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The Montoyo Rocks’ album cover. Image from Burton Rocks

When sports agent Burton Rocks got the idea to add Latin rhythms to a traditional baseball song, he called his friend and client Charlie Montoyo, bench coach for the Chicago White Sox.

Burton and Marlene Rocks at the studio. Photo from Burton Rocks

Rocks said he thought it would be interesting to record “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” using congas, which Montoyo plays in his spare time. Rocks said he didn’t think anyone had ever recorded such a version of the classic.

“I said, ‘Charlie, why don’t we do a brand new instrumental, like our own walk-up music, and it will be called ‘El Ritmo de Béisbol,’ and then why don’t we do a conga version of ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game,’ and keep the English lyrics,” Rocks said.

Montoyo loved the idea. After the bench coach was on board, Rocks asked his friend, professional musician TD William, to join them on the project. The sports agent also wanted the woman who inspired his love for Latin music to collaborate with them — his mother Marlene Rocks.

The group decided to call themselves Montoyo Rocks, and soon the Stony Brook residents and William were in a studio in Massachusetts working on the songs. Montoyo, from his Arizona home, recorded his instrumental parts on his phone.

Joining in on Montoyo’s conga playing, Burton Rocks plays the bongos and cowbells on “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,’’ also contributing vocals while his mother sings during the chorus. William was lead vocalist and played the guitar, bass and drums.

During the instrumental single, with Montoyo on congas once again, Burton Rocks plays cowbells with William on cajon and percussion and Marlene Rocks on shakers.

The son said he has loved music since he was younger and remembers his mother playing piano. Burton said he always enjoyed Latin music such as salsa and samba, thanks to his mother.

“It’s one of my favorite genres of music,” he said.

Marlene Rocks, who was a Spanish teacher in New York City and a substitute teacher in Three Village school district, began appreciating Spanish-language music while visiting family in Mexico and studying in the country. The mother said she was glad she passed on the appreciation of the genre to her son. Growing up she would listen to Latin music artists such as ranchera singer and actor Pedro Infante and later would play the records as well as show her son bilingual children’s shows.

 “Burton, when he was little, I had him watch ‘Villa Alegre’ and ‘Carrascolendas’ so that he would get that Spanish and Latin flavor,” she said.

Marlene Rocks added it was nice that she was asked to join in with the Montoyo Rocks group.

“It was a thrill for somebody in my age group to play the shakers to Latin music that I had grown up listening to, but this was an original, so I really had a good time with it.”

Burton Rocks was happy she agreed to join them in the recording studio and hopes others will let their interests inspire them to create music.

“I think music is one of the universal languages of love,” he said. “You can spread a lot of love in this world through music.”

The Montoyo Rocks singles are available on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music and YouTube.

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Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Mailbox fishing and check washing, two pernicious crime phenomena, are on the rise.

The United States Postal Inspection Service defines check washing as a scam involving “changing the payee names and often the dollar amounts on checks and fraudulently depositing them.” Often, thieves steal the checks from mailboxes, removing the ink using commonplace chemical agents.

Chelsea Binns, assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, described check washing as an “old school fraud” that is ascending in popularity.

“It is actually the second most common form of consumer fraud right now,” trailing only identity theft, she told TBR News Media in a phone interview.

Carrying out mail theft is relatively simple, Binns noted. Mailbox fishers commonly send a “line” into a post box, often with a sticky end.

“Similar to catching a fish, they’re using these devices and techniques to catch the check out of the mail,” she said.

After stealing the check, criminals can use commonplace chemical agents, such as nail polish remover, to “wash” the stolen checks, removing and changing the payee and amount to suit their preferences. Fraudsters can either cash the check themselves or sell it online in the underground market.

While check fraud is a longstanding practice, the crime has spiked following the COVID-19 pandemic. A February report by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network indicates mail theft complaints rose 161% between March 2020 and February 2021 compared to the same period over the previous year.

While there have been cases of U.S. postal service employees committing fraud, the report suggested the rise has been driven by non-USPS employees — ranging from rogue individuals to organized criminal operations — carrying out mail thefts.

David Shapiro, a distinguished lecturer at John Jay College, is a fraud risk and financial crimes specialist. Reached by phone, he detailed why these crimes are multiplying regionally and nationally, noting the relative ease with which one can become a check fraudster.

“It’s a low-tech fraud, so it makes it available to so many people,” he said. “Granted, it can get higher tech when you want to expand the network and make it more profitable for organized criminals … but you can enter this business basically as a solo practitioner.”

Compounding this problem is the crime’s profitability, which he indicates has increased considerably due to broader financial trends.

“The number of checks in circulation is way down, but the average value of the checks is way up,” he said. “Now you’re fishing, but you’re not fishing for minnows. You’re fishing for flounders, making it more appealing to the low-tech street thief.”

While much of the national discourse around these crimes centers around security breaches within the postal delivery system, Shapiro regarded the problem primarily as a payment system problem.

“It’s being driven by the banks because the banks are ultimately liable for this kind of thing,” he said. “The customer is not out [of pocket], generally. The fraudster gets away, so basically it’s a bank liability.”

Given the scale and reach of the crime, these losses can compound astronomically. Earlier this year, Randy Hutchinson, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South, reported that check washing now accounts for more than $815 million per year in losses to individuals, businesses and financial institutions.

In the face of these challenges, there are tangible ways to protect oneself from mailbox fishing and check washing. Binns advises using a black-ink gel pen when writing out checks.

“That sinks into the check’s fibers, and it can’t be washed,” she said.

The assistant professor also advised against using one’s residential mailbox for check deliveries, and recommended mail with issued checks be taken directly to the post office and handed to a postal worker. She said mailboxes, even those placed outside the post office, are at risk of fishing.

She lastly advised consumers, particularly elders, to explore transitioning to online payment systems, removing the risks associated with paper checks altogether.

“Unfortunately, it’s time for us to change our habits to try to combat this,” Binns concluded.

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Front row L to R: Michael Ardolino, Assistant Secretary, Three Village Chamber of Commerce (3VC); Martha Stansbury, Treasurer, 3VC; Jane Taylor, Executive Director, 3VC; Honorable Jonathan Kornreich, Councilman, Town of Brookhaven; Dr. Richard Rugen, Chairman, the Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO); Daniel and Michaella Bussey, Managers, Robinson’s Tea Room; Donna and Michael Aliperti, Proprietors, Robinson’s Tea Room; Gloria Rocchio, President, WMHO; Honorable Daniel J. Panico, Deputy Supervisor and Councilman, Town of Brookhaven; Honorable Ed Flood, Assemblyman, New York State; Nicole Sarno, Director, 3VC; Susie Kaiserman, Director, 3VC. Back row L to R: Mary Van Tuyl, Trustee, WMHO; Chuck Lohman, Trustee, WMHO; Andy Skitmore, Trustee, WMHO; Charles Napoli, Trustee, WMHO. Photo courtesy of WMHO
Front row L to R: Martha Stansbury, Treasurer, Three Village Chamber of Commerce (3VC); Jane Taylor, Executive Director, 3VC; Michael Ardolino, Assistant Secretary, 3VC; Honorable Jonathan Kornreich, Councilman, Town of Brookhaven; Dr. Richard Rugen, Chairman, the Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO); Jeff Norwood, Proprietor, Camera Concepts & Telescope Solutions (CCTS); Honorable Daniel J. Panico, Deputy Supervisor and Councilman, Town of Brookhaven; Gloria Rocchio, President, WMHO; Honorable Ed Flood, Assemblyman, New York State; Nicole Sarno, Director, 3VC; Susie Kaiserman, Director, 3VC. Back row L to R: Bill Keenan, Manager, CCTS; Mary Van Tuyl, Trustee, WMHO; Charles Napoli, Trustee, WMHO; Chuck Lohman, Trustee, WMHO; Andy Skitmore, Trustee, WMHO. Photo courtesy of WMHO
Front row L to R: Martha Stansbury, Treasurer, Three Village Chamber of Commerce (3VC); Jane Taylor, Executive Director, 3VC; Michael Ardolino, Assistant Secretary, 3VC; Kim Bryant, Legislative Aid for Kara Hahn; Honorable Jonathan Kornreich, Councilman, Town of Brookhaven; Dr. Richard Rugen, Chairman, the Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO); David Striffler, Proprietor, Schnitzels; Tim and Callie Martino, Proprietors, Schnitzels; Honorable Daniel J. Panico, Deputy Supervisor and Councilman, Town of Brookhaven; Gloria Rocchio, President, WMHO; Honorable Ed Flood, Assemblyman, New York State; Nicole Sarno, Director, 3VC; Susie Kaiserman, Director, 3VC. Back row L to R: Mary Van Tuyl, Trustee, WMHO; Chuck Lohman, Trustee, WMHO; Terrence Krapf, Manager, Schnitzels; Lou Di Rico, Executive Head Chef, Schnitzels; Lexi Davis, Manager, Schnitzels; Chris Richey, Trustee, WMHO; Charles Napoli, Trustee, WMHO; Andy Skitmore, Trustee, WMHO. Photo courtesy of WMHO

It is said that all good things come in threes and the The Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO)’s  event on June 13 was no exception as it hosted ribbon cuttings for Stony Brook Village Center establishments Robinson’s Tea Room, Camera Concepts & Telescope Solutions, and Schnitzels.

The celebratory events were attended by Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich; Town of Brookhaven Deputy Supervisor and Councilman Dan Panico; NYS Assemblyman Ed Flood; Kim Bryant, Legislative Aid for Suffolk County Leg. Kara Hahn; WMHO President Gloria Rocchio; WMHO Chairman Dr. Richard Rugen; WMHO trustees; and members of the Three Village Chamber of Commerce.

Robinson’s Tea Room is under new ownership by Donna and Michael Aliperti. The eatery continues to serve English high teas, light bites and more. Robinson’s Tea Room is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reservations can be made by calling 631-751-1232. They are located in Inner Court at 97E Main Street in Stony Brook Village.

Camera Concepts & Telescope Solutions owned by Jeff Norwood suffered a fire in February. After four months, the shop and showroom are reopen. One of the only shops in the state of New York that specializes in astronomy, photography and more, Camera Concepts and Telescope Solutions also offer a variety of cameras, telescopes, binoculars and children’s educational toys and activities. They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. The shop is located in Market Square at 85 Main Street in Stony Brook Village. For more information, call 631-475-1118.

Schnitzels is the newest eatery in Stony Brook Village, occupying the former Grist Mill Eatery. A collaborative concept between Crazy Beans & Brew Cheese, the restaurant will offer an all-day menu that will feature German bratwurst and pretzels, different variations of schnitzel with other fun dishes. They will be serving eggs for breakfast, lunch sandwiches, dinner appetizers with share plates, and entrees, all available for take-out. They will have a beer and wine list that will include German style beers and local craft beer on tap. 

Schnitzels will be open seven days a week. Their soft opening will begin Tuesday, June 27 and their hours until grand opening will be Monday through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The eatery is located in Market Square at 77 Main Street in Stony Brook Village. For more information, call 631-675-1478.

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File photo by Greg Catalano

Proposed structural reorganization for Three Village Central School District is likely to happen later than originally targeted, according to Superintendent of Schools Kevin Scanlon in an update to the Board of Education June 14. The update comes amid an ongoing internal review on the matter by a staff committee working alongside a school start times subcommittee, which is open to the public. 

“Currently the committees feel that the changes for the sixth and ninth grades will not be able to occur for the 2024-25 school year, however final determination will occur in September,” he said at the meeting.

A survey earlier in the year revealed community and district stakeholders prefer moving sixth and ninth grades up to middle and high school, respectively, but the board did not adopt the plan outright. Rather, the trustees tasked district administration with researching costs, logistics and potential impacts of the plan first. They also asked the district to figure out how to include in the change later secondary school start times, per health and academic concerns. 

Scanlon has said at previous board meetings that such structural changes are extremely complicated with a lot of moving parts and, even before the board asked for the review, he had indicated the 2024-25 school year was an aggressive target date.

One sticking point is the need for additional mental-health support in the schools if younger students are moving up to the bigger schools, an issue that has percolated among some district parents, and came up during the recent board election. Scanlon said the internal committee agrees and is looking into options on how to provide that support effectively. 

According to Scanlon, one of the options on the table is a “house plan” for middle school, in which students would be grouped and rotate through the same set of teachers for core subjects, a program Scanlon laid out at a restructuring subcommittee meeting earlier in the school year as something that would allow teachers to better collaborate to recognize and address student needs.

At a previous board meeting, Brian Biscari, assistant superintendent for education services, indicated the district is already planning to expand its “departmentalization” trial for fifth and sixth grades next year to all five elementary schools, meaning students in those grades would change classes for core subjects to allow teachers to specialize and to help prepare students for secondary school.

Cellphone policy due for review, insubordination at events

Scanlon also informed the board the district is setting up a committee to explore changes to its cellphone policy in schools following a recent Newsday article laying out the potentially harmful effects of cellphones and social media on students.

In Three Village, there have been cellphone-related “acts of bullying and disrespect throughout the district, but especially at the secondary level,” Scanlon said. “We need to reexamine the use of cellphones by students under the code
of conduct.”

The code of conduct currently available on the district’s website prohibits the use of cellphones or other electronic devices during class, as well as the use of recording devices on school property or buses without permission.

In a separate item at the meeting, Scanlon addressed what he called “entitled, enabling and inappropriate behavior” by some students and spectators at district events. He said these behaviors have increased alongside the increase in use of cellphones as recording devices. “We have witnessed acts of insubordination and disrespect to not only our own staff, but also to police and other parents. This is a reminder that there is a code of conduct for students and for spectators at events, and the administration will enforce those codes.”

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WRITE TO US … AND KEEP IT LOCAL

We welcome your letters, especially those responding to our local coverage, replying to other letter writers’ comments and speaking mainly to local themes. Letters should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style, good taste and uncivil language. They will also be published on our website. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include an address and phone number for confirmation.

Email letters to: [email protected] or mail them to TBR News Media, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733

Credit where credit is due

We would like to thank the staff at The Port Times Record for their June 15 editorial [“Election Day is only the beginning”], in which they acknowledged some of the contributions the Port Jefferson Civic Association has made.

There was one item, however, that was incorrectly attributed to us: the formation of a tree committee.

While our membership fully supports the preservation of our village tree canopy, and several PJCA members volunteered to staff the committee, the primary credit for developing it belongs to Village of Port Jefferson trustee Rebecca Kassay.

PJCA member Kelly DeVine initially brought the idea to trustee Kassay, who followed up on it with extensive research on tree-related efforts in various villages within New York state and beyond. She discovered many municipalities have dedicated committees to assist staff and board members in managing a village’s canopy.

Trustee Kassay further consulted with chairs and founders of other tree committees to gather insights and information. These findings were presented to Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden, who expressed support for the creation and development of the Port Jefferson Village Tree Committee.

We just wanted to make sure to give credit where credit is due.

Ana Hozyainova, President

Kathleen McLane, Outreach Officer

Port Jefferson Civic Association

American dreams for some, not all

What a beautiful story in The Village Times Herald May 25 [“American Dream” series] on page A7 about the Huangs legal journey from China to the United States and how they worked hard and sent money home to bring other family members here.

Their hard work, sacrifice and ultimate success at their Kai Li Kitchen in East Setauket is a true American Dream story. I have many Chinese friends who did the same, as well as my four Italian grandparents. 

It’s too bad that the May 25 letter by Shoshana Hershkowitz [“Words matter in immigration dialogue”] could not have been on page A8. What a dichotomy. Almost every week she is complaining about something in this country. She belongs to Citizen Action of New York (website: citizenactionny.org), that is, progressives like AOC, Warren and Sanders. They bash Republicans, Conservatives and corporations. The problem with socialism is that it needs capitalism to survive. Thus, the ironic hypocrisy.

There is a legal way to become a citizen and an illegal way to play the system. The new “messaging” from the “left” is that “everyone” entering the country illegally is an asylum seeker (see Newsday, June 19). According to Ms. Hershkowitz’s statement, “Asylum seekers are fleeing their countries because of climate change, poverty and political violence.” If that’s true, the whole world can move here. We have the same issues: climate change, antifa (who the left were silent about as the group destroyed federal buildings and businesses in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington), Proud Boys and millions of our own citizens who live in poverty.

So when these “illegal asylum seekers” arrive we are supposed to just let them in, while the people who are legally emigrating from their countries wait to gain citizenship and get penalized by following the law? And I suppose it’s OK for the citizens in Texas, Arizona and California to bear the brunt of the huge, intentional failure at the border by Biden, Harris and Mayorkas. 

According to the House Committee on Homeland Security, as of Jan. 23 there have been over 4.5 million encounters at the Southwest border in addition to over 1.2 million “gotaways.” When the illegal immigrants were sent to Martha’s Vineyard, I don’t recall the vice president commenting on their next-day overnight extradition to mainland Massachusetts by the NIMBYs. 

The hypocrisy of these elites and socialists is obvious. It’s all about future voters and power at the expense of the citizens of this country. 

To the Huangs and Kai Li Kitchen (Chinese translation, “triumphant victory forever”), well done.

Rocky Graziano

Setauket

Two points of view

As an avid reader of the letters section of your paper, I felt compelled to write about the recent exchange of views on the issue of language and the words we use to describe the immigrants who are coming to the United States.

I know both writers personally and know them to be good people who are community-minded and who have worked to make our Three Villages a better place. I think both made good arguments about the current debate, and considering other points is what the American experiment in democracy requires its citizens to do in the pursuit of consensus.

We all know that our recent political discourse has changed, and not for the better. It seems now that we only want to hear one point of view, and criticize or discredit others whose points of view differ from our own.

Local newspapers play an important role in letting the community know about important issues and the various opinions of the people who live here, and I appreciate that.

We can learn a lot by being open to our differing views and maybe even find better solutions for the problems and challenges that we face as a community.

Thank you TBR News Media and to both writers for sharing your thoughts on a very heated and controversial subject.

George Hoffman

Setauket

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BEST OF THE BEST The seven students who received top honors are (top row, from left) kindergartener Cameron Wallace; first-grader Siena Roseto; second-grader Vincent Calvanese; third-grader Juliana Gianmugnal; fourth-grader Emma Kowalik; fifth-grader Aditri Arun and sixth-grader Norah Sobral. Photos courtesy of BNL
Cameron Wallace
Siena Roseto
Vincent Calvanese
Juliana Gianmugnal
Emma Kowalik
Aditri Arun
Norah Sobral

How does the temperature of a magnet affect its strength? Why does honey come in different colors? Are permanent markers really permanent? Curious students from schools across Suffolk County shared questions they explored using the scientific method at the 2023 Elementary School Science Fair hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory on June 10.

“Students from kindergarten to sixth grade who participate in the science fair use the fundamental skills that are the basis of the science conducted here at Brookhaven National Lab,” said Bernadette Uzzi, manager for K-12 programs in the Lab’s Office of Educational Programs (OEP). “Our goal is to develop today’s students into tomorrow’s scientists and engineers.”

After going virtual for three years, the competition returned to an in-person showcase at the Lab where students were ready to share their results and attend an awards ceremony for their grade level.

From delving into the physics behind speedy lacrosse tosses to studying how different materials react in salt water to crafting a codable maze, student’s experiments connected to the basics of wide-ranging research happening at Brookhaven’s world-class facilities. Many students opted to tackle clean energy solutions, including experiments that tested solar cars, asked whether food waste can produce energy, and showed how hydrogen can be produced through water electrolysis for a clean fuel option.

Cameron Casey, a first grader from Charles E. Walters Elementary School, hypothesized that light energy changes based on location. He used machines equipped with small solar panels and topped with clear plates that would spin if powered with enough energy from the sun. The only plate that spun was attached to a solar cell place directly in the sunlight.

Casey said his favorite part of participating in the science fair was that it led him to Brookhaven Lab, a place he’d been wanting to visit for a while. “I’m really proud of it,” he said. “It worked so well that it got me all the way to here.”

Other students incorporated their pets and demonstrated their passion for nature and the environment through their projects.

It was her love of the ocean and surfing that inspired Tatiana Panuthos, a fifth grader from South Bay Elementary School, to investigate microplastic pollution. “When I’m out there, I see all the plastic and garbage in the ocean, so one day, I came home and was researching the plastics I saw in the ocean,” she said. “But then I found the bigger problem and we can’t even see it: microplastics.”

After learning that much of the microplastic pollution in our oceans comes from fabric and clothing, Panuthos chose to build an inexpensive and easy-to-install filter to capture microplastics streaming out of laundry cycles.

Charlie Furman, a second grader at Fifth Avenue Elementary School asked: Can pinecones predict the weather? “My hypothesis was that I think pinecones can predict the weather because they contain a living thing,” he said. He collected pinecones and compared how they reacted to different temperatures and humidity. He found that in the cold, pinecones closed to protect their seeds, but opened as temperatures warmed up. It’s a test-the-weather project anyone can try out at home, he said.

Brookhaven Lab staff and local teachers volunteered as judges and event help.

“I love that the students are learning the scientific method,” said Kathy Haack, a science fair volunteer who teachers K-5 science at Westhampton Beach Elementary School. “They learn the difference between experiments and demonstrations, and the difference between an engineering project and an experiment.”

Science Fair awards

The following students earned first place in their grade level:

◆ Kindergartener Cameron Wallace of Clayton Huey Elementary School, Center Moriches School District for “The Best Way to Ship a Chip.”

◆ First grader Siena Roseto of Cutchogue East Elementary School, Mattituck-Cutchogue School District for “Standing Tall Backpacks and Gravity.” 

◆ Second grader Vincent Calvanese of Pines Elementary School, Hauppauge School District for “5 Second Rule-Breaker.” 

◆ Third grader Juliana Gianmugnai of Ridge Elementary School, Longwood Central School District for “Which One is the Best Filter Feeder: Oysters or Clams?”

◆ Fourth grader Emma Kowalik, of Ruth C. Kinney Elementary School, East Islip School District for “Loaded Diapers.” 

◆ Fifth grader Aditri Arun of Bretton Woods Elementary School, Hauppauge School District for “How to Keep Batteries from Draining in Extreme Weather.” 

◆ Norah Sobral of Babylon Memorial Grade School, Babylon School District for “Do Peanuts Make Bigger Eggs?” 

Honorable mentions

Kindergarten: Ava D’Alsace of Riley Avenue Elementary School, Riverhead Central School District; Michael DeLuca of Forest Brook Elementary School, Hauppauge School District

First Grade: Rebecca Tyler of Miller Avenue School, Shoreham-Wading River School District; Advika Arun of Bretton Woods Elementary School, Hauppauge School District; George Miyagishi of Park View Elementary School, Kings Park Central School District

Second Grade: Leah Cook of Riley Avenue Elementary School, Riverhead Central School District; Isla Loudenslager of Hampton Bays Elementary School, Hampton Bays Public Schools; Clayton Roberts of Sunrise Drive Elementary School, Sayville Union Free School District

Third Grade: Taran Sathish Kumar of Bretton Woods Elementary School, Hauppauge School District; Kendall Harned of Wenonah Elementary School, Sachem Central School District; Kensley Chojnacki of Park View Elementary School, Kings Park Central School District

Fourth Grade: Margaret O’Callaghan of Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School, Miller Place School District; Declan Floyd of Sunrise Drive Elementary School, Sayville Union Free School District; John Kreuscher of Cherry Avenue Elementary School, Sayville Union Free School District; Isabella St. Pierre of Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School, Rocky Point Union Free School District; Isabella Maharlouei of Raynor Country Day School; Aubrey Urbaniweicz of West Middle Island Elementary School,  Longwood Central School District

Fifth Grade: Ethan Behrens of Tangier Smith Elementary School, William Floyd School District; Laia Balcells, Raynor Country Day School; John Locke of Love of Learning Montessori, Centerport

Sixth Grade: Mihir Sathish Kumar of Hauppauge Middle School, Hauppauge School District; Ben DeSantis of Cutchogue East Elementary School, Mattituck-Cutchogue School Distric

The 2023 Brookhaven National Laboratory Elementary School Science Fair was sponsored by Brookhaven Science Associates, which manages and operates the Lab on behalf of Department of Energy, and Teachers Federal Credit Union. For more information, please visit www.bnl.gov.

 

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A scene from the 2023 Wet Paint Festival. Photo by Julianne Mosher
A scene from the 2023 Wet Paint Festival. Photo by Julianne Mosher
A scene from the 2023 Wet Paint Festival. Photo by Julianne Mosher
A scene from the 2023 Wet Paint Festival. Photo by Julianne Mosher
A scene from the 2023 Wet Paint Festival. Photo by Julianne Mosher
A scene from the 2023 Wet Paint Festival. Photo by Julianne Mosher
A scene from the 2023 Wet Paint Festival. Photo by Julianne Mosher
A scene from the 2023 Wet Paint Festival. Photo by Julianne Mosher
A scene from the 2023 Wet Paint Festival. Photo by Julianne Mosher
A scene from the 2023 Wet Paint Festival. Photo by Julianne Mosher
A scene from the 2023 Wet Paint Festival. Photo by Julianne Mosher

By Julianne Mosher

On June 17 and 18, visitors from across Long Island headed to Old Field Farm in Setauket for Gallery North’s 19th annual Wet Paint Festival, a fun-filled weekend to not only admire local artists practicing their craft en plein air, but to see the excitement of a derby. According to Sally Lynch, owner and farm operator, the festival couldn’t have come during a better weekend.

The 2023 Seaside Hunter Derby took place on June 18 on the campus and as the riders competed, over 40 artists took to their canvases to paint and sketch the local scenery and content. 

“All the horse people are thrilled to see their horses painted,” said Lynch. “There’s a reason why the horse remains a constant subject of the arts.”

She added that the day before, the farm hosted vintage riders (ones who ride side saddle) in full old-school costume who also modeled for the artists on-site. 

The two-day festival also featured nature walks courtesy of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, live music by Tom Killourhy and the Keenan Zach Trio, plein air art tours with Jim Molloy and Nancy Bueti-Randall, a history tour with Margo Arceri of Tri-Spy Tours and an animal presentation by Sweetbriar Nature Center.

The event was sponsored by bld Architecture, Jefferson’s Ferry and Suffolk County’s Department of Economic Development and Planning.

All of the artwork created at the festival will be on display at the Reboli Center for Art and History, 64 Main St., Stony Brook on July 5 through August 27. The public is invited to an opening reception on July 21 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

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Volunteer in your community. METRO photo

Over the years, this paper has had the pleasure of telling countless stories of members of our community going out of their way to give back and take the time to volunteer. Readers will see in our papers this week that the Guide Dog Foundation is looking for puppy raisers, surely a rewarding and noble role for animal lovers.

We encourage anyone inspired by that story to, as always, consider volunteering. Realistically, we know that most of us do not have the time and bandwidth to raise a puppy for someone else. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t all do our part to make the world a better place. 

Help someone in the grocery store who can’t carry their bags. Offer to shop for an elderly neighbor or simply stop in to check on them. Volunteering can take many of these forms.

Volunteering is meant to benefit others, and that should be the goal. Signing up for something simply to make oneself feel better, or pat oneself on the back won’t benefit anyone. However, it is often us who feel better, fulfilled and rewarded after doing something for others.

We are lucky to live in a prosperous area. Many of us have been fortunate enough to never know the struggle of not being able to feed our families or pay for gas. Several members of our community aren’t that lucky. The old saying, “We rise when lifting others,” applies here. The more time we take to help those less fortunate, the better off we will be.

It can be difficult to find the correct opportunity for volunteering, in trying to figure out what speaks to our passions. Keep a watchful eye in our papers, social media and among our neighbors for new opportunities, and as mentioned make our own. 

To all of the members of our community that already volunteer, we thank you. We know it can be difficult to find time for ourselves, let alone others. We also know that it’s worth it.

As summer comes near, we hope our readers will see volunteerism as another regular activity to do with our kids, and other friends and family. All we need is ourselves. Start by thinking about what drives us, whether that be animals, hunger, children, the arts, education, the environment and so on. Once we establish that, volunteering for a dedicated cause will connect us with other like-minded neighbors, another added benefit to signing up to volunteer.

We hope readers will consider the benefits we have outlined as to exactly what volunteering affords us. We look forward to the possibility of sharing the stories of generous volunteers, old and new.

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Above, a photo of Turkana taken from a single engine plane shows the Koobi Fora spit and Lake Turkana alongside a time map. Photo from Bob Raynolds

By Daniel Dunaief

In a wide-ranging interview, Louise Leakey, Director of Public Education and Outreach for the Turkana Basin Institute and a Research Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Stony Brook University shared her thoughts on numerous topics in the field of paleontology.

Louise Leakey at the Richard Leakey Memorial Conference on June 5. Photo by John Griffin/SBU

Leakey, who earned her PhD at the University College London, suggested that the process of finding fossils hasn’t changed that much, although other options beyond scouring a landscape for fragments of the world’s former occupants may be forthcoming.

“It may very well change if we can implement machine learning with high resolution imagery, using drones,” she said. “That’s one of the things we’re looking at the moment.”

What’s really changed, however, is the accuracy field scientists have in marking where, and, importantly, when new discoveries originated, she said.

Geologists like Bob Raynolds, Research Associate at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, have created time maps that indicate the approximate age of sediments around a fossil in some select areas of the Turkana Basin.

These maps “can be uploaded onto an iPad app for use in the field that shows you in real time where you are on the geological map,” Leakey explained. “This is a game changer for field work in the basin.”

A time map created by Bob Raynolds in collaboration with Geologic Data Systems, a Littleton, Colorado company.

The maps represent the work of many people, Raynolds explained.  Originally, teams of Master’s students used air photographs, tracing paper and ink to make a map. These students spent many weeks walking systematically on the ground and tracing the patterns on the photos.

The rugged and isolated nature of the ground in Northern Kenya makes the work done on foot difficult, Raynolds explained.

The original maps, which were made in the 1970’s, took months to make and were presented as paper copies in unpublished Master’s theses. After numerous enhancements, Raynolds, working with companies including Geologic Data Systems in Littleton, Colorado, created time maps.

The internal GPS on an iPhone enables a blue dot to indicate a person’s location on the map.

“I have worked on the maps to make a new set of derived products that are maps of the age of the rocks,” said Raynolds who created these time maps earlier this year. “The resolution of the time maps is 100,000 years” which is an “astonishingly detailed resolution for us who are accustomed to million year packages of time.”

The maps cover the entire Turkana Basin at various scales, Raynolds added.

More broadly, Bernard Wood, University Professor of Human Origins in the Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleontology at George Washington University and the first speaker at a recent Stony Brook University conference to honor Richard Leakey, explained that dating fossils has become increasingly accurate.

The first dates of fossils in the KBS Tuff, which is an ash layer in the Koobi Fora Formation east of Lake Turkana, was estimated within 260,000 years of a specific date. Using improved methods, a study published this year has reduced that range to 600 years.

Publishing pace

In the meantime, the pace of publishing has slowed considerably.

“There’s so much more material” that can serve as a frame of reference for new discoveries, Leakey said. “The rate of publication is frustratingly slow for some of these specimens.” This contrasts dramatically with the experience of Leakey’s father Richard.

When the elder Leakey submitted his letters or paper to the prestigious journal Nature, the late editor John Maddox never sent them out for review. “[Maddox] explained that he couldn’t see the point, because they concerned fossils so recently discovered” that few had seen them, Wood explained in his presentation.

Louise Leakey also differed from Richard in earning her bachelor’s degree and PhD, while her father dropped out of high school and never received any additional formal education.

Wood suggested that, next to marrying Meave, the elder Leakey described leaving school as one of the best decisions he’d ever made.

For his daughter, though, Leakey “encouraged me to go and do that,” Louise Leakey said. The education helped “in terms of being able to be [principal investigator] on grant applications,” she said.

Leakey suggested it was a “real privilege to be able to spend time” earning her PhD. She also found that the educational experience gave her the opportunity to “stand on my own two feet” in her research.

Like her father, Louise Leakey is concerned about conservation and declining biodiversity. When she was younger, she saw areas that were teeming with wildlife. On a recent three-hour drive, she only saw a golden jackal and a dik-dik, which is a type of small antelope, compared with the much wider variety of creatures she would have seen decades ago, such as Grévy’s zebra, Burchell zebra, lesser kudu, ostriches, warthogs, topi, gerenuk, oryx and, possibly lions and cheetah. 

She attributes this decline to hunting as some have exterminated these species as result of competition for grazing areas and hunting the animals for meat. Record droughts are also threatening their survival.

Leakey is working with the next generation to get “kids to care about nature” so they can “think about what they’re doing and the real impact it has.”

In addition to preserving biodiversity, Leakey remains passionate about studying the past, which could help the current and future generations tackle climate change. “We might be able to learn lessons” from those who survived during such challenging conditions, she said.

Leakey is able to maintain her involvement and commitment to numerous efforts by working with talented collaborators.

“If you don’t have teams to really hold it together, you can’t do any of it,” she said.

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Jefferson’s Ferry President and CEO Bob Caulfield (center) snips the ribbon to commemorate the opening of the Life Plan Community’s fully renovated and expanded Community Center. Joining Caulfield are (left to right) Jefferson’s Ferry board members James E. Danowski, CPA, Vice Chair; John R. Sini, CPA, Treasurer; Gloria Snyder, Chair; along with Jefferson’s Ferry Resident Council Chair Pat Boone, and Construction Project Manager Matthew Moroney. Photo from Jefferson's Ferry
Jefferson's Ferry residents and staff filled the lobby of the new Commons building to witness the ribbon cutting and take a tour of the new building. Photo from Jefferson's Ferry
Jefferson's Ferry Board Members joined Jefferson's Ferry President and CEO Bob Caulfield (center) to commemorate the opening of the Life Plan Community's new Commons building. Pictured with Caulfield (l-r) are trustees Kenneth Roberts, John R. Sini, CPA, Treasurer; Gloria Snyder, Chair; and James E. Danowski, CPA, Vice Chair. Photo from Jefferson's Ferry

The lobby of Jefferson’s Ferry community center was abuzz on June 5 as residents, employees and guests packed in to witness the ceremonial ribbon cutting of the Life Plan community’s new commons building. The mood was buoyant as residents and friends prepared to embark on tours of the spaces.

The audience joined in on the countdown as scissors wielded by Jefferson’s Ferry’s President and CEO Bob Caulfield; Board of Directors Chair Gloria Snyder; Vice Chair James Danowski and Treasurer John Sini; Resident Council Chair Pat Boone and Construction Project Manager Matthew Moroney cut the ribbon to enthusiastic applause. 

Addressing the crowd, Bob Caulfield thanked the residents and staff for their patience and support during the renovation process, dubbed Journey Toward Renewal, which has taken place in stages over the past several years. Additional renovations and expansions are currently underway in Jefferson’s Ferry’s Vincent Bove Health Center, including a new Memory Care Unit which is expected to open in the fall.  

“This is a landmark day for us, as our new commons building adds beautiful new spaces to our community center, the heart of Jefferson’s Ferry,” said Caulfield. “We’ve all been patiently awaiting this day, and I thank every one of you who has been as eager as I have been to celebrate this major milestone. This includes the Board of Trustees, who had the strategic foresight and financial oversight of the ambitious project, our construction team, who labored to complete this phase of the project, and of course, our residents and staff.”

Among the latest updates and additions to the social and recreational aspects of the community center are a variety of new gathering spaces, including a larger and redesigned creative arts center, expanded card rooms for the popular bridge and gin rummy tournaments, and a game room with billiards, ping pong, shuffle boards and large screen television.  Another bright open space is dedicated to puzzling, newspaper reading and socializing.  The fitness center, which can be accessed 24-7 through a separate keypad operated entrance includes a full complement of exercise machines, a dance/yoga studio and separate locker rooms with showers for men and women.  Right down the hall, a salon offers hair cuts and styling, manicure and pedicures by appointment.  

Earlier this year, six new dining venues opened, each one offering a distinct menu to suit a variety of tastes and preferences. Options range from grab and go to casual, and from pub dining to a more formal dining room.

Adjacent to the workout rooms is a new physical therapy and rehabilitation suite that includes a replica of a Jefferson’s Ferry apartment that enables residents to easily transfer what they’ve learned during rehabilitation to their own home.  The rehabilitation suite also features an outdoor therapy courtyard with different surface areas and slopes to help residents fare better in a variety of indoor and outdoor environments post rehab.   

The addition of the commons building has made room for an expansion of the Health and Wellness Program.  Residents can now schedule in-house physician visits with doctors and a nurse practitioner who offer office hours at Jefferson’s Ferry.

“Since its opening in 2001 as the first not for profit Life Plan community on Long Island, Jefferson’s Ferry has set the standard for continuing care for older adults, providing a vibrant, caring community and peace of mind to its residents,” concluded Caulfield. “Over our more than 20 years in operation, Jefferson’s Ferry has continued to evolve to meet the changing needs of the people who have made Jefferson’s Ferry their home. Journey Toward Renewal is evidence of our commitment to excellence.”

Jefferson’s Ferry, a not-for-profit Life Plan Community for active adults aged 62 and above, is located at One Jefferson’s Ferry Drive in South Setauket. For more information, call 631-650-2600 or visit www.jeffersonsferry.org

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