Ward Melville’s Liam Cronin (top) battles Justin Yanez @ 190lbs. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville’s Jaden Baron (L) takes on Ariel Ponce of Brentwood. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville’s Zachary Rothenberg takes on Corey McKracken of Brentwood @116lbs. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville’s Dean Sitler battles Deny Robles of Brentwood @ 124lbs. Photo by Bill Landon
By Bill Landon
Wrestling took center stage at Comsewogue High School in the Warrior Duals tournament in a multischool invitational that featured three mats of action-packed wrestling Saturday, Jan. 13.
Ward Melville’s Jaden Baron pinned his Brentwood challenger at 108lbs in the opening round, and teammate Zachary Rothenberg pinned his opponent in just 51 seconds at 116lbs. Ward Melville’s Kyle Yannucciello defeated Kevin Rivas at 101lbs, and A.J. Lollo in the top weight class (285lbs) pinned his opponent.
The Patriots are back on the mats Jan. 17 with a road trip to Bay Shore with the first bout slated for 6:30 p.m.
Members of Bethel AME Church were welcomed at a special service honoring the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Pictured front row, third from left is Rev. Lisa Williams; back row, third from right is Rabbi Joshua Gray. Photo by Lloyd Newman
By Donna Newman
A Friday night service at Temple Isaiah in Stony Brook honored the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in advance of the official Monday holiday. The congregants of the Bethel AME Church of Setauket, led by Reverend Lisa Williams were invited to join the celebration.
The Church members got to experience a complete Reform Jewish Friday night service in which Rev. Williams participated with two readings from the prayerbook “Mishkan Tefilah” and delivered a powerful sermon that combined the philosophy of MLK and references to the week’s portion of the Torah that Rabbi Gray read, “Parsha Va’Era.” (Exodus 6:3) Va’Era translates in English to “and I appeared”, the first word God speaks in the parsha.
The service ended with a powerful rendition of the anthem “Rise Up” by Andra Day sung by Rabbi Gray and cantorial soloist Meghan Gray, accompanied on the piano by Dan Fogel. A fitting and emotive send-off to the “Oneg,” where there are refreshments, and time to meet and mingle.
The post-service refreshments and other aspects of the event were coordinated by Social Action Chair Iris Schiff and her committee.
“The service was so beautiful and poignant,” Schiff said. “It was one of those times you could feel that all who were present had full hearts and were surely enriched by the experience.”
After the service, Temple Board Member Andrea Barbakoff sat in conversation with some of the Bethel guests.
“The members of Bethel AME Church were all very friendly,” Barbakoff said, “and they were eager to learn more about us, about Judaism, and about our traditions.”
One guest was especially interested in Temple Isaiah’s Torahs, according to Barbakoff. It was mentioned that one is a Torah on loan that had been rescued during the Holocaust. Long-time temple member and local historian Mort Rosen was able to relate the scroll’s history and how it came to be at Temple Isaiah.
“Several guests, after asking if they could possibly schedule a time to come back and get a close up look,” said Barbakoff, “were grateful when Rabbi Gray graciously offered to take them back into the sanctuary, where he opened the scroll for them to view. It was definitely a moving experience for us all.”
Rabbi Joshua Gray has made interfaith connections an important part of his rabbinate. The Thanksgiving Interfaith Service was held at Temple Isaiah in November.
“Jewish efforts toward ‘tikkun olam’ (repairing the world) must start with coming together and confirming that we share common values and goals,” said Rabbi Gray, “and that we must work together to create the world we wish to inhabit.” In the immortal words of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience.”
For the first time since May 2023, Brookhaven National Laboratory required masks on site at its facility starting on Jan. 8, as the rate of hospital admissions for the virus that caused the pandemic climbed.
Following the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, BNL, which is a Department of Energy-sponsored site, reinstituted the mask policy once Covid admissions climbed above 20 per 100,000 people in the county, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
The CDC level rose to 24.8 on the evening of Jan. 5 and the lab re-implemented its mask requirement on the following Monday. Area doctors said they’ve seen an increase in illnesses tied to Covid, particularly after people traveled during the December holidays.
“We’ve seen a lot more Covid,” said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Nachman said people who are talking to friends and neighbors are hearing regularly about those who are sick with Covid.
Stony Brook University Hospital is not requiring masking at all times. The hospital is recommending that people consider wearing masks. Medical staff entering patient rooms are wearing them.
People walking into the hospital will see “more people wearing masks” in general, she added. In addition to Covid, hospitals in the area are also seeing a “huge amount of flu,” Dr. Nachman said.
Pictured from left, Right Coast Taqueria owners Richard Zoob and David Preisler, Brookhaven Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich and General Manager John Negrinelli. Photo courtesy of Councilmember Kornreich's office
Right Coast Taqueria ribbon cutting on Jan. 5. Photo courtesy of Councilmember Kornreich's office
Right Coast Taqueria ribbon cutting on Jan. 5. Photo courtesy of Councilmember Kornreich's office
Right Coast Taqueria celebrated the grand opening ofits newest location at 4088 Nesconset Highway in East Setauket with a ribbon cutting on Jan. 5.
Brookhaven Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich, members of the Three Village Chamber of Commerce and members of the Three Village Historical Society joined owners David Preisler and Richard Zoob along with General Manager John Negrinelli in the celebration.
The business now has four locations throughout Long Island, including Deer Park, Ronkonkoma and Mineola. The restaurant, which was first established in 2018 at its Deer Park location, serves Mexican food including tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas, fajitas and much more.
“Right Coast Taqueria had great food and a fun beach vibe, just what we needed on a cold day as we welcomed them to the community. Wishing them the best of luck, now and in the future,” said Councilmember Kornreich.
For more information, call 631-940-8300. To order online, visit www.rightcoasttaqueria.com.
Some historical phrases help shape and define the country the way landmarks like the Grand Canyon, Statue of Liberty, and Mt. Rushmore provide a distinct national identity.
One of those expressions, for me, is “rugged individualism.” The combination of the two words suggest independent thought, an ability to decide for ourselves, and a willingness to eschew tradition in favor of something more personal, practical and self-directed.
We don’t need kings and monarchs to tell us how to behave or to dictate from on high. We favor the stories of Americans whose humble origins offered hope to anyone born in a log cabin, a la Abraham Lincoln, or whose compassion inspired them to build houses for others, Jimmy Carter, perhaps, long after they were no longer the most powerful person on the planet.
We think for ourselves, we live with the view that we have unlimited potential and that we don’t need to have the right name or address to realize our dreams. Our self confidence allows us to imagine that we can become the next “Cinderella Man” or “Working Girl.”
And yet, we the people of the United States sometimes appear to be living lives that are filled with paint-by-the-numbers decisions and that involve following other people’s footprints in the snow.
Why? Have we and our children become so accustomed to group think that we don’t want to separate ourselves from the pack? Are we living in a world where we are desperate to conform?
Part of our collapse in independent thinking comes from corporate America. That faceless, nameless, profit churning machine, with its fake wooden boardrooms and its army of handlers and focus groups, has encouraged us to believe that buying their products, supporting their stores and following the trends is a way of asserting our independence.
It’s a clever ploy, my friends. They convince you that eating what everyone else eats, saying the same words everyone else says and wearing what everyone else wears helps you realize your potential.
The argument is an easy one to make, especially as you drive through Anytown USA. You see the same collection of franchised stores, with their predictable food and products and their well-oiled experiences, where it takes 5.6 minutes from the time you entered the store to get exactly the same soggy french fries in Dubuque, Iowa as it would in Setauket, New York.
We resist risk. Going into a restaurant with an unknown name means we might consume food that doesn’t taste familiar or good to us and that might give us indigestion as we move, like cattle, to the next predictable destination and engage in an echo of the same conversation we had last week, last month and last year.
I get it: it’s hard to decide to go to a unique store or restaurant in a town, particularly when the parking lot in the franchise chain next door is packed with people driving the same model and color cars we see on our roads back home.
Well, it’s 2024, and not 1984. We can and should make our own decisions. I would encourage you, your children and your friends to decide who you are and what that means. Yes, it’s hard and yes, people might hide behind the cloak of conformity to encourage you to do as they and everyone else does. They might even peck at you verbally, uncomfortable with differences and unsure of how to react to “the real you.”
If we fit in too well everywhere we go, we run the risk of disappearing. As Frank Sinatra suggests, it’s time to do things “My Way.” Yes, we might hate tuna fish with peanut butter, but at least we’ll be listening to our own voice and getting off a nonstop conveyor belt of conventional thought in which we follow the same roads, the same thoughts, and the same routines. Different? Different is good and, best of all, it’s up to you to decide what that means.
COVID got me again. This second time around makes me angry, which is probably irrational. I mean, really, I paid my dues, I succumbed like almost everyone else a couple of years ago, and I feel that should be that. Also, I did everything I was supposed to do. I was vaccinated again in the middle of October this past year and felt pretty immune, although I know the vaccine doesn’t prevent the disease, just makes it less severe if it hits. Still, I felt relatively protected and didn’t bother wearing a mask when in a group. I won’t make that mistake again.
I did take Paxlovid this time, as I had the first time, and perhaps my symptoms were less acute. This onset was a little different. Instead of the painful sore throat in the beginning, I developed a dripping nose and assumed I was getting a simple head cold. Then I got quite stuffy and began to cough and to run a low grade fever. I stayed out of the office, finally donned a mask and bought a test kit. The first test I took was negative, but the next day I tested positive, and I have been home since then.
I am sharing these details in the hope that they may be helpful for those who are experiencing COVID presently or who should be alerted now to the clear and present danger. Fortunately, I am again testing negative, but the weather is uncooperative at 17 degrees. The extreme cold and dry air is not recommended for a newly recovered respiratory system, and so I remain home for now. But I can reveal some more specifics that might be of interest.
Neurological aspects were less pronounced this second time around. The sore throat was less sore and lasted for a shorter period of time, I didn’t lose my sense of taste either time, and while the cough continues, it seems less frequent during this home stretch. But according to what I read, post COVID fatigue is worse, and I can confirm that. I haven’t slept this many hours each day since I was a teenager. Napping is also a help. I have craved hot soup, and little else, throughout these past few days. Blessings on my friends and neighbors, who have provided me with an endless supply, from homemade chicken broth to the store bought wonton variety. I am also drinking smoothies made up of fruits and especially dark green leafy vegetables, like bok choi and baby kale and arugula. This particularly helps ward off dehydration. And while I have lost a couple of pounds, this is not the preferred way to diet.
There are some studies on patients who have had COVID more than once. Experts are still unsure about how damaging that might be, if at all. New variants, like JN.1, and periodic upticks keep the virus a current threat. There are at least 1200 covid-related deaths each week, and in the last week of December, nearly 35,000 Americans were hospitalized with COVID. No one seems to know if repeated exposure to the coronavirus increases the risk of Long Covid.Those who were hospitalized with the first round of COVID were more likely to have a severe second bout. That is well established. Lingering symptoms, like fatigue, shortness of breath and brain fog may also persist, especially after a difficult first attack. But evidence is still unclear that links repeated infections with Long COVID.
So what to do next?
We should all forego our complacency, and actively try to avoid COVID-19, even though the disease appears to be less severe for most. We really don’t know the long term effects of repeated infection. That means going back to basics: washing hands often, avoiding crowds, if possible, staying home if ill, using Paxlovid, which has been highly successful in moderating the virus, and especially returning to wearing masks. No one wants to be mildly ill or to increase the health risk for others.
Most of the time, the fungus Candida albicans, which is ubiquitous on the skin, inside people’s mouths, throat, and guts, among other places, doesn’t cause problems. It can, however, be an opportunistic infection, particularly in people who are immunocompromised, leading to serious illness and even death.
Antifungal infections work best during the early stage of an infection. Once a severe infection becomes established, it responds less well to drugs, as resistance can become a problem.
James “Jamie” Konopka, Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, is working to find the mechanism that enables C. albicans to resist attack by the immune system. His long term goal is to identify ways to make the fungus more vulnerable to immune defenses.
In a paper published recently in the journal mBio, which is published by the American Society of Microbiology, Konopka identified the mechanism by which hypochlorous acid, which is produced by cells in the immune system, attacks C. albicans.
He expanded this by testing forms of the fungus that lack specific genes. These mutants can be more vulnerable to attack by hypochlorous acid, which is produced by neutrophils and is also called “human bleach.” Longer term, Konopka hopes to find ways to sensitize the fungus to this acid, which would bolster the ability of the immune system to respond to an infection.
His study showed that hypochlorous acid disrupts the plasma membrane, which is a layer of lipids that surround the cell. Once this is breached, parts of the cell leak out, while more bleach can damage the fungus.
Hypochlorous acid reacts with proteins, lipids and DNA.
The activated immune system produces several chemicals known as “reactive oxygen species.” In some cells, particularly neutrophils, hydrogen peroxide is converted into hypochlorous acid to strengthen and diversify the attack.
To be sure, the discovery of the mechanism of action of hypochlorous acid won’t lead to an immediate alternative therapeutic option, as researchers need to build on this study.
Future studies will examine how some genes promote resistance, and which are likely to be the most promising targets for drug development, Konopka explained.
Increase sensitivity
These are C. albicans cells growing invasively into tissue in a mouse model of an oral infection. The candida hyphae are stained black, and the tissue is stained a blue/green. Image from James Konopka
Konopka suggested that increasing the sensitivity of the fungus to hypochlorous acid would likely prove more effective and less potentially toxic than increasing the amount of the acid, which could also damage surrounding tissue.
“Our idea is to sensitize fungal pathogens” to hypochlorous acid “rather than upping the dose of bleach, which could lead to negative consequences,” Konopka said. Ideally, he’d like to “take the normal level and make it more effective” in eradicating the fungus.
Other scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health created a set of about 1,000 different strains of the fungus, which provides a valuable resource for Konopka and others in the scientific community.
In a preliminary screen of plasma membrane proteins, Konopka and his team found that most of the mutants had at least a small increase in sensitivity. Some, however, had stronger effects, which will guide future experiments.
One of the challenges in working with a fungus over pathogens like bacteria or viruses is that fungi are more closely related biologically to humans. That means that an approach that might weaken a fungus could have unintended and problematic consequences for a patient.
“Although they may look very different on the outside, the inner workings of fungi and humans are remarkably similar,” Konopka explained in an email. This has made it difficult to find antifungal drugs that are not toxic to humans.
An ‘overlooked’ ally
Konopka suggested that scientists have been studying hydrogen peroxide, which is also made by immune system combatants like macrophages and neutrophils.
“It seemed to us that somehow bleach had been overlooked,” Konopka said. “It hadn’t been studied in the fungal world, so we launched” their research.
Konopka also believes the plasma membrane represents an effective place to focus his efforts on developing new drugs or for making current drugs more effective.
Hydrochlorous acid “fell into our wheel house,” he said. In initial tests, Konopka discovered that human bleach caused damage to the membrane within minutes if not sooner, allowing outside molecules to enter freely, which could kill the potentially dangerous infection.
Considering the ubiquitous presence of the fungus, immunocompromised people who might conquer an infection at any given time could still be vulnerable to a future attack, even after an effective treatment. Even people with a healthy immune system could be reinfected amid a large enough fungal load from a biofilm on a medical device or catheter.
Providing vulnerable people with a prophylactic treatment could lower the risk of infection. When and if those patients develop an ongoing and health-threatening infection, doctors could use another set of drugs, although such options don’t currently exist.
In other work, Konopka has identified proteins in C. albicans that help CoQ, or ubiquinone, protect the plasma membrane from oxidation by agents such as hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorous acid.
People can purchase ubiquinone at local stores, although Konopka urges residents to check with their doctors before taking any supplement.
Fish and beer
An organizer of a department wide Oktoberfest, Konopka was pleased that faculty, post doctoral researchers and students were able to decompress and enjoy the fall festival together for the first time since 2019.
In addition to a range of beer, attendees at the event, which occurred half way between the start of the semester and final exams, were able to partake in German food from Schnitzels in Stony Brook Village, which was a big hit.
An avid fly fisherman who catches and releases fish, Konopka said he caught some bigger striped bass this year than in previous years.
When he’s fishing, Konopka appreciates the way the natural world is interconnected. He pays attention to variables like the weather, water temperature, bait fish and the phases of the moon.
He particularly enjoys the wind and fresh air. This year, Konopka marveled at the sight of a bald eagle.
As for his work, Konopka said basic research may have an immediate effect or may contribute longer term to helping others in the scientific community build on his results, which could lead to the next breakthrough.
Doris Koster, 95, of St. Augustine, Florida, formerly of the Three Village area, died on Nov. 21 in her home. She was born on July 11, 1928, in Bay Shore to Jesse and Margaret Tillett.
In 1946, Doris graduated from Sayville High School and soon after married Alfons Koster in 1947. Aside from raising their seven children, Doris was quite creative. She often wrote short stories about her life and subjects that interested her. Her watercolors and beautiful handmade quilts were cherished gifts for friends and family.
Doris researched her ancestry years before genealogy became popular and was able to trace her father’s family in North Carolina back to the 1600s. In the 1970s, she volunteered at a women’s crisis center in Port Jefferson. In her eventual home in St. Augustine, Doris was an active volunteer at her local library. Doris and her husband loved to travel. In their early years they traveled throughout Europe and after retirement they toured the United States in their RV.
Doris is survived by her daughters Peggy and Terry; son Peter; granddaughter Jessica; and grandson Kyle. Doris was preceded in death by her son Cary in 1978; husband Alfons in 1999; son Robert in 1999; son David in 2018; and daughter Babette Koster in 2021.
Ward Melville senior Grace Balocca banks two for the Patriots. Photo by Bill Landon
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Ward Melville senior Emily Shields fights for the rebound in a road game against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville sophomore Jaclyn Engel shoots two in a road game against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville’s Julia Dank shoots in a road game against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville sophomore Jaclyn Engel scores in a road game against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Julia Dank shoots from the top of the key for the Patriots. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville sophomore Kaitlyn McNeil shoots in a road game against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Addison Dellaporta goes to the rim for the Patriots in a league I matchup against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville senior Emma Silverman scores in a road game against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville sophomore Kaitlyn McNeil goes to the rim in a road game against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville senior Grace Balocca drives the lane for the Patriots. Photo by Bill Landon
Addison Dellaporta lays up for two for the Patriots. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville senior Grace Balocca banks two for the Patriots. Photo by Bill Landon
Addison Dellaporta lays up for two for the Patriots. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville rattled off six wins in a row to open their ’23-’24 season but were tripped up in a nonleague road game against Shoreham-Wading River, falling to the League VI Wildcats, 39-35, Dec. 29.
The Patriots, reeling from that loss, pummeled Central Islip on the road in a league matchup defeating the Musketeers, 58-28, in the Jan. 4 contest.
Ward Melville senior Emma Silverman led the offensive attack with a 3-pointer and four from the floor for 11 points. Senior Grace Balocca netted eight points as did Addison Dellaporta, and teammates Julia Dank, Jaclyn Engel and Kaitlyn McNeil each scored seven points apiece.
The win kept the Patriots atop the League I leaderboard, consolidated by a 43-34 victory against Longwood Jan. 6.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone speaks during a press event.
Photo from Bellone’s Flickr page
As the new year progresses, the Suffolk County government is facing a plethora of changes, with the biggest arguably being the transition of county executive from Steve Bellone (D) to Ed Romaine (R).
Romaine, who served as the Town of Brookhaven supervisor for over 10 years after winning a special election in 2012, won the race for county executive over Dave Calone (D) with 57% of the vote. The former town supervisor was sworn into office on New Year’s Day, marking the first time a Republican will serve as Suffolk County executive in 20 years.
Steve Bellone served as county Executive from 2012 to 2023. Due to being term limited, Bellone could not seek reelection this year. [See “Bellone signs bill to strengthen term limits in Suffolk County,” TBR News Media website, July 14, 2022.]
During his farewell speech Dec. 21, Bellone thanked members of his staff and administration and recounted various achievements, including the handling of superstorms, confronting corruption in the county’s law enforcement and more.
“When we came into office, we faced the greatest financial crisis in history, more than $500 million accumulated deficit,” Bellone said during his speech. “And after years of making the difficult but necessary choices, we will leave office with this county in the best financial condition in its history, with more than $1 billion in reserves,” he said, thanking the budget office.
Bellone discussed his administration’s handling of Suffolk County’s water quality crisis, saying, “With an amazing water quality team, we created innovative programs, brought stakeholders together and developed an advanced blueprint for solving the water quality crisis over the next generation,” while giving special thanks to Deputy Suffolk County Executive Peter Scully and Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning Commissioner Sarah Lansdale.
Bellone was not immune from criticism on both sides of the aisle. Suffolk County Democratic Committee Chairman and Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer was critical of Bellone throughout his tenure as executive.
“As the curtain falls on Bellone’s 12-year term, Suffolk County is left grappling with the consequences of a legacy marked by broken promises, ineffective leadership and a failure to address critical issues facing Suffolk County,” Schaffer said in a statement.
“The time for accountability and a reevaluation of priorities in Suffolk County’s leadership is long overdue,” he added. Additionally, Schaffer is hopeful that Romaine will meet the county’s priorities and needs “based on his past experience and accomplishments.”
Not everyone shared Schaffer’s sentiments. Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai), who on Dec. 31 completed her final term as the county’s legislator for District 6, reflected on Bellone’s time as executive, saying that working with Bellone had “been incredibly productive for the residents here in Suffolk County.”
One major issue on which Anker praised Bellone’s leadership was the opioid crisis. Suffolk was the first county in New York to sue opioid manufacturers and distributors, which resulted in settlements that will have the county receiving around $200 million over two decades to help address the ongoing crisis.
“That was Steve’s leadership in providing direction and in a positive way trying to get through this incredibly challenging time of this addiction epidemic,” Anker said.
Bellone has yet to announce any future plans in his political career.
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