The Stony Brook baseball team overcame a 3-0 deficit heading into the sixth inning, rallying with six runs over the final four frames to secure a 6-3 victory over the Delaware Blue Hens in Newark, Del. on March 23. This win marks their first CAA victory of the season.
John Rizzo took the mound for Stony Brook, setting the tone early by striking out the first three batters of the game.Both teams managed a double in the second inning—Matthew Jackson for Stony Brook—but neither was able to push a run across.After a one-out single by Delaware in the bottom of the third, Luke Szepek delivered a clutch throw to erase the runner at second, followed by a lineout to end the inning.
The Blue Hens struck first, plating three runs on two hits in the bottom of the fourth.
Following a quick 1-2-3 fifth inning for both teams, Stony Brook ignited a comeback in the sixth, tying the game at 3-3. Evan Goforth sparked the rally with a double to left field, followed by walks from Johnny Pilla and Nico Azpilcueta to load the bases. Jackson came through in the clutch with a two-RBI single up the middle, scoring Goforth and Pilla. Szepek then drew a bases-loaded walk, allowing Azpilcueta to cross the plate and tie the game.
Nicholas Rizzo entered in the bottom of the sixth and worked out of a jam, stranding two Delaware runners with a flyout to end the inning.
In the seventh, Erik Paulsen delivered a game-changing moment, launching a home run into the right-field trees to give the Seawolves a 4-3 lead.
Jacob Pedersen took over on the mound in the seventh, striking out two batters with runners on base and stranding another in the eighth to preserve the lead.
Chris Carson led off the ninth with a double to right field and later scored on a Delaware error. Goforth added insurance with another double to left field, bringing home Matt Miceli and extending Stony Brook’s lead to 6-3.
Pedersen sealed the victory by stranding two more runners in the ninth, forcing a game-ending groundout.
Up next, the team returns home to Joe Nathan Field on April 1 to host Iona. First pitch is set for 3 p.m., with live streaming available on FloBaseball.
Dr. Sritha Rajupet. Photo from Stony Brook Medicine/Jeanne Neville
By Daniel Dunaief
While many people are fortunate enough to ignore Covid or try to put as much distance between themselves and the life altering pandemic, others, including people throughout Long Island, are battling long Covid symptoms that affect the quality of their lives.
Dr. Sritha Rajupet Photo from Stony Brook Medicine/Jeanne Neville
Sritha Rajupet, Director of the Post-Covid clinic at Stony Brook Medicine and Chair of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine, puts her triple-board certified experience to work in her efforts to provide relief and a greater understanding of various levels of symptoms from Covid including pain, brain fog, and discomfort.
Rajupet serves as co-Principal Investigator, along with Dr. Hal Skopicki, chief of cardiology and co-director of the Stony Brook Heart Institute, on a study called Recover-Autonomic.
This research, which uses two different types of repurposed treatments that have already received Food and Drug Administration approval in other contexts, is designed to help people who have an autonomic nervous system disorder called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. People with this syndrome typically have a fast heart rate, dizziness or fatigue when they stand up from sitting down.
Stony Brook is contributing to a clinical trial for two different types of treatments, each of which has a control or placebo group. In one of the trials, patients receive Gamunex-C intravenous immunoglobulin. In the other, patients take Ivabradine by mouth.
Stony Brook has been enrolling patients in this study since the summer. The intravenous study is a nine-month trial.
Some improvements
Dawn Vogt, a 54-year-old Wading River resident, is enrolled in the intravenous trial.
While Vogt, who has been a patient of post Covid clinic since November of 2022, doesn’t know whether she’s getting the placebo or the intravenous treatment, she has been feeling better since entering the study.
Dawn Vogt in 2018.
The owner of a business called Office Solutions of Long Island, Vogt has been struggling for years with body aches, headaches, fever, stomach pain, fatigue and coughing.
“I’m definitely feeling better,” said Vogt, whose Covid fog can become so arduous on any given day that she struggles with her memory and her ability to put words together, as well as to engage in work that required multitasking.
“I’m a big puzzle person,” said Vogt. “[After Covid] I just couldn’t do it. It was and still is like torture.”
Still, Vogt, who was earning her undergraduate degree in women and gender studies at Stony Brook before she left to deal with the ongoing symptoms of Covid, feels as if several parts of her treatment, including the clinical trial, has improved her life.
Since her treatment that started during the summer, she has “definitely seen improvement,” Vogt said.
Dawn Vogt in 2023.
In addition to the clinical trial, Vogt, who had previously run a half marathon, received a pace maker, which also could be improving her health. “I’m starting to have more energy, instead of feeling exhausted all the time,” she said, and has seen a difference in her ability to sleep.
Vogt feels fortunate not only for the medical help she receives from Rajupet and the Stony Brook clinic, but also for the support of her partner Tessa Gibbons, an artist with whom Vogt developed a relationship and created a blended family in the years after Vogt’s husband died in 2018.
“My hope is that I can find a new normal and that I can become functional so that I can get back to doing some of what I love,” she said.
Vogt urges others not to give up. “If your doctors don’t believe you, find one who does,” she said. “My doctors at Stony Brook, including Dr. Rajupet and the whole team, are amazing. They listened, they are compassionate and they don’t ever say, ‘That’s crazy.’”
Indeed, in working with some of the over 1,500 unique patients who have come to Stony Brook Medicine’s post-Covid clinic, Rajupet said she “explores things together.” When her patients learn about something new that they find through their own research, she couples that knowledge with her own findings to develop a treatment plan that she hopes offers some comfort and relief.
Ongoing medical questions
Doctors engaged in the treatment of long Covid are eager to help people whose quality of life can and often is greatly diminished.
People “haven’t been able to work, haven’t been able to do activities they enjoy whether that’s sports as a result of their fatigue or myalgia [a type of muscle pain]. Concentration may be affected, as people can’t read or perform their work-related activities,” said Rajupet.
At this point, long Covid disproportionately affects women.
During her family medicine residency, Rajupet learned about preventive medicine in public health. She worked with specific populations and completed an interdisciplinary women’s health research fellowship.
Her research background allowed her to couple her primary care experience with her women’s health background with a population approach to care.
The Stony Brook doctor would like to understand how many infections it takes to develop long Covid.
“For some, it’s that one infection, and for others, [long Covid] comes in on the third or fourth” time someone is battling the disease, Rajupet said.
She also hopes to explore the specific strains that might have triggered long Covid, and/ or whether something in a person’s health history affected the course of the disease.
Rajupet recognizes that the need for ongoing solutions and care for people who are managing with challenges that affect their quality of life remains high.
“There are still 17 million people affected by this,” she said. “We have to make sure we can care for them.”
As for Vogt, she is grateful for the support she receives at Stony Brook and for the chance to make improvements in a life she and Gibbons have been building.
Her hope is that “every day, week, month and even hour, I take one more breath towards being able to function as best as possible,” Vogt said. “My goal is to live the best life I can every day.”
Circa 1900, East Setauket Main Street looking east. The home of Charity Jones is set back behind the last store on the right. Three Village Historical Society Photo collection
By Beverly C. Tyler
Just before the turn of the 20th century, the Three Village area presented a vastly different appearance than it does now. The shipbuilding era ended three decades before and the industries that manufactured pianos and rubber goods had come and gone. The community had only the tourist trade and some coastwise shipping and fishing to supplement the farming that had been its backbone since 1655.
The roads through the villages were unpaved and in the late winter the narrow streets would be rutted and muddy. When it rained it was sometimes difficult, often impossible, for a horse and carriage to travel theloam and clay roads. Where the roadway passed near an underground spring it was also often flooded. Traveling by foot was more common than today and a necessity when the roads were impassable.
The local area had fewer homes and they were often unpainted. The older shingle-covered houses presented a light gray, somewhat drab appearance as they stood alongside the uneven winding roadways.
Farms dominated the landscape through the early years of the 20th century and the fields were occasionally broken by small areas of woodland or meadow and by orchards of apple trees.
Throughout the 19th century trees were cut to be used as firewood. Most of this wood was cut into cords and shipped to New York City to heat the many homes there. The areas where the trees were cut down were cleared of stumps, plowed and planted. Some fields were left as meadow for grazing or to recover from too many years of farming. In most places you could look from wherever you stood to where the field disappeared over a hill. The view would be broken only by a house or a small stand of trees.
The hamlet of East Setauket consisted of a group of small stores and a few homes. Surrounding the small village were fields and meadows sloping gently down to the harbor. The creek that still runs under the road divided the little commercial area almost in half and was crossed by a narrow wooden bridge that provided an unobstructed view of the stream below.
Old Shinglesides by Howard Chandler Christy July 16, 1926. Original postcard, collection of Beverly Tyler
At the east end of the village, on the south side of the road, were three homes belonging to members of the Jones family. Two of the homes, still standing in their original locations just east of the Three Village Church, belonged to Captain Benjamin Jones and his brother, Walter Jones, Jr., sons of Walter Jones, Sr. and Charity Smith Jones.
Benjamin had been master of many ships including the “Mary and Louisa” which was built in Setauket and which sailed on a three-year voyage to China and Japan while he was her captain. Walter and Charity’s home, known as Old Shinglesides, was built in 1754 and was bought in 1760 by Ebenezer Jones, Walter’s father. Walter lived there from the time he was married on Jan. 28, 1824 until he died on March 23, 1877.As detailed in the Three Village Guidebook, “the house was called the Mansion House by members of the Jones family because it was the home of Walter, Sr., the then patriarch of the clan.”
In 1895, Charity Smith Jones, then in her 90th year, was still living in the home where she raised her family. The Mansion House was still an impressive structure both inside and out. The kitchen included a brick oven and a black settle. The dining room and sitting room were both lined with wainscoting. The sitting room included deep window seats, a number of cozy chairs and a big fireplace. The parlor, across the entry hall from the sitting room, was elegantly paneled on the ceiling and three walls with a large fireplace on the west wall. Sitting in this parlor, Charity Jones was described in an article in Popular Monthly as, “a sweet-faced old lady who is the pink of antique perfection from her spotless black cloth slippers to the white handkerchief over her head.” In the article she talked about her life. “I was born in 1806, and Captain Jones brought me to this house when I was a bride of eighteen. That was in 1824, and the house was just as old then as it is now. Yes,” she adds, with a snap of pride in the faded eyes, “I have lived in this house bride, wife and widow for seventy years, and when Captain Jones died he left it all to me.”
The Mansion House stood on its original site until 1962 when it was moved to make room for the construction of the post office (now Elaines restaurant). Restored by Ward Melville, the house now sits comfortably along Gnarled Hollow Road overlooking a small pond. Charity Jones died on Aug. 11, 1897 in the 92nd year of her life. She is buried in the Setauket Presbyterian Church graveyard in company with many other, even older, local residents.
Beverly Tyler is Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Rd., Setauket, NY 11733. Tel: 631-751-3730. www.TVHS.org
From left, Brookhaven Town Councilmember Jonathan Korneich, Nancy Goroff, Amani Kahn, Maria Nardiello, and Trust President Peter Legakis. Photo by Gretchen Oldrin Mones
Awards, recognition and special proclamations went to Nancy Goroff, Amani Kahn and Maria Nardiello at the Three Village Community Trust’s Annual Membership Meeting on March 12. The trust expressed a deep appreciation of the honoree’s unique contributions to the community:
Maria Nardiello was recognized for her special role in the life of Three Villages and community affairs:
● Long time innkeeper and resident manager of the Setauket Neighborhood House.
● 25 years of providing welcoming and friendly hospitality and service to the Three Village Community.
● Over the years, her friendly professionalism has made the Neighborhood House the place for all community events.
● Providing a welcoming meeting place for all residents
● An enthusiastic booster of our Three Village community
● Always ready to assist in planning family and community events at the Setauket Neighborhood House
● Widely known as a caring, gracious, calming voice in every interaction with residents
● A steady, dependable and welcoming presence at the Neighborhood House
● A very likely ‘person of history’ in the story of the Three Villages for her remarkable role at the Inn
Amani Khan was honored for her help and support to the residents of Council District 1:
● Longtime senior Legislative Aide for Council District 1
● A beloved and respected staff member at the Town and to the entire District 1 community
● Known for her outstanding, dependable and efficient constituent service
● Recognized for her ability to easily navigate the complexities of the town’s many different offices, departments, codes and regulations
● Acknowledged as an expert in all issues impacting the Three Village community
● Engaged in all issues of the Three Village community and the surrounding area
● Well-known to residents for her honesty, integrity and steadiness in all things ‘Brookhaven’
● An unrivaled ability to use grace and understanding in all situations and at all times
Nancy Goroff was recognized for her advancements in education, art, cultureand science:
● President of the Board of Gallery North, the largest non-profit art gallery on Long Island
● Treasurer and Co-Founder, Long Island Strong Schools Alliances
● Founding Board Member of the Institute for Digital Media and Child Development
● Past Chair of the Chemistry Department at Stony Brook University – a recognized leader in chemistry, materials science, and higher education.
● Gifted public servant with a track record of accomplishment as a leader, scientist and communicator.
● A history of building and managing diverse teams in a variety of disciplines. Demonstrating a longstanding commitment to community service and nonprofit organizations.
● Lifelong advocate for good government
● Outspoken leader in civic affairs
● A champion of rights for woman, children and the underserved and disenfranchised
● A fierce defender of the principles of fairness and compassion for all.
Reconfiguration is the right decision for 3V schools
This letter is meant to address all the Monday morning quarterbacks that are suddenly coming out of the woodwork to voice their complaints regarding the district reconfiguration. The timing of this mini defection is ironic since the reconfiguration is going to happen and the time for speaking up was before the official BOE vote. Hindsight critics can now take a seat. This change has been in the making for decades and remaining “unique” is not an option.
How about joining the 21st century and accepting that our kids DESERVE this change?The kids being affected by it are excited and more than capable of adapting.The parents, being swayed by the ineffectual attempts of a former district employee, are the ones whining about the revision that is in fact going to happen.This is not sudden, it has been researched and planned for, and the district has done its due diligence regarding transparency with the community.I am certainly not always in agreement with Superintendent Kevin Scanlon or this Board of Education, in fact I have plenty of bones to pick with them, but on this I know they got it right.
The sudden desire to combine a start time change with the reconfiguration is a whole other matter, but this has now joined the ranks of the top three things Three Village parents can gripe about.I stand by my argument that this half-hour change is utterly useless and a complete waste of more than a million dollars.If parents have enough time to write letters to the board about a reconfiguration that is already set to happen then they have more than enough time to monitor their children’s sleep habits.And it matters not how old they are, take the phones and other devices away and they will fall asleep from sheer boredom.
Let’s focus on the amazing opportunities that will come from this move and stop following the “lead” of a disgruntled former employee whose quarrel holds no water.The cost (from transportation alone) and lack of difference that will result from the start time change should be the debate every taxpayer has with themselves come budget time. As an alumnus, parent and lifelong community member I can’t wait to see how the mighty 3V thrives in a middle school model.Dissenters, let it go already.
Stefanie Werner
East Setauket
BESS still under discussion
George Altemose’s March 13 letter in TBR News Media [“BESS systems still in dispute”] about the proposed battery energy storage systems facility asks a valid question about how much power is needed to “power a home.”Unfortunately, in his analysis of what would be needed he ends with an unjustified conclusion.The average power used over the course of a day by most homes is about 1,000 watts, a value used by BESS proponents (my use is less). For an unstated reason Altemose says the average power use must be more like 5,000 watts, a factor of 5 larger.This changes the picture dramatically.It is true that use during the day and at night can differ significantly, but the 5,000 watts for an average use is high for all but the largest or power inefficient houses.
Peter Bond
Stony Brook
LaLota and Suozzi hold town halls
I attended Nick LaLota’s (R-NY1) tele-town hall on March 5 [LaLota and Suozzi hold town halls, TBR News Media, March 13].
The one-hour event started a bit late. LaLota spoke for the first 10 minutes, answering accusations that questions were only accepted from supporters, and that they were not representative of his constituent’s concerns. He said that was not true.
He then took about six questions from people who asked legitimate constituent concerns.But he did not actually answer them. His replies consisted of rambling talking points — not substance. And because callers were cut off after asking their question, there was no “give and take.”
I waited in the queue to ask: “Rep. LaLota, do you approve of the President’s alliance with Vladimir Putin? Yes or no?”But I did not get the chance to ask. I’m sure there were a great many people who did not get to pose questions.
The final 10 minutes were devoted to the congressman thanking us for participating in the town hall and his gratitude for being given the opportunity to represent us in the House of Representatives.
He did use polling opportunities to assess our views on a few topics. Press 1 to agree or 2 to disagree. I believe those polls were worthless. The only viewpoint LaLota will support is that of President Trump.
Donna Newman
Stony Brook
LaLota town hall disappoints
I appreciate that your March 13 edition reported on Congressman Nick LaLota’s (R-NY1) recent “Town Hall.”I was on the call for that telephone event.Unfortunately, it could hardly be characterized as “a town hall.”The call lasted for sixty minutes.There was time for only a very few questions to be asked of the congressman.He spent about one quarter of the time, at the start and conclusion of the call, simply telling us what a good job he felt he was doing.His answers were extremely lengthy and repetitive.They rarely addressed the key elements of the questions.They never allowed for a follow-up question.
The “polling” that LaLota conducted was your standard, misleading “push poll.”Slightly paraphrasing: “Press 1, if you think we should try to reduce government waste.Press 2, if you think it is okay for the government to waste taxpayer dollars.”
The question I had hoped to have asked was, “Will you please speak out against the indiscriminate, excessive cuts in government services that are hurting millions of Americans including thousands of your constituents; and will you speak out against the fact that so many of these cuts were done in a manner that was illegal and, in some cases, clearly unconstitutional?”
Robert Marcus
Setauket, New York
Community alert!
Greetings Port Jefferson Station/Terryville residents, as well as our friends and neighbors from nearby areas.
As many know, in September of 2024, the Town of Brookhaven approved the zoning change sought by Staller Associates for a 260- to 280-unit multifamily apartment complex redevelopment plan for Jefferson Plaza. This is where the existing local Post Office is located presently. This was a controversial proposal that will increase density to levels never seen locally before. As approved, this project will transform the face of our community. Our local civic association worked long and hard to try to voice our concerns regarding this intensive use to address the many impacts, both positive and potentially negative.
One concern was as this development moves forward it enhances a sense of place for our hamlet and creates a positive environment reflecting the character of community. One method for accomplishing this goal is thoughtful design and the use of good architecture. Will it be warm and welcoming or cold and imposing? In this instance, the choice can be ours.
In coordination with our Councilman, Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) and Brookhaven town, our civic association is sponsoring a community forum regarding this redevelopment plan at our monthly meeting. I urge all my neighbors and concerned citizens to join us on Tuesday March 25, at 7 p.m. at the Comsewogue Library. Representatives of Staller Associates will present various architectural designs to solicit input and comments from residents. This Visual Preference Survey process will enable us to shape and guide the face and feel of our neighborhood as this mega-project proceeds and impacts our area. Please join us and participate in our shared future.
Ira Costell, President
Port Jefferson Station/Terryville CivicAssociatio
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
One day decades from now, will the people involved with the Environmental Protection Agency look back at their legacy and feel pride and satisfaction? Sure, reducing waste is a good idea, cutting unnecessary costs is beneficial and effective and removing regulations that might cause inefficiencies without adding much benefit could be helpful.
But at what cost and what is lost along the way?
Take, for example, the New York Times piece earlier this week that suggested that the EPA is exploring the possibility of laying off 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists, and other scientists. The NYT cited Democrats on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology to describe this proposed plan.
The agency plans to get rid of 75 percent of the people who work in the Office of Research and Development. Does ignoring problems, removing the scientists who study them, and reducing the likelihood of tracking any threats to the environment and to human health make it better?
Lee Zeldin, former Republican congressmen from NY-1 and a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, is heading up the agency.
The proposal, which, fortunately, appears to be just that at this stage, reminds me of the time President Trump suggested that the only reason the United States has more cases of Covid than other nations was because we were testing for it.
So, the solution, implicit in that observation, is that if we don’t test for it, we won’t know how prevalent it is and we will look better compared with other nations.
No, look, I get it. On some level, more rigorous testing means we will find problems that might otherwise not require too much effort to solve. Some people who tested positive for Covid didn’t get that sick and didn’t require medical attention.
Knowing whether people contracted the virus, however, could be useful for everyone. You see, if a certain sub group of the country had the virus but didn’t get all that sick, scientists might be able to compare the blood, the backgrounds, or the pre-existing medical conditions to determine who is most or least at risk from various health threats.
The same holds true for the environment. Data is helpful and can and should help make informed decisions.
We don’t already know everything we need to know. As any scientist will tell you, the results they get can and often are exciting. What inspires them beyond their results is the next set of questions.
The federal government may not want to support every type of research, but dismissing over a thousand scientists can and will lead to the kind of dangerous information gaps that could affect human health and the environment.
Scientists don’t generally live lives of extreme wealth and luxury, unless they invent or patent something that people decide they can’t live without or that becomes a necessity.
I have known scientists for decades. They often work long hours, are dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and to contributing to their fields, and tend to live modest lives.
Back in the day when I covered Wall Street banks, I rubbed elbows with power brokers who thought nothing of spending lavishly on dinners, who sat a few rows from the on-deck circle at Yankee Stadium, and who had cars waiting for them day and night to bring them to and from their luxurious homes.
Scientists and educators, on the whole, don’t have the same professional financial options.
And yet they help advance society, protect us from infections, keep our water and air clean and gather the kind of information we shouldn’t ignore.
Before cutting over a thousand people in a drastic cost cutting initiative, the EPA and Zeldin should study the type of information these researchers produce.
We wouldn’t want to heat our houses by burning down the wood that supports our walls and ceilings. Scientists can help us figure out whether decisions by individuals or companies are doing just that, providing us with temporary warmth at great expense to the homes in which we live.
Information, after all, isn’t owned exclusively by one political party or another, the way a resort might be. As with other layoff decisions by the Trump administration, I hope they reconsider this one. If they do, the older versions of themselves and their grandchildren may one day appreciate it and benefit from the work these scientists do to protect the environment we share.
How do you feel about tipping these days? According to Fox News, some 90% of Americans feel tipping has gotten out of hand. Not only do tips seem to start at 18% rather than what used to be the standard 15%, they are also going up as restaurant prices go up since they are calculated on the amount of the check.
And Fox News is basing its information on a survey done by a company called WalletHub.
There are lots of other complaints, too, about tips. For instance, while tips used to be given to waiters, bartenders and hairdressers, the landscape has now changed. Tips are now expected at many checkout counters & other unlikely places.
“More and more establishments where you wouldn’t normally tip are asking for something extra, and people are even being asked to tip self-help machines with no human interaction,” according to WalletHub.
Why are tips even necessary?
Tipping originally was a way to express appreciation for a job well done, perhaps over and above what was expected. Now, it seems, it is a requirement on a restaurant check in the United States. Europeans leave only a couple of coins to express appreciation for good service.
Many years ago, when my dad was paying the bill for our meal in an eatery, he left a nickel as a tip. The waiter ran out onto the sidewalk after us, telling my dad how much his family depended on the tip money I remember my dad answering that the service had been abysmal. But he reached into his pocket, gave the man some money and explained that it was now charity and not a tip. It was a good distinction for me to learn.He also suggested the man work harder at his job to better feed his family.
Something that annoys a good friend with whom I occasionally eat is that the suggested tips at the bottom of the bill are based on food plus tax rather than on food alone. Certainly there is no extra effort expended for adding taxes. So she will determine her tip on the amount above the tax line.
Another friend with whom I enjoy a meal in a restaurant always tips 30% because she feels being a waiter or waitress is a hard job, and people who do it really need the money.
Tips were also given to waiters and waitresses when we all knew they earned something like $2.50 an hour. Now, with minimum wage at $16.50 between salary and tip, it’s a different story.
WalletHub also released the following statistics:
Automatic service charges should be banned, according to 83% of respondents.
One in four believe tips should be taxed, in contrast to the current administration’s offer to make tips tax free.
When presented with a tip suggestion screen at a counter, 3 in ten tip less.
Some 40% of those surveyed think tipping should be replaced with an employee rating system that then tells the employer how to pay staffers.
Americans pay an average of $500 a year on tips.
More than 75% feel that tips should be divided only among employees who interact directlywith customers.
And finally, more than 50% of customers leave tips because of social pressure rather than as a result of good service.
A piece of advice offered by one respondent: If you are standing to place an order, as with checkout counters, no tip.
The Whaling Museum, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor in partnership with TBR News Media of Setauket, has announced the launch of the 2nd Annual Sea Glass Fiction Contest. This exciting competition invites students in grades 3-12 from Nassau and Suffolk counties to unleash their creativity by crafting stories inspired by a piece of sea glass chosen by the museum.
The contest challenges participants to imagine a unique journey for the selected sea glass fragment chosen by The Whaling Museum and to weave a captivating tale around it. The winning stories will have the chance to be read at the Sea Glass Festival, a prestigious event celebrating sea glass and its significance in maritime history. This year’s Sea Glass Festival will be held on Sunday, July 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We are excited to see the imaginative stories that students will create for this contest,” said Nomi Dayan, Executive Director at The Whaling Museum. “Sea glass has a way of capturing the imagination, and we can’t wait to read the stories that come out of this unique contest.”
Entries must be submitted electronically through the submission form on The Whaling Museum’s website by April 30. The contest is free to enter, and all works must be original and written solely by the author. Only residents of Nassau and Suffolk counties are eligible to participate.
“We look forward to the opportunity to celebrate and highlight the creative tales of students in the area,” said Daniel Dunaief, a journalist with TBR News Media. “Entrants can envision ways a piece of glass, shaped by water and time, provides a clue in a compelling narrative.”
Winners will be notified on or about June 1-7, and select winning entries will be eligible for publication in TBR News Media and on The Whaling Museum’s website. TBR will also highlight the winners on their weekly podcast, Pressroom Afterhour. In addition, contest winners will receive complimentary tickets to The Whaling Museum’s Sea Glass Festival, where they will be recognized with a certificate.
“We are grateful to TBR News Media for continuing to partner with us on this contest and helping to bring these young writers’ stories to a wider audience,” added Dayan.
For more information on the Sea Glass Fiction Contest, including guidelines and submission details, please visit cshwhalingmuseum.org/seaglasscontest.
Governor Kathy Hochul joined State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald for a press conference on measles on March 19. Photo courtesy of Gov. Hochul's Office
All New Yorkers urged to ensure they are current with all recommended immunizations, especially Measles-Mumps-Rubella
Governor Kathy Hochul on March 19 launched a new web portal to support access to vaccines and public health information in the wake of measles cases in New York State: ny.gov/measles
The Governor joined State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald in a press conference to update New Yorkers on the cases and encouraged everyone to ensure they are current on all recommended immunizations.
There have been four total cases of measles in New York State so far this year, three in New York City and one in Suffolk County. None of the cases this year are related to each other or connected to the outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico. The risk of measles to New Yorkers from these outbreaks is low.
“Measles doesn’t belong in the 21st century, and it certainly doesn’t belong in the State of New York,” Governor Hochul said. “As measles outbreaks occur at home and around the globe, it’s critical that New Yorkers take the necessary steps to get vaccinated, get educated and stave off the spread of this preventable disease — the safety of our communities depends on it.”
The New York State Department of Health and local health departments work together to monitor cases and alert the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All New Yorkers are urged to protect themselves by making sure they’re up to date on important, lifesaving immunizations.
New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “The single way to prevent measles is to be immunized, and this is an irrefutable fact. Measles is much more than just a rash. In the current outbreak in the United States, one in five people are being admitted to a hospital. I urge all New Yorkers to ensure they are current on their measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) immunizations and immediately get vaccinated if they are not.”
Based on immunization registry data, the current statewide vaccination rate for babies up to two years old, excluding New York City, is 81.4 percent. This is the percent of children who have received at least one dose of the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccines. However, actual vaccination coverage among school-age children is higher, typically around 90 percent.
Individuals should receive two doses of the MMR vaccine to be protected. Those who aren’t sure about their immunization status should call their local health department or health care provider. Those who were born before 1957 have likely already been exposed to the virus and are immune. Those born between 1957 and 1971 should check with a doctor to ensure they’ve been properly immunized as vaccines administered during that time may not have been reliable.
Those who travel abroad should make sure they are vaccinated for measles. Babies as young as 6 months can get an MMR if they are traveling abroad. The babies should get their MMRs on schedule and need a total of three MMRs.
The State Health Department is monitoring the situation very carefully, along with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Local health departments in each county are prepared to investigate cases and distribute vaccines or other protective measures as needed.
“As measles outbreaks occur at home and around the globe, it’s critical that New Yorkers take the necessary steps to get vaccinated, get educated and stave off the spread of this preventable disease — the safety of our communities depends on it.”
Misinformation around vaccines has in recent years contributed to a rise in vaccine hesitancy, declining vaccination rates and a black market for fraudulent vaccination records. The Department takes an active role in combating vaccination fraud. This includes work by the Department’s Bureau of Investigations identifying, investigating, and seeking impactful enforcement actions against those who falsify vaccine records, as evidenced by several recent cases announced by the Department.
Combating vaccine fraud is a collective effort that includes various stakeholders responsible for community health and safety. The Department works with schools to help them fulfill their responsibility of reviewing vaccination records for fraud. Additionally, the Department partners with the New York State Education Department, local health departments and school-nurse professional organizations around this critical effort. Moreover, the Department’s Bureau of Investigations, in particular, works to educate, engage and support police and prosecutors statewide regarding vaccination fraud, which under New York law is a felony-level criminal offense.
Measles is a highly contagious, serious respiratory disease that causes rash and fever. In some cases, measles can reduce the immune system’s ability to fight other infections like pneumonia.
Serious complications of measles include hospitalization, pneumonia, brain swelling and death. Long-term serious complications can also include subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a brain disease resulting from an earlier measles infection that can lead to permanent brain damage.
People who are infected with measles often get “measles immune amnesia,” which causes their immune system to lose memory to fight other infections like pneumonia. In places like Africa, where measles is more common, this is the largest driver of mortality.
Measles during pregnancy increases the risk of early labor, miscarriage and low birth weight infants.
Measles is caused by a virus that is spread by coughing or sneezing into the air. Individuals can catch the disease by breathing in the virus or by touching a contaminated surface, then touching the eyes, nose, or mouth. Complications may include pneumonia, encephalitis, miscarriage, preterm birth, hospitalization and death.
The incubation period for measles is up to 21 days. People who are exposed to measles should quarantine 21 days after exposure and those who test positive should isolate until four days after the rash appears.
Symptoms for measles can include the following:
7-14 days, and up to 21 days after a measles infection
High fever
Cough
Runny nose
Red, watery eyes
3-5 days after symptoms begin, a rash occurs
The rash usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet.
Small, raised bumps may also appear on top of the flat red spots.
The spots may become joined together as they spread from the head to the rest of the body.
When the rash appears, a person’s fever may spike to more than 104° Fahrenheit.
A person with measles can pass it to others as soon as four days before a rash appears and as late as four days after the rash appears.
Health care providers should report suspected measles cases to their local health department.
The State Health Department has also launched a new Global Health Update Report webpage to keep New Yorkers informed of ongoing and emerging infectious disease outbreaks. The report is updated every Friday.
Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the woman who allegedly stole from a South Setauket store this month.
The woman pictured above allegedly stole health products from Target, located at 255 Pond Path Road on March 11, at approximately 4:50 p.m. She fled in an older model Toyota Corolla 4-door sedan. The vehicle had several stickers on the rear of the vehicle.
Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.
The contest challenges participants to imagine a unique journey for the selected sea glass fragment chosen by The Whaling Museum and to weave a captivating tale around it. The winning stories will have the chance to be read at the Sea Glass Festival, a prestigious event celebrating sea glass and its significance in maritime history. This year’s Sea Glass Festival will be held on Sunday, July 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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