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Village Beacon Record

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Further destruction of terracing and plantings on the East Beach bluff after recent rainstorms. Photo by Lynn Hallarman

Recent setbacks in East Beach bluff stabilization project have officials and residents on edge 

By Lynn Hallarman

East Beach is a village-owned strip of sandy shoreline situated between the northern front of the Long Island Sound and the base — or toe — of a steeply set bluff, roughly 100 feet high.

A jetty opens into Mount Sinai Harbor eastward of the bluff. To the west, the shore stretches past a series of private properties, then past the village of Belle Terre, and finally curves inward, reconfiguring as Port Jefferson Harbor. 

For decades, the village-owned Port Jefferson Country Club, perched near the crest of the bluff, was invisible to beachgoers below, shielded by a thick tangle of greenery clinging to the bluff’s north front. 

But in recent years, a series of intense rainstorms, combined with sea rise and pressures from human-made alterations in the landscape above the bluff, have set in motion deforestation and scouring, denuding the bluff of vegetation and accelerating erosion in the direction of the country club’s foundation. The club has become precariously close to the bluff’s edge. Without a plan, there was no doubt it would slide down the bluff onto the shoreline below within a few years. 

To make matters worse, the bluff stabilization project, whose aim is to stabilize the position of the club, has been beset with complications in the wake of a series of recent storms unraveling costly work completed just last summer as part of Phase I of the project.

As communities across Long Island are confronting relentless coastal erosion, TBR News Media focuses on the obstacles facing the bluff stabilization project at East Beach, exploring the complexities, costs and alternative solutions to rescuing the country club.

The big picture

Bluffs change naturally over time, feeding sand to the beach and replenishing the shoreline. They respond to the force of winds, waves and tides, creating new states of equilibrium with the beach below and the landscapes above. The Long Island shoreline has been reshaping for thousands of years, sometimes imperceptibly and sometimes in dramatic fits of landslip — that is, chunks of shoreline abruptly falling into the sea. 

East Beach and its bluff are inseparable from the adjacent coastline — they move as the coastline moves. When humans make changes in the shorelines by adding bulkheads, jetties and other rigid structures, the effects resonate laterally, affecting the movement of sand and ocean from beach to beach along the shoreline. 

“Port Jefferson’s experience with bluff restoration is a microcosm of what has been happening all over Long Island,” said Chuck Hamilton, a marine biologist and former regional natural resource supervisor for the state Department of Environmental Conservation for some 33 years.

“For a long time, farmers on Long Island had their farms right on top of the bluff, and shoreline erosion happened naturally,” he said. But now those same areas are being subdivided and developed, adding weight and impermeable surfaces abutting the shoreline. “And guess what? Now we need to stabilize.”

For decades, Port Jefferson Country Club was invisible to the beachgoers, shielded by a thick tangle of greenery clinging to the bluff. Undated photo courtesy Port Jeff historian Chris Ryon

The project

When Port Jefferson’s mayor, Lauren Sheprow, took office in July 2023, the bluff stabilization project was already in motion. Sheprow, a former public relations professional, had campaigned on a platform of two core values: financial transparency and safeguarding of village assets. However, the realities of rescuing the country club — purchased in 1978 when her father, Harold Sheprow, was village mayor — while keeping project costs under control have proven to be complex and demanding. 

Most of Phase I of the project happened before the current mayor took office. This work included the installation of a 454-foot rigid wall at the base, terracing and native grass plantings on the bluff face. With Phase II now under her purview, Sheprow believes it is her responsibility to see the project to completion: the installation of a wall system along the bluff’s crest, directly seaward of the imperiled country club. 

“I swore to protect and preserve the property owned by the Village of Port Jefferson, and therefore the residents. Preserving and protecting is not ignoring an erosion issue,” the mayor said.

Phase I, costing approximately $5 million, relied on local taxpayer dollars financed through a bond repayable over time. Phase II, estimated at $4.8 million, will be financed mostly by federal taxpayer dollars by a FEMA grant of $3.75 million.  

Financing the endeavor has been rife with holdups and stymied by a six-year-long permitting process. It has been almost a year since Phase I was completed. Final signoffs related to the FEMA funding for Phase II are still pending, preventing the village from seeking bids for construction of the upper wall. However, the village treasurer, Stephen Gaffga, said he hopes to see the signoffs come through this month. 

By many accounts, questions about the project’s funding have rankled residents for years. The prevailing sentiment is that the village pushed through a $10 million bond for the stabilization project (phases I and II combined) without a community vote through a bond resolution. 

“When I am asked about my position about the bluff restoration, I never saw the arguments on all sides of the project flushed out,” said Ana Hozyainova, president of Port Jefferson Civic Association. “Village officials took the position from the beginning that the building must be saved, no matter what. That imperative has limited the discussions about options.”

Complications

The uncertainty surrounding the cost and timing of needed repairs because of winter storm damage to the bluff faces further complications in Phase II. “Negotiations are ongoing” between the village and the contractor about who is responsible for absorbing these additional expenses, Gaffga said. 

Drainage issues at the bluff’s crest are also hampering progress, and likely contributed to the recent collapse of the newly-installed terracing along the western part of the bluff, below the tennis courts. “There are huge puddles sitting at the crest, after heavy [recent] rainstorms,” Sheprow said. The strategy and cost related to addressing the drainage issues have not yet been determined, she added. 

Although the project was divided into two phases because of funding constraints, “its ultimate success,” according to Laura Schwanof, senior ecologist at GEI Consultants of Huntington Station, “hinges on both walls working together to curtail erosion and prevent the club slipping down the slope.” 

GEI has been involved with village erosion mitigation projects since 2009. The two-wall system for the bluff stabilization was their design. “The problem with this project is protection number two — the upper wall — has not been installed,” Schwanof said. When asked how long the wall system might hold up, she couldn’t say. 

“What does happen, and has been seen across the Northeast, is that as we get more frequent storms, higher wave energy, higher rainfall events, rigid wall structures may work in the short term. But if you look 50 years down the road, they may not be as effective,” she said. 

“Hard erosion protection structures such as revetments or bulkheads can be costly, only partially effective over time and may even deflect wave energy onto adjacent properties.” Jeff Wernick, a DEC representative, wrote in an email. The DEC, he said, permitted the East Beach project based solely on “the immediate threat to significant infrastructure.” 

Completion of Phase I in spring 2023, before winter storms unravel work on the bluff face.
Photo from the PJ Village website

Retreat?

 When Steve Englebright, 5th District county legislator (D-Setauket) and geologist, was asked about the stabilization project, he started with a lesson about glacial formations dating back 17,000 years. Englebright scrutinized photographs of the bluff during an interview with TBR News conducted after the recent storms. 

“When the bluff, which is partially made of clay, is overweighted it behaves like squeezed toothpaste,” he said. “You can see toothpaste-like extrusions on the beach.”

Missing from the conversation, according to Englebright, is a reckoning of what is happening along the entire Long Island coast. “People don’t understand the overall dynamics,” he said. “That’s why I’m trying to give you the big picture — that the entire North Shore is unstable.”

“Trying to defend a single property is human folly,” he added. “You can buy some time, but how much are we paying? I don’t believe it’s realistic because you can’t stop the overall dynamic. The village should celebrate the fact that they have the ability to retreat and use that ability. Right? The bind is if you don’t have land, but they have the land. Strategically retreat, rebuild the building.”

Stan Loucks, a village trustee and a former country club liaison, was asked to put together a retreat plan by former Mayor Margot Garant — confirmed by her to TBR News. “I did a plan A — proceed with the restoration project — or plan B, retreat —about three years ago,” Loucks said. “I got prices for the demolition of the country club, moving the tennis courts and an architectural rendering of a new club further inland.” 

“The drawings had a huge deck on this side overlooking the Sound, and the huge deck on this side overlooking the golf course. I would have loved to take that plan to the end,” he added. 

Loucks’s retreat plan was never vetted publicly. Sheprow told TBR she never saw a retreat plan. 

Loucks remembers when tennis court No. 5 went in a landslide a few years ago. “It was massive and happened overnight,” he said. “And the slide took the gazebo, too.”

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Brookhaven Lab biologist Meng Xie and postdoctoral fellow Dimiru Tadesse with sorghum plants like those used in this study. Note that these plants are flowering, unlike those the scientists engineered to delay flowering indefinitely to maximize their accumulation of biomass. Photo by Kevin Coughlin/ BNL

By Daniel Dunaief

A traffic light turns green and a driver can make a left turn. Similarly, plants on one path can change direction when they receive a particular signal. In the case of the sorghum plant, the original direction involves growth. A series of signals, however, sends it on a different trajectory, enabling the plant to flower and reproduce, halting the growth cycle.

Brookhaven Lab biologist Meng Xie and postdoctoral fellow Dimiru Tadesse in the lab. Photo by Kevin Coughlin/ BNL

Understanding and altering this process could allow the plant to grow for a longer period of time. Additional growth increases the biomass of this important energy crop, making each of these hearty plants, which can survive in semiarid regions and can tolerate relatively high temperatures, more productive when they are converted into biomass in the form of ethanol, which is added to gasoline.

Recently, Brookhaven National Laboratory biologist Meng Xie teamed up with Million Tadege, Professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Science at Oklahoma State University, among others, to find genes and the mechanism that controls flowering in sorghum.

Plants that produce more biomass have a more developed root system, which can sequester more carbon and store it in the soil.

The researchers worked with a gene identified in other studies called SbGhd7 that extends the growth period when it is overexpressed.

Validating the importance of that gene, Xie and his colleagues were able to produce about three times the biomass of a sorghum plant compared to a control that flowered earlier and produced grain.

The plants they grew didn’t reach the upper limit of size and, so far, the risk of extensive growth  that might threaten the survival of the plant is unknown.

Researchers at Oklahoma State University conducted the genetic work, while Xie led the molecular mechanistic studies at BNL.

At OSU, the researchers used a transgenic sorghum plant to over express the flowering-control gene, which increased the protein it produced. These plants didn’t flower at all.

“This was a dramatic difference from what happens in rice plants when they overexpress their version of this same gene,” Xie explained in a statement. “In rice, overexpression of this gene delays flowering for eight to 20 days — not forever!”

In addition to examining the effect of changing the concentration of the protein produced, Xie also explored the way this protein recognized and bound to promoters of its targets to repress target expression.

Xie did “a lot of molecular studies to understand the underlying mechanism, which was pretty hard to perform in sorghum previously,” he said.

Xie worked with protoplasts, which are plant cells whose outer wall has been removed. He inserted a so-called plasmid, which is a small piece of DNA, into their growth medium, which the plants added to their DNA.

The cells can survive in a special incubation/ growth medium, enabling the protoplasts to incorporate the plasmid.

Sorghum plant. Photo by Kevin Coughlin/ BNL

Xie attached a small protein to the gene so they could monitor the way it interacted in the plant. They also added antibodies that bound to this protein, which allowed them to cut out and observe the entire antibody-protein DNA complex to determine which genes were involved in this critical growth versus flowering signaling pathway.

The flowering repressor gene bound to numerous targets. 

Xie and his BNL colleagues found the regulator protein’s binding site, which is a short DNA sequence within the promoter for each target gene.

Conventional wisdom in the scientific community suggested this regulator protein would affect one activator gene. Through his molecular mechanistic studies, Xie uncovered the interaction with several genes.

“In our model, we found that [the signaling] is much more complicated,” he said. The plant looks like it can “bypass each [gene] to affect flowering.”

Regulation appears to have crosstalk and feedback loops, he explained.

The process of coaxing these plants to continue to grow provides a one-way genetic street, which prevents the plant from developing flowers and reproducing.

These altered plants would prevent any cross contamination with flowering plants, which would help scientists and, potentially down the road, farmers meet regulatory requirements to farm this source of biomass.

Ongoing efforts

The targets he found, which recognize the short sequence of DNA, also appears in many other flowering genes.

Xie said the group’s hypothesis is that this regulator in the form of this short sequence of DNA also may affect flowering genes in other plants, such as maize and rice.

Xie is continuing to work with researchers at OSU to study the function of the numerous targets in the flowering and growth processes. 

He hopes to develop easy ways to control flowering which might include spraying a chemical that blocks flowering and removing it to reactive reproduction. This system would be helpful in controlling cross contamination. He also would like to understand how environmental conditions affect sorghum, which is work he’s doing in the lab. Down the road, he might also use the gene editing tool CRISPR to induce expression at certain times.

Honing the technique to pursue this research took about four years to develop, while Xie and his students spent about a year searching for the molecular mechanisms involved.

Rough beginning

Xie departed from his post doctoral position at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in March of 2020, when he started working at BNL. That was when Covid altered people’s best-laid plans, as he couldn’t come to the lab to start conducting his research for about six months. 

Born in Shanxi province in China, Xie and his wife Jingdan Niu live in Yaphank and have a two-year old son, Felix Xie.

When he was growing up, Xie was interested in math, physics, chemistry and biology. As an undergraduate in Beijing, Xie started to learn more about biology and technology, which inspired him to enter this field.

Biotechnology “can change the world,” Xie said.

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Stony Brook University’s head women’s basketball coach, Ashley Langford. Photo courtesy SBU

By Daniel Dunaief

Ashley Langford’s college basketball life is coming full circle.

This time, instead of dishing assists as a guard, she’ll be patrolling the sidelines as head coach.

After three successful years as head coach for Stony Brook University’s women’s basketball team, including the first ever postseason win in the WBIT, Langford is replacing the retiring Lisa Stockton, her former coach at Tulane University. Langford, who was a star guard from 2005 to 2009 at Tulane, will become the seventh head coach of the women’s team and the first African American to lead the team.

“I didn’t even think I’d be coaching,” said Langford in an interview from Tulane just hours after touching down in the Crescent City. Stockton “is the one during my senior year who thought I should start coaching. It’s ironic that I’m now taking over for her.”

In a wide ranging interview, Langford, who is Tulane’s career leader in assists, assists per game and minutes per game and was inducted into the school’s athletics Hall of Fame in 2018, reflected on the recent record-setting audiences for the women’s games in March Madness, her time at Stony Brook and her new opportunity as coach at Tulane.

March Madness

While Langford didn’t watch much of the tournament, as she prepared the Seawolves for their postseason games and was contemplating a move back to New Orleans, she did catch the Final Four.

At the end of a Final Four game watched by a record 14.2 million people between the University of Connecticut and Iowa, Connecticut was behind by one point with the ball and seconds left on the clock.

An official called a foul on a moving screen on Connecticut’s Aaliyah Edwards, who was blocking Iowa’s Gabbie Marshall. Numerous prominent basketball pundits thought the call was either incorrect or inappropriate.

“That call has been made all season long,” Langford said. “In my opinion, they call that a moving screen. It’s up to the ref making the best decision in that moment.”

Officials “aren’t supposed to make calls depending on the time of the game,” she added. “To me, they called that all season long.”

Langford thought a final between Iowa and South Carolina expected a more competitive game because she thought Iowa had a deeper team than Connecticut, a perennial powerhouse that had been dealing with injuries.

For the first time ever, the TV audience for the women’s final far outdid the men’s final, with a peak of 24 million viewers for the women’s game on Sunday compared to the 14.82 million for the men.

In the final, Langford was “looking for some good basketball” and thought it was exciting that South Carolina became only the 10th women’s team to finish the season without a loss.

Langford was rooting for the Gamecocks and their coach, Dawn Staley, who was also a standout player before joining the coaching ranks.

Staley has “been a great representative of black women,” Langford said.

Her SB legacy

As for her time at Stony Brook, Langford is pleased with how well the team came together and with the school’s winning culture, which she anticipates continuing.

“I told the team when I departed, ‘No one will be able to take that away from us. This team is etched in Stony Brook history,’” she said. “We have a great group of women who were great in the classroom and on the court. They were able to achieve a lot of success.”

Indeed, Stony Brook finished first in the Colonial Athletic Association, winning the conference with a record of 16-2 and an overall record of 28-5 in Langford’s final season as coach. The team went 13-1 on their home floor.

The Seawolves were one win away from entering March Madness, when they lost 68-60 in the conference championship game to Drexel.

“We played one of our worst games of the season on one of the most important days,” Langford recalled. “There’s shots that we normally make that we didn’t make and there’s shots that they made that they don’t normally make.”

Langford doesn’t want to take anything away from Drexel, as she recognized that they were “the better team that day.”

When she started at Stony Brook, she had several goals. She was thrilled that Gigi Gonzalez earned CAA Player of the Year honors for 2023-2024.

In guiding Stony Brook, Langford was voted 2023-2024 CAA Coach of the Year.

“The only thing that didn’t happen was that we didn’t go dancing” at March Madness, she added. She’s proud of everything the team accomplished.

Tulane approach

As for her start at Tulane, Langford plans to play an uptempo game, encouraging her players to score in the first seven seconds and average around 70 points per game, with about 15 to 20 points coming from transition baskets.

Langford believes games are won on the defensive end of the court.

In balancing between academics and athletics, Langford described her top job as helping the students on her team get a degree, which involves time management.

She encourages players to tap into the academic resources at the school and be proactive as student athletes.

As a head coach, she has learned to be patient.

“I realize I can’t get everything right away,” Langford said. “I’m going to need that patience again as I’m starting a new chapter.”

She needs to chip away each day until she’s helped build and shape the program into a conference champion. In the 2023-2024 season, the Tulane women’s team finished last in the conference, at 3-15, with a 12-20 overall record.

During each halftime, she focuses on statistics, encouraging her team to turn the ball over less or to focus on any rebounding disadvantage.

The game has changed since she played, with considerably more parity across teams. During her heyday as a guard, Tennessee and the University of Connecticut were the powerhouses.

Players are also more versatile, with post players who can shoot three pointers.

Settling back in at Tulane, she feels her most important role is getting to know her current players.

After recovering from a broken ankle earlier this year, she plans to get on the court and work with her players.

“I love getting on the court,” she said. “It’s fun for me.”

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By Emma Gutmann

For World Water Day on March 22, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R) announced the start of the 2024 funding cycle for the county’s Water Quality Protection and Restoration Program. Under this annual program, grants are provided to eligible projects designed to protect and restore the county’s groundwater and surface water resources.

The Drinking Water Protection Program was originally approved by the electorate in 1987 and has been modified over time to bring in other issues such as land stewardship. WQPRP funding is drawn from revenues generated by the 0.25% sales tax, as detailed in Article XII of the Suffolk County Charter. This article is designated to the program for environmental protection, property tax mitigation and sewer district tax rate stabilization. 

With 11.75% of the total revenues generated each year under the 1/4% Drinking Water Protection Program, WQPRP grants funding to municipalities and nonprofit organizations for projects that fit under one of the following umbrella categories: (1) habitat restoration, reclamation and connectivity (2) non-point-source abatement and control and pollution prevention initiatives (3) no-discharge zone implementation (4) land stewardship initiatives or (5) education and outreach. 

Proposers have until June 7 to apply for an award, ranging from $50,000 to $250,000, toward planning, engineering and construction costs. Applications from last year will roll over without further action. 

According to the Suffolk County Press Office, 10 to 15 projects are approved every year, each serving to “maintain the ecosystem services that our natural aquatic environment provides.” This perennial attention to water quality is essential considering the county is enveloped by the South Shore Estuary Reserve, the Peconic Estuary and the Long Island Sound and replete with rivers, streams, tributaries, lakes and ponds.

One notable 2022 grant recipient was the Town of Brookhaven Cedar Beach Habitat Restoration. With the help of WQPRP funding, invasive plants were removed from coastal dunes and forest areas and replaced with a native plant species. This undertaking set out to harmonize the ecosystem through reduced erosion and improved nutrient/pollutant removal. The blueprint also proposed underground wildlife tunnels to provide diamondback terrapin turtles with a safer passage to their nesting grounds than treacherous Harbor Beach Road in Mount Sinai.

The WQPRP Review Committee evaluates projects with a mix of multiple choice and written responses, and also takes into account whether the project is of present priority and/or involves construction or site improvement components.

Online attendance at the Proposers Conference at 11 a.m. on April 16 will garner candidates points toward the scoring of their application. The standout projects will be recommended to the county Legislature for approval.

Although there is a wide range of eligible applicants, the priority project types for this year include wastewater treatment improvements, green stormwater infrastructure implementation, nature/nature-based infrastructure for coastal resilience, fertilizer use mitigation and habitat restoration, reclamation and connectivity. 

Projects must have a thorough work plan and budget, as well as proof of the funds that Suffolk County would be matching. The project also must be ready to commence within a year of assuming the grant and completed within three years of the agreement between the applicant and the county.

“This program is an effective tool in our ongoing work to clean and protect Suffolk County waters,” Romaine said. “It is unique in the way it brings towns, villages and the not-for-profit environmental community together with the county to work on projects that make an impact locally and regionally.”

The Suffolk County Press Office adds that everyone’s small contribution toward protecting and restoring our local fresh and saltwater systems is “crucial for preserving and benefiting the environmental, economic, aesthetic and recreational advantages afforded to our community by our unique aquatic environment.”

Information on policies, eligibility and classifying water bodies and their quality can be found by searching “WQPRP” at www.suffolkcountyny.gov, along with an application. 

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METRO photo

On Friday, April 5, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit north-central New Jersey and was reported as having been felt across the tri-state area — including across our communities. An earthquake of this magnitude has not hit the East Coast since 2011, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Virginia shook areas across New York. 

Experiencing an earthquake can be a disorienting and unnerving event, as it involves the sudden movement of the Earth’s surface caused by the release of energy in the Earth’s crust. 

For those who have experienced an earthquake, the sensation is often described as a sudden jolt or shaking, sometimes accompanied by a rumbling sound. Initially, there may be a feeling of confusion or disbelief as the ground begins to move unexpectedly.

As the earthquake progresses, the intensity of the shaking can vary, ranging from mild tremors to violent jolts. Buildings and structures may sway or vibrate, causing objects to rattle and shift. The ground itself may undulate or roll, creating a sensation akin to being on a boat or riding a wave.

During a seismic event, individuals may feel a range of physical sensations, including dizziness, nausea or difficulty maintaining balance. It’s not uncommon for people to experience heightened anxiety or fear, especially if they are unfamiliar with earthquakes or if the shaking persists for an extended period.

In some cases, the intensity of the earthquake may be strong enough to cause damage to buildings and infrastructure, leading to collapsed structures, fallen debris and potential hazards such as ruptured gas lines or downed power lines.

It’s important to note that each earthquake is unique, and the experience can vary widely depending on factors such as proximity to the epicenter, building construction and personal resilience. Regardless of the magnitude or duration of the earthquake, it’s essential to remain calm, take protective action and follow established safety procedures to minimize the risk of injury and ensure personal safety.

Be prepared in the event of an earthquake

If you’re indoors, move away from windows, glass doors and exterior walls to avoid injury from shattered glass or falling objects. 

If you’re outdoors, move to an open area away from buildings, trees, streetlights and utility wires. Drop to the ground and cover your head and neck with your arms until the shaking subsides.

Be mindful of potential hazards such as tall furniture, bookcases and heavy objects that could topple over during an earthquake. 

Identify safe zones within your home or workplace, such as sturdy doorframes or interior walls, where you can seek shelter. 

Prepare an emergency kit with essential supplies, including water, nonperishable food, first-aid supplies, flashlights, batteries, a battery-powered radio and a whistle. 

Establish a communication plan with your household members or neighbors to coordinate actions during an earthquake or other emergencies. 

Be aware of potential aftereffects of an earthquake, such as aftershocks, structural damage, gas leaks and electrical hazards. If you suspect damage to your home or utilities, evacuate immediately and contact emergency services for assistance.

Stay informed about earthquake risks and preparedness measures in your area. Monitor local news, weather alerts and emergency notifications for updates on seismic activity and safety recommendations.

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Above, some of the items to be auctioned off on April 17. Photo from SCPD Facebook
Above, some of the items to be auctioned off on April 17. Photo from SCPD Facebook
Above, some of the items to be auctioned off on April 17. Photo from SCPD Facebook
Above, some of the items to be auctioned off on April 17. Photo from SCPD Facebook
Above, some of the items to be auctioned off on April 17. Photo from SCPD Facebook

Are you looking for an amazing deal? Here is an opportunity for you! The Suffolk County Police Department will hold a property auction on April 17 at the Property Section, located at 30 Yaphank Ave. in Yaphank. The auction will begin at 9 a.m. and will be held rain or shine. There will be a preview of jewelry and select property on Tuesday, April 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Among the items being auctioned are jewelry, watches, power tools, electronics, and bicycles. Participants must be at least 18 years old to bid. All items are sold in “as is” condition and must be purchased with cash. For more information visit www.suffolkpd.org or click here.

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Ava Zicchinelli slides safely home for the Panthers in a road game against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
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Miller Place junior Isabella Zaher slides home in a road game against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place freshman Breya Kesler hits a line drive in a road game against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River’s Lauren Gallucci throws to homeplate in a home game against Miller Place. Photo by Bill Landon
Ava Zicchinelli slides safely home for the Panthers in a road game against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River’s Mia Dettleff steals 2nd base in a home game against Miller Place. Photo by Bill Landon
Ava Zicchinelli slides safely home for the Panthers in a road game against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River’s Mia Dettleff throws the runner out at 1st in a home game against Miller Place. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place sophomore Laney Vomero with a line drive against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

Miller Place Panthers opened their 2024 softball season with a victory over Islip, a win against Sayville and then blanked Kings Park, before traveling to Shoreham-Wading River looking to make it four in a row.

Freshman Delaney Schleider’s bat spoke first, driving in two runs for the Panthers in the opening inning to take the early lead in the nonconference matchup April 8.

With one out, Miller Place loaded the bases in the top of the 4th when the Wildcats defense made a statement, turning a double play to strand three runners to end the inning.

It didn’t matter, the Panthers went on a scoring fest in the top of the 5th to break the game wide open by plating 11 runners before it was all over. Shoreham Wading River with their backs against the wall trailing 13-0 in the bottom of the 5th needed to answer back but the Wildcats bats fell silent, triggering the mercy rule — trailing by 10 runs or more — to end the game two innings early.

Miller Place junior Ava Zicchinelli put on an impressive pitching performance for the Panthers striking out eight batters while giving up just two hits, and teammate Brooke Borkowski had three hits, two runs with two RBIs in the win.

Miller Place retook the field the next day, April 9, with a home game against unbeaten Bayport-Blue Point, but lost for the first time, 2-0. Shoreham, on the other hand, cantered to an 18-5 victory at Harborfields. — Photos by Bill Landon 

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Smithtown West’s Necco Cottage battles Nick Palhares at face off in a Div-II matchup Apr. 6. Photo by Bill Landon
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Smithtown West senior midfielder John Savino fires at the cage in a road game against Comsewogue. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue mid-fielder Hunter Marquardt scores for the Warriors in a home game against Smithtown West. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue’s Dylan Rocchio gets checked by Carmelo Pace in a home game against Smithtown West. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue attack Ryan Meyers gets double teamed in a home game against Smithtown West. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

After narrowly winning their season opener, Comsewogue Warriors dropped their next two in a row and looked to get back to winning ways with a home game against Smithtown West, Saturday, April 6. 

Fresh off their win against Westhampton, the Bulls led 5-2 at the halftime break on a cold and windy morning in the Division II matchup. After a scoreless 3rd quarter Comsewogue managed a pair of goals in the final 12 minutes of play as Smithtown West notched an insurance goal to hold on to a 6-4 victory.

Smithtown West senior John Savino had two goals and one assist as did teammate Liam Byrne. Dylan Bonasera had nine stops in net for the Bulls.

Connor Rocchio topped the scoring chart for the Warriors with an assist and two goals, Ryan Meyers and Hunter Marquardt both scored, and goalie Adam Wacholder had 13 saves between the pipes.

In their next games, April 8, both teams had crushing victories, with Comsewogue beating Center Moriches 17-4 and Smithtown West defeating West Babylon 21-4.

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Views from the April 8 solar eclipse. Photo courtesy Andrew Young
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By Samantha Rutt

The skies above treated Long Island residents to a mesmerizing display as a partial solar eclipse captivated onlookers on Monday, April 8. With eager eyes turned skyward at its peak around 3:30 p.m., many marveled at the four-minute celestial phenomenon, a sight last seen in 2017.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, casting its shadow on our planet. On April 8, North Americans from Texas to Maine had the opportunity to witness the infrequent event, as the moon partially obscured the face of the sun, creating a spectacle for those lucky enough to catch a glimpse.

For many, witnessing a solar eclipse serves as a reminder of the wonders of the universe and our place within it. 

Where were you during the eclipse? 

At TBR News Media’s East Setauket offices, staff gathered together in the parking lot to catch a glimpse of the moon in front of the sun. Some wore specialized solar viewing glasses — that met the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard — while others relied on alternative methods like pinhole projectors or indirect viewing methods used to observe the eclipse safely.

At Stony Brook University, students gathered in masses on the Staller steps and across campus equipped with eclipse glasses to view the event.

In Port Jefferson village, locals were seen having set picnic arrangements in Harborfront Park. In Three Village, people flocked to the shoreline, completely crowding West Meadow and Stony Brook beaches. 

While some gathered in droves outdoors, others keyed into the television streams as CBS News and NASA, among other platforms, live streamed the event. 

The last solar eclipse visible from Long Island occurred on Aug. 21, 2017, when a total solar eclipse swept across the United States.

While Monday’s eclipse was a partial one in our area and a total eclipse in other parts of the United States, it still captured the imagination of many and provided a unique opportunity for residents. Communities came together to share in the wonder of the celestial show — from backyard gatherings to organized viewing events like those offered at various Suffolk County parks — as residents of all ages savored the experience.

Looking ahead, Long Islanders can mark their calendars for the next solar eclipse visible from our region as New York is not expected to be in another path of totality until 2079. 

As this year’s eclipse drew to a close, the memories of the solar event will linger in the minds of our communities. Later, I wondered how the Native Americans who lived on Long Island centuries ago experienced a total eclipse.

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METRO photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

Health clubs, the gym, whatever you call them, have so much subtext to any visit.

First, I wave at the friendly, supportive people who check me in. I wonder, as they look at me and the photo taken when I got my membership, whether I look better than I did on that day. By definition, I’m older, but am I in one of those better periods or one of those I-just-got-back-from-a-wedding-after-eating-out-too-many-times periods?

As I walk towards my preferred piece of equipment, which is usually an elliptical machine, I hope it’s available.

Sure, there is a line of 17 other elliptical machines that provide the same exercise, but I hope the one that has the best view of the 12 TVs I can barely see when I take off my glasses and that has the smoothest stride as I kick into a higher gear, is available.

If it is, I drape the towel I bring with me — I’m not a huge fan of the non absorbent paper towels available throughout my gym — take a few moments to find the least offensive TV show or music on my iPhone and start pedaling.

As I start working out, the calculator in my head immediately starts to monitor how far I’ve gone and how many calories I’ve burned off for each five minute segment on the machine. I have a specific target I try to meet or exceed, which helps me push harder during the last two minutes of each five minute block. Within about 10 minutes, I’ve built up a good sweat and am starting to drift off into endorphin-boosted bliss, sometimes accompanied by one of Billy Joel’s songs or by a ridiculous Adam Sandler movie I wouldn’t dare put on the TV when my wife and I are getting ready for bed.

My journey into sweaty bliss, however, sometimes takes a detour when someone climbs aboard the machine closest to me, despite the availability of all the other pieces of equipment in the row.

“Can’t you use one of the machines further away?” I shout in my head.

At first, I try to ignore the start of their exercise, diving deeper into my leg pumping, while juggling thoughts about the work I have to do when I’m done.

But then the competitive part of me awakens. A monster version can’t help monitoring the speed at which the person next to me is pumping his arms and legs. Am I going faster? Is he on a higher level than me?

No, it doesn’t matter whether he’s 30 years younger, a college athlete or is clearly preparing for a triathlon with a body that repels any fat and that likely won’t age for decades. I have to win.

Of course, the person next to me isn’t always young and fit and doesn’t have the same age and genetic limitations. Sometimes, that person is not only older, but is also sharing a regular need to clear his throat or to cough without covering his mouth.

“Hey, have you heard of Covid, a tissue, staying home when you’re sick, or, I don’t know, another gym?” I again shout in my head.

I look away and breathe to the side, hoping whatever germs he’s expelling into the air are traveling in a different direction.

Even when people don’t exercise near me, I notice the groaning from the men who lift more weight in a day than I might in a year. They roar, Incredible Hulk style, as they drop weights heavy enough to cause the floor 30 feet away to vibrate sufficiently to register on a seismograph.

When I leave the elliptical machine, I circle other pieces of equipment slowly, as if I were selecting a menu item carefully, pondering whether to get the Brussels sprouts, the steamed broccoli or the french fries.

Who am I kidding, I shrug to myself. I’m unlikely to climb on any of these machines, particularly when I’m so sweaty from beating that young kid to the top of the imaginary mountain.

Covered in sweat, I triumphantly walk slowly out of the gym, knowing I’ve conquered another day of exercise and feeling revived, refreshed, stronger, faster and more alert. Now, if I could just remember where I parked my car.

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