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Village Beacon Record

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Photo from Town of Smithtown

Residents are Advised to Apply Here; Deadline is October 7

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine announced today that new grant funding is available for homeowners who sustained damages from record flooding in Suffolk County on August 18-19. The program, which will be administered by the Long Island Housing Partnership, Inc. designated by the New York Homes and Community Renewal agency, seeks to offer emergency home repair assistance and reimbursement to impacted homeowners.

“Suffolk County experienced a catastrophic storm that impacted thousands of residents who are still recovering,” said Romaine. “As we continue to assess damage and work to provide our communities with relief, I thank our partners in New York State who will provide eligible homeowners with much needed financial assistance.”

Grant funding is available to eligible residents on a first come, first serve basis. Funds allocated under the program will be limited to emergency housing repairs necessary to make the home safe, sanitary and habitable. The program is intended to assist eligible homeowners whose damages were not covered by insurance or other disaster recovery funds. Non-urgent repairs are not eligible.

Under the program guidelines, homeowners must be income eligible, defined as an annual household income equal to or less than 150% of County Area Median Income based on household size.  Homeowners may not qualify for full grant award, and in no event will the total grant award to any single applicant exceed $50,000. Homeowners associations are not eligible.

The deadline to apply is October 7, 2024. Residents are advised to apply here.

Residents with questions or who need additional information are advised to contact the Flood Relief Program at [email protected] or call 631-435-4710.

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File photo by Raymond Janis

Applauding Cedar Beach environmental sentiments

I applaud the sentiments of “Trying to enjoy peace at Cedar Beach” in Letters to the Editor, Sept. 5. 

I can’t count how many times I’ve been at the beautiful beaches and parks in our area — as well as parking lots — and felt similar feelings of bewilderment and anger when I see people sitting in their idling cars, often with the windows down. Why run the engine, especially on a beautiful day? It’s a waste of gas and money, and pollutes the air while creating unnecessary noise. 

Perhaps our local leaders can put forth legislation that would fine those who idle their engines beyond the 3-minute limit acceptable by New York State law? Maybe some people don’t grasp the detrimental effects on the environment — not to mention the waste of their own money — but perhaps enforcing legislation and fines would provide a wake-up call. Let’s all enjoy fresh air and nature in peace and quiet, and be considerate of others.

Adriana Lubarsky

East Setauket

Keeping LIRR on track

Port Jefferson commuters should be concerned that the LIRR still needs to reach a state of good repair for existing fleet, stations, elevators, escalators, signals, interlockings, track, power, yards and shops. It also includes more and more stations reaching compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. All maintenance programs for all operating assets also need to be fully funded and completed on time to ensure riders safe uninterrupted reliable service. Since its creation in 1964, the Urban Mass Transit Administration (known since 1991 as the Federal Transit Administration) has provided billions to pay for many of these capital improvements.

The LIRR share of annual FTA grants to the MTA averages 15%. In 2024, this should represent $270 million of $1.8 billion in federal grant funding. The state Department of Transportation provides Statewide Mass Transportation Operating Assistance on an annual basis to the MTA and LIRR. Let us give thanks to both Washington and Albany for continued financial support for our very own LIRR — the nation’s largest commuter railroad.

Larry Penner

Great Neck

Voices of service: the true cost of new nonprofit oversight

Last month, Suffolk County Legislators Trish Bergin (R-East Islip) and Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) sponsored I.R. 1687, a bill that would amend the Suffolk County Code to provide the county more oversight into the internal fiscal operations of nonprofit entities seeking county subsidies and limiting the salaries of nonprofit executives.

I have worked in nonprofit leadership since 2011. Leading a nonprofit is often impossibly difficult. Over half of respondents in a recent survey from the Chronicle of Philanthropy noted that they struggle with a work-life balance. Nearly two-thirds of the nonprofit leaders in the Chronicle’s survey say the country’s polarization — over politics, race and culture — is making their work more difficult.

A third of survey participants say they are likely to leave their current organization in the next two years. Twenty-two percent say they are likely to leave the nonprofit world altogether. Other than retirement, top reasons include salary, the challenge of finding resources and the demands of the job.

I can’t think of any other industry that is on the edge of losing almost 25% of their leadership workforce.

A healthy relationship between nonprofits and their local, state and federal governments brings stronger programming and services to residents. Without the nonprofit sector, the government does not have the infrastructure or systems in place to provide the care we need.

My colleagues and friends who have devoted their life to this work are not money-hungry hoarders. But if our industry is going to recruit competitive talent to lead, we must be able to offer competitive salaries.

Perhaps our county legislators and others like them should rethink opportunities to increase their giving and partnerships so we can actually solve the problems facing nonprofit organizations, rather than attacking the people responsible for working to solve them.

Cindy Morris

Stony Brook

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Pixabay photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

I hadn’t been to Los Angeles in over 30 years. On our trip last week, I traveled with my wife, worked remotely, visited with our nephew, and purchased tickets to attend my first home Dodgers game.

During a visit that only lasted a few days, my wife and I stayed on Eastern Standard Time, which meant we were awake between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m. local time and were at work by 7 a.m..

My wife walked across a street to her office and I sat at a desk on the 17th floor of a hotel, laptop in front of me with my cell phone at the ready.

At around 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, I felt as if the desk in front of me were shaking.

At first, I figured it had to be some neurological quirk. After all, the older I get, the more inexplicable my sometimes random body signals are to me.

When the desk shook a second time, I made an announcement to the empty room.

“That’s an earthquake!” I declared, as if naming it and knowing what it was gave me some small measure of control. I walked around in circles and wondered what I should grab, where I should go, and what I should do.

I knew my wife was in meetings that morning, but called her immediately anyway.

She picked up in that hushed tone she uses when she’s on a phone or a zoom call.

“What’s happening?” she whispered.

“Did you feel the earthquake?” I asked. “What are you doing about it over there?”

“Earthquake? What earthquake? No,” she said, as she quickly typed into her computer.

Sure enough, within seconds of the quake, she had found something online confirming the event.

“What do you want to do?” she asked. 

I was staring out the window, which probably isn’t the right place to go, and watched people casually walking along the sidewalk, cars navigating through crowded streets and birds flying between the buildings.

“I’m going to call the lobby,” I said. I told her I’d get back to her immediately if there was anything we should do.

“Hi,” I stammered, “is this the front desk?”

“Yes,” the woman said. “How can I help you?”

“I’m on the 17th floor and I just felt an earthquake,” I announced.

Silence. I suspect the woman in the lobby was thinking something along the lines of, “You’re not from around these parts, are you?”

“What should I do?” I asked.

“Oh,” she sighed. “Well, if you’re worried or if things are falling from the ceiling, you can take shelter.”

“Shelter? Where? What should I do?”

“You can go under your desk or wait in a door frame. We also have a communication system on every floor and we can let you know if you need to evacuate.”

“So, what do I do?” I asked again.

“Whatever makes you comfortable,” she sighed. “Can I help you with anything else?”

“No,” I said, hanging up the phone. I grabbed my wallet, put on my shoes, and made sure I had everything I might need. I stood in the middle of the room in earthquake sensing mode. I had become a human seismometer, with my arms out, my feet spread apart and my palms pointing down to sense any vibrations.

I kept checking online, where I read coverage of an earthquake that didn’t seem to have caused any damage.

My wife and I traded texts and decided to continue working.

Later that day, we discussed the quake with friends and strangers, triggering all kinds of stories about earlier quakes and the ones people felt at different times.

I’m sure people in New York don’t hear honking taxis, people in the southeastern United States barely register screeching cicadas, and people in Phoenix somehow adjust to the searing heat.

I don’t think I’ll ever be enough of a Californian or a would-be Californian not to worry about the Earth moving under my feet.

Oh, and I did get to the Dodgers game the night before. The stadium was magnificent, the sushi was remarkably good, and the fans were delighted by the other-worldly performance of Shohei Ohtani, who crushed a home run and stole a base. 

The explosive sounds of a thrilled crowd of close to 50,000, the excitement of people jumping out of their seats, and the celebratory flashing lights were far more familiar than the shaking desk I felt the next morning.

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Grace Kelly in a promotional photo for 'Rear Window' by Paramount Pictures. Wikimedia

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief,
Publisher

While England had its favorite Princess Diana, we in America had a princess of our own for years. Many now were born after her death in 1982, but for those of us who remember her, she had terrific charisma. She was Princess of Monaco, her name was Grace Kelly and she came from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Last Saturday marked the anniversary of her death, also like Diana, in a horrible automobile accident on the steep slopes of the French Riviera. She was 52.

Hers was a true fairy tale story until the end.

Unlike many stars of stage and screen, Grace Kelly did not come from a hardscrabble background but was born into a wealthy Irish Catholic family, the third of four children. By all accounts, hers was a handsome household, and she was sent to good schools. Starting her career as an actress at 18, she began with helpful connections. Her uncle was a Pulitzer Prize winner in California and certainly smoothed her way with important introductions.

One well known story about her that came to symbolize her demeanor and rapid rise to success was her early interview with a director. She appeared well dressed and wearing a hat and white gloves. As her mother explained many times in subsequent years to the press, that was what a well brought up young lady wore to an appointment mid-century. Along with her blonde, blue eyed good looks, she carried a finishing school poise wherever she went. That certainly impressed many in Hollywood.

She also impressed the movie world by refusing to sign a long term contract with any of the studios, thus assuring her independence. Initially she found work as a commercial photographer’s model, but then she started getting small parts in movies and quickly moved up. Within a remarkably short, five-year period, she starred in movies with some of Hollywood’s most famous, and virile, leading men, including Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart, Louis Jordan, Stewart Granger and even did a famous duet with Bing Crosby in the movie, “High Society.” She also won an Academy Award for her role in “Country Girl,” in which she had a non-glamorous lead.

Grace Kelly was, by popular accounts, Director Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite actress and his lead in two of his movies. When she was sent to film “To Catch a Thief” on the French Riviera, she was introduced to Prince Rainier III of Monaco, who at the age of 32 was considered one of Europe’s most eligible bachelors. Monaco was known to Americans as a luxurious tourist resort famous for its Monte Carlo Casino. It was, and still is, a small sovereign principality on the Mediterranean, alongside France and close to Italy, ruled by the Grimaldi family since 1297 but only so long as the family produces an heir.

At the time of her marriage in 1956, Kelly was 26, and to the sorrow of many, retired from her acting career. While she was regarded, since she was an American and an actress, with some coolness at first by the Monegasques, they certainly took her into their hearts when she produced the Grimaldi’s first of their three children in 1957. That insured their tax-free status and Monaco’s continuation.

Not unlike Princess Diana, whom she met shortly after Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles, she worked hard on behalf of charities, especially for children. And according to an interview with her son, Albert, in 2014, Kelly was a “hands-on” mom, keeping their home as normal as possible in the midst of glamorous European life. Kelly even insisted on turkey amid Thanksgiving celebrations, neither one of which was common for Europeans.

I met Grace Kelly when I was an early teenager and infatuated with movies. It was an  evening on a Sunday, and I was peering into a shop window on Madison Avenue in the upper 70s in New York City. I don’t remember what I was looking at, but I became aware that there was someone next to me also glancing into the closed shop. I turned to face the woman, who then turned toward me. I knew that face.

“Are you Grace Kelly?”  I asked, thrilled. She had sea blue eyes and fabulous skin, which was so impressive to me in my early acne years.

“Yes,” she said smiling. “I am.” I noted that she had perfect white teeth.

After a moment, during which I froze, she continued smiling and walked uptown, past me.

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Police car. Stock photo

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Seventh Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the driver of a vehicle that fled the scene in Sound Beach in September.

A 2014-2017 silver Toyota Corolla traveling on Sound Beach Boulevard struck and injured a 55-year-old woman on September 12 at approximately 10 p.m. The driver then fled the scene. The vehicle has front right side damage, including a damaged or missing a right- hand side rear-view mirror. The vehicle was last seen heading northbound on Sound Beach Boulevard.

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

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Photo courtesy of The Shoppes at East Wind

Calling All Creative Minds!

Get ready for a spooktacular fall with The Shoppes at East Wind’s 7th Annual Scarecrow Contest! Unleash your creativity and craft a one-of-a-kind scarecrow to join the festive display this October. This free contest is open to everyone – individuals, families, groups, and even professionals! Local businesses can also get involved through sponsorship opportunities. Compete for the coveted first, second, and third-place prizes for the most impressive scarecrow creation. The deadline to register your scarecrow is Friday, September 20th.

Photo courtesy of The Shoppes at East Wind

From Saturday, September 28th through October 26th, shoppers at The Shoppes at East Wind will have the chance to vote for their favorite scarecrow. Ballots will be available at the shops and must be returned by October 26th to be counted. Winners will be announced on the same day.

All participating scarecrows will be on display throughout October, culminating in a grand showcase at The Shoppes at East Wind’s Safe Trick or Treat Halloween event on October 31st.

Registration is required to participate. Pick up a registration form at any shop at The Shoppes at East Wind, download one online, or enter directly on their website. Completed forms can be dropped off at The Shoppes at East Wind (5720 Route 25A, Wading River, NY 11792 addressed to ATTN: THE SHOPPES.

Don’t miss out on this exciting fall tradition!

For more information on the Scarecrow Contest or The Shoppes at East Wind, please call 631.846.2370 or email [email protected].

https://eastwindlongisland.com/shoppes/scarecrow-contest/

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Pixabay photo

By John L. Turner

John Turner

As summer melds into autumn, the changes in temperature and daylight length are hardly, if at all, noticeable to us. But not so with the trees of Long Island’s forests. They are attuned to incremental changes in environmental conditions and have begun to prepare for the impending winter although it is still several months away.

The first and most conspicuous sign of this preparation is the color change in the countless leaves adorning the almost countless trees. During the summer leaves are filled with chlorophyll pigment necessary for plants to photosynthesize. As summer wears on, trees begin to break down chlorophyll pigments, reabsorbing the vital nitrogen and as a result other pigments are revealed. The color of the leaf depends on which pigments appear — anthocyanin produces red colored leaves, xanthophyll creates yellow, and carotene results in orange and gold. A fall season with cool nights and warm sunny days produces the most intense colors. 

There are a dozen or so tree species along the North Shore providing the riot of color a that a spectacular autumn burst can bring. Two wetland trees are especially colorful, indeed brilliant — red maple and black tupelo. Their leaves turn an intense orange-red, so colorful it appears if they are illuminated from an internal light source.  Tupelo starts turning early — beginning in mid-August. 

Add to this the butter yellow of the hickories, the lemon-yellow of sassafras, the bright red of scarlet oak (easy to understand how it got its name when you see it in autumn splendor), the similarly colored red oak, the solid tan of beech, the duller orange of black oak, and the solid gold of black birch, and it’s clear that Long Island’s forests can paint an eye-pleasing show!       

Fortunately, there are many parks and preserves along the county’s North Shore where you can see leaf change. Caleb Smith State Park Preserve in Smithtown can be a go-to locale given the amount of red maple and tupelo growing in and along the park’s numerous wetlands. The same goes for the adjacent Blydenburgh County Park. Cordwood Landing County Park in Miller Place, a gem situated on the shore of Long Island Sound, produces a nice palette of color that includes two rarer orange-leaved trees — Hornbeam and Hop Hornbeam.  

A walk along the Long Island Greenbelt Trail in Arthur Kunz County Park on the west side of the Nissequogue River, accessed from Landing Avenue in Smithtown, can be good for leaf peeping with an added bonus of beautiful views of the river and its marshland, the grasses of which turn an attractive russet color in the fall. 

Makamah County Nature Preserve in Fort Salonga is similar — colorful woodland scenes with peeks out to the adjacent marshland. A less well-known county park, fine for leaf peeping, is Rassapeague County Park located in the Village of Nissequogue along Long Beach Road. 

A little further afield, the 100,000 acre Pine Barrens Preserve of central and eastern Suffolk County offers many places to view the leaf change and is especially beautiful in certain areas as the bright red and orange of the red maples and black tupelos blend with the tans, browns and burgundy of various oaks. Adding to the palette here are the medium green colors of Pitch Pine and in some places the darker greens of Atlantic White Cedar. 

Good places in the Pine Barrens to see the leaf change are the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, Cranberry Bog County Nature Preserve accessed by County Route 63 in Riverhead, and The Nature Conservancy’s Calverton Pond Preserve in Manorville.

A resident of Setauket, author John L. Turner is conservation chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, author of “Exploring the Other Island: A Seasonal Nature Guide to Long Island” and president of Alula Birding & Natural History Tours.

This article originally appeared in TBR News Media’s Harvest Times supplement on Sept. 12.

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File photo

Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that critically injured a man in Miller Place on Sept. 13.

Scott Brown was operating a 2016 Suzuki westbound on Route 25A when the motorcycle struck the rear of an eastbound 2023 Chevrolet Traverse that was also traveling on Route 25A and attempting to turn left into the Miller Place Plaza, located at 451 Route 25A, at 6:55 p.m.

Brown, 33, of Selden, was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital in critical condition. The driver of the Chevrolet, Jennifer Tako, 50, of Rocky Point, and a passenger were transported to Mather Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Both vehicles were impounded for a safety check.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Sixth Squad detectives at 631-854-8652.

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Photo courtesy of Rocky Point School District
Photo courtesy of Rocky Point School District
Photo courtesy of Rocky Point School District

With eager smiles and backpacks in tow, students of the Rocky Point school district kicked off the school year on Sept. 4, ready to meet new teachers and reconnect with old friends.

At Frank J. Carasiti Elementary School, cheerful sidewalk chalk messages of positivity and kindness set the tone, as students were welcomed back to classes.

The district’s first week unfolded smoothly, as students, faculty and staff, across the district’s four buildings, seamlessly transitioned from summer fun to the inaugural days of September.

— Photos courtesy of Rocky Point School District

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Timothy Kjaer

Timothy Kjaer Faces 4 to 12 Years in Prison if He Does Not Pay $3 Million in Restitution by September 2028

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Sept. 12 that Timothy Kjaer, 49, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, formerly of Shoreham and former owner of several auto shop businesses, pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the First Degree for failing to report $16 million in taxable sales in order to steal more than $1.3 million in sales tax money from New York State.

“For over a decade, this defendant brazenly stole money from New York State by pocketing the sales tax he collected from customers instead of remitting it to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. In total, this defendant stole over $1.3 million by failing to report more than $16 million in taxable sales,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Today’s plea serves as a clear reminder that failing to pay taxes is a serious crime against the public that will not be tolerated. I thank our partners at the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance for continuing to work with my Office to investigate and prosecute tax fraud and to protect taxpayers.”

According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, from June 1, 2011 to November 30, 2021, Kjaer failed to submit dozens of Sales Tax returns and falsified others that substantially underreported the taxable sales of several businesses he owned in Suffolk County.

Kjaer owned the following businesses that failed to report sales tax revenue to New York State:

  • Automotive Marine & Styling Center, Inc., and Real Deal Auto Inc. – 1165 E. Main Street in Riverhead;
  • Not Just Tint, Inc., S&T Autoworks 1, Inc., and S&T Auto Centers, Inc. – 3165 Route 112 in Medford;
  • EZ Credit Auto Sales, Inc. – 2910 Route 112 in Medford;
  • Universal Auto, Inc. – 1831B Route 112 in Medford; and
  • Universal Auto Sales & Service, Inc. – 8B Middle Country Road in Coram.

    In total, Kjaer failed to report taxable sales of approximately $16,142,986 in order to steal $1,385,605 in sales tax collected on behalf of New York State. Kjaer admitted that the sales tax money was collected from customers on behalf of New York State and that he intentionally failed to remit those funds as required.

    On September 12, 2024, Kjaer pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the First Degree, a Class B felony, before Acting Supreme Court Justice Stephen Braslow. As part of his plea, Kjaer will be required to pay $3,000,000 to New York State or face imprisonment. Kjaer is due back in court on September 12, 2025, and he is being represented by Matthew Tuohy, Esq.

    This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sacks of the Financial Crimes Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Assistant Chief Investigator Danielle Paolucci of New York State Department of Taxation and Finance with additional forensic audit assistance from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.

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