Ashley Winkler to halt working at her beauty salon, the mother of three decided to get creative.
Ashley Winkler, founder of Secret Stuffed Cookies, holding her Rainbow OG cookie. Photo by Julianne Mosher
“I’m a baker,” she said. “So, I started doing it for my family. I stuffed a rainbow cookie into another cookie. Then we had some Girl Scout cookies, and I stuffed those in. I just had fun with it.”
That’s when Winkler posted her tasty creations to social media — and they blew up. Friends began asking her if they could order a dozen of her stuffed, hearty treats.
“I was just doing it for fun,” she said. “I wasn’t trying to make money.”
Winkler said she felt guilty operating a cookie company out of her home when other local bakers were struggling to keep their doors open. She also wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to do it.
Last March, she thought the pandemic might only last a month — but nearly a year later, her quarantine project has become a passion.
Originally her Secret Stuffed Cookies Instagram page was private, only accepting close friends and relatives for local cookie pickups.
“But then May came and people were getting stimulus checks … They started ordering two dozen cookies every week from me and referring my account to their friends,” she said.
Back to work, and raising three little kids, Winkler wasn’t sure if she’d want to continue the baking. With a little help from her sister and a few neighbors, she decided to keep at it.
By February of 2021, 11 months since her first cookie being made, she has nearly 4,000 followers and ships her baked goods nationwide.
Three days a week, she bakes a minimum of 300 cookies. She always has her “Rainbow OG,” a chocolate chip cookie stuffed with a homemade rainbow cookie, the “O-Mellow,” an Oreo marshmallow cookie and several others on the menu — but she’s always switching it up.
Compared to other stuffed cookie companies, Secret Stuffed has several options for people with a sweet tooth.
“I don’t want to tell people what they have to get. I want people to choose what they want,” she said. “There’s a whole range, and they can choose how they want to pay and how many cookies they want to get.”
Secret Stuffed offers same-day pickup from her Port Jefferson Station home, next business day shipping and a pre-order option. She also recently set up a cookie subscription box, which features new types every month.
Baked fresh and packaged individually, Winkler said her cookies stay good for two weeks. They can be frozen or refrigerated to last up to a month.
She also teamed up with local businesses to sell cookies in-person. Right now, customers can find her sweets in Town and Country Market in Miller Place, Joe’s Campus Heroes in Selden, and Rose and Boom Boutiques in St. James and Mount Sinai.
To order and find out more information, visit @SecretStuffedCookies on Instagram and Facebook
In 2018, the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development & Planning published its 2016 Land Use Study. In the report, Brookhaven Township and Smithtown Township had 27% and 17% recreational and open space, respectively.
Four Harbors Audubon Society is a local chapter of the National Audubon Society.
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