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By John Broven

John Broven with the ARSC Lifetime Achievement Award.

During my 30 years living on Long Island, I have been fortunate to travel to places south, west and north in the United States, but never to the heartland. 

So, with a curious mind, it was an easy decision to attend the Association of Recorded Sound Collections annual conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 14-17.

One of the panels revolved around my favorite subject, the independent record industry from the post-World War II years onward. This is where rock ‘n’ roll music was born. 

My presentation was accepted on “The Pioneering Black NYC Record Men, with a Nod to New Orleans.” This was based on my taped interviews with Bobby Robinson of Harlem in 1986 and New Orleanian Harold Battiste, then living in Los Angeles in 1975, also including Juggy Murray of New York. Interview excerpts were embedded in an accompanying video professionally prepared by Debbi Scott Price of Stony Brook. 

Robinson captured the street beat sound of Harlem from the 1950s blues and vocal group era to hip hop in the late 1970s. In 1959, he had a national No. 1 record on the pop charts with “Kansas City” by Wilbert Harrison. Murray was responsible for breaking Ike and Tina Turner’s very first hits on the Sue label and his recordings were a bedrock of the British 1960s Mod era. While on the West Coast, Battiste established the careers of Sonny & Cher (“I Got You Babe”) and Dr. John. How lucky was I to meet and get to know these great record men.

To the heartland

And so on a chilly May 14, I set out for Tulsa. The Long Island Rail Road train from Stony Brook was on time and I disembarked at Woodside station for LaGuardia Airport. There, with suitcase and bag in hand, I was confronted by an impossibly steep staircase, probably unchanged since Victorian times. Happily, a kind gentleman grabbed my case and we found our way through the bustling streets to the free bus to LaGuardia. He turned out to be a Kenyan citizen now living in Texas, and our British Commonwealth backgrounds created an immediate bond. 

The Delta Air Lines direct flight to Tulsa was slightly delayed but we arrived on time at the “oil capital of the world.” A courtesy shuttle bus was arranged by the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Here, in early evening, was my first taste of Oklahoma. The vegetation was surprisingly green, yet I was mindful of the hurt of the Dust Bowl era, also the American Indian heritage. 

During the conference, we visited Leon Russell’s Church recording studio, which is still active. In its time, George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder have all recorded there. Oklahoma itself has deep music history ranging from the western swing of Bob Wills, Black bandleaders Ernie Fields and Roy Milton to the folk music of Woody Guthrie and the mesmeric rock of J.J. Cale. A film screening of “Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison” was also arranged. 

I couldn’t resist the invitation of distinguished German record collector, Dr. Rainer Lotz, to a gourmet meal at the best restaurant in Tulsa, the FarmBar. We had a “traditional” five-course meal from local produce with the menu showing wine pairings from Oregon, Austria and France. Lotz, in his inimitable way, insisted that as we were in America, we must have all-American wine pairings. And the charming sommelier and her staff duly obliged. A splendid evening culminated in two couples at the adjoining table inviting us Europeans to join them for a final drink. When I said I didn’t realize that Oklahoma was so near to Texas, one of them quipped, “Yes, Texas is south of heaven.”

I managed to call in quickly into the Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan centers. Sadly, I ran out of time to visit the Greenwood Rising Black Wall St. History Center, covering the appalling destruction of the Black part of town in 1921.

So what was it like for an East Coast “elitist” to be in the heartland? It was an eye opener. Not once did I see a lawn sign or banner promoting the current president, nor was he mentioned by any of the friendly locals. The only time I heard his name was when I caught up with the news on CNN and MSNBC. The Democratic strategists have work to do.

ARSC awards ceremony

The conference Closing Banquet and ARSC Awards Program was held on Saturday, May 17. It was an Oscar-like OMG moment when the Lifetime Achievement Award was announced to … John Broven. The citation included my books, writing for Blues Unlimited and Juke Blues magazines and my stint with Ace Records of London. 

In an impromptu speech, I thanked my fellow pioneering Brit writers and researchers — we were no more than keen amateurs with day jobs — who from the 1960s onward documented America’s great musical heritage. This award, essentially on their behalf, came from an organization whose membership includes representatives from the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, major universities and public libraries. In my later years, I am indebted to the staunch support of my late wife Shelley, the daughter of a record man. 

Riding on cloud nine, I made the journey back home Sunday to East Setauket. It took three hours to fly from Tulsa to New York. It took another three hours to get from Jamaica station to Stony Brook, courtesy of LIRR. 

Still, I was greeted by a garden with irises, lupines, foxgloves and dogwood tree in full bloom. And my kitchen had been beautifully repainted in Shelley’s favorite color. Life could not be grander for a lad who had grown up in austerity postwar Britain with a passion for American rock ‘n’ roll music. 

One of the first records I played on my return? It had to be Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys’ “Take Me Back To Tulsa.”

Author John Broven was copy editor at TBR News Media from 2006-24.

— All photos courtesy John Broven

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Zinnias are the perfect choice for homegrown bouquets. Pixabay photo

By Alice Dawes

National Garden Week takes place annually in the first full week of June. This year it is held from June 1 to 7. It is spearheaded by National Garden Clubs, a nonprofit national organization headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri that promotes the love of gardening, floral design, and civic and environmental responsibility. 

The day is about bringing more awareness to the importance of gardening and preserving gardening traditions and practices by passing on knowledge to new gardeners. Most importantly, the day is about simply enjoying gardening. 

The Three Village Garden Club, organized over 90 years ago, is a member of the National Garden Clubs along with 30 other local garden clubs on Long Island. The club meets weekly on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. at the Setauket Neighborhood House and welcomes our community members to join us to learn about gardening skills, environmental action and civic programs to enhance our community. Information about our current meeting topics can be found at threevillagegardenclub.org and selecting ‘upcoming events’ in the tool bar. 

The club protects and enhances our Three Village Garden Club Arboretum at the end of Bates Road in Setauket and encourages all to visit and enjoy a walk through nature. Pets on leashes only, please! 

The club provides educational programs on floral design, gardening pointers and youth creative projects through Emma Clark Library’s educational program series. With Emma Clark we also provide a Teddy Bears’ Picnic every summer at the Three Village Garden Club Arboretum for our younger neighbors to enjoy. 

National Garden Week is a time to have an adventure in planting, create and savor our wonderful gardens and the plants we grow there. Plant something new, make a bouquet for your home and introduce our children to the wonders of growing with nature during National Garden Week

Author Alice Dawes has been a member of the Three Village Garden Club for over 20 years.

 

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Pixabay photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

Six degrees of separation could help us all.

We are only six people away from anyone in the world.

We probably don’t have to go that far to find people who live throughout the United States.

That means we have friends, relatives, professional colleagues, former classmates and others who can make a difference.

New Yorkers likely have the support of Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand when it comes to critical funding for the National Institutes of Health and for the National Science Foundation, whose financial support is under severe threat from the current budget the senate is considering and that the house has already passed.

Cuts in these areas will have critical and irreversible consequences for us, our children, our families and our future.

The money that goes into science has paid enormous dividends over the decades. The United States is able to outcompete many other nations because it has attracted the world’s best researchers to cutting edge areas.

These people drive the future of innovation, provide medical expertise that saves lives, and start companies that provide numerous high paying jobs around the country.

Cutting back means retreating from the world stage, enabling other nations to develop treatments and cures for diseases that might cost us much more money or become less accessible to those who weren’t in on the ground floor.

It also will hurt our economy, as patents and processes lead to profits elsewhere.

Shutting off the valve of innovation will turn fertile fields of scientific exploration and innovation into barren deserts.

This is where those six degrees comes in. New Yorkers probably don’t need to urge our senators to commit to scientific budgets. But senators from other states, hoping to remain in favor with their party and to act in a unified way, might not be as comfortable supporting scientific research when they and their constituents might believe they don’t stand to gain as much from that investment in the short term. After all, not every state has leading research institutions such as Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory and Stony Brook University, a top-rated research institution and a downstate flagship for the SUNY system.

You remember those relatives whose politics are different from your own and who often create a scene at Thanksgiving or the holidays? Well, it’s time to talk with them, not at them. Let them know how much you, they and, an argument that’s hard to ignore, their parents and their children stand to lose if they stop investing in science.

How about that annoying guy at the company retreat who is thrilled to talk about how sad the elites are these days?

Talk to him, too. Let him know that his parent with Alzheimer’s or his uncle with a debilitating condition could one day benefit from discoveries in labs that desperately need funding.

Indeed, his own hearing or vision might depend on continued investment into research about diseases that become more prevalent as he ages.

We all benefit from these discoveries and we all lose out when we stop investing or contributing.

As for his children, they might get jobs in companies that don’t yet exist but that will form as a result of the discovery of products or processes that arise out of research.

The United States is still the only nation to send people (and it’s only men so far) to the moon, allowing them to set foot on a place other than our incredible planet.

Those moments and achievements, even decades later, inspire people to want to become astronauts, to join NASA, to provide the kind of information and research that make future missions possible.

While we don’t need funding for everything, we benefit from ongoing efforts and discoveries in direct and indirect ways. Shutting down labs, reducing internships and graduate school offerings, and stopping the process of asking questions creates headwinds for innovation, the economy and medical discoveries.

Urge those outside of New York to write to their senators, to make the kind of choices that will support and enrich the country and to prevent a one-way road to a dead end. We don’t have to agree on everything, but it’s worth the effort to encourage people to let our elected officials know that their constituents understand what’s at stake.

A senator from Mississippi might not care what you, a New Yorker, thinks, but he’s more likely to pay attention to a resident in his district. We need science whisperers in every state. We can not and will not let the NIH budget decline without a fight. Take a jog, practice yoga, meditate. Then, go talk to those relatives and encourage them to support science and the future.

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Pixaby

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief,
Publisher

Perhaps you have noticed that there is little to no national news in our newspapers and on our website? We assume you understand that it is not because we are unaware of what is happening in our country and in the world. Most of us here at the company start each day with the news via radio or television or cable and even with news flashes from different sources on our cellphones. We talk about those items in the office and listen or watch when we return home. 

In fact, that’s the problem.

We can’t seem to escape the plethora of upsetting news that fills our waking hours. But we strive to provide one retreat from the chaotic world in which we live: the hometown news.

That is not to say we report no bad news in our towns and villages. Of course we do. News is news. But one positive about local news: to a large extent, we can bask in the good events that occur and have some degree of control over what happens around us. We can take pride in our students’ achievements, we can make our voices heard in development plans if we know what is going on, we can get to know our interesting neighbors from their profiles, we can plan our weekends from the many offerings in the calendar. In short, local news is a mirror held up to our daily lives whose many details can’t be found anywhere else.

We strive to make local news an oasis amid a sea of distressing troubles.

That means, we regularly turn away letters and opinion pieces that protest against national and international politicians and policies unless what is happening affects us only locally. But if you want to express your strongly held views on a local matter, however minute, we provide a platform from which you can be heard. 

To get broader news, there are many sources. To get local news, there is only us, the hometown paper or website. We don’t want to be thought of as smaller versions of daily newspapers any more than children are to be considered smaller adults.

In that way, we have not changed.

However, gathering and disseminating the news has dramatically changed, even as computers and the internet started to alter the industry fifty years ago, right around the time our company began. 

Pixabay image

You are probably aware of the revolutionary switch from hot type associated with Ben Franklin’s day, to the cold type that referred to mainframe and then desktop computers half a century ago. Now, when you walk into a news building, if you can find one, you see that the offices are largely empty. Many staff members are working remotely.

What does that mean?

In some ways, it is a win. We can interview by FaceTime, cover meetings by zoom, write up our stories, sometimes in record time and send them into the office or post to the web via the internet. All of this can be accomplished while we are still in our pajamas, drinking our coffee, and without our having to pay a babysitter if we take turns with our spouse, who is also working remotely.

If the children have already grown up and left home, well then, we can put in a load of wash, go back to work, pause to change the load to the dryer, and resume where we left off. And if we move, we can still keep our jobs. 

In some ways, it’s a loss. Talking with each other digitally is not the same as talking together in the office, where we can bounce ideas around the room and watch each other’s body language. I believe we are more polite, stilted even, on a zoom gathering. Digital has sucked away the personal.

We at TBR News Media are functioning with four key positions filled remotely. Quality may not be suffering, but we certainly miss our staffers, their chatter and their random thoughts. 

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File photo by Raymond Janis

We are frustrated!

Residents of the Three Villages and the Village of Head of the Harbor have planned a rally to focus on the still unrepaired Grist Mill Pond and Harbor Road. All are encouraged to participate on Saturday, May 31 from 12 to 2 p.m. We will meet on the corner of Harbor Road and Main Street.

As residents, we are frustrated! The dam, pond and roads were washed away during a catastrophic rain event last Aug. 18 and 19. Now, nine months later, we are still waiting for repairs to begin.

While the Town of Brookhaven and the Ward Melville Heritage Organization bicker between themselves over naming the responsible party, the road continues to disintegrate, the pond is a muddy mess, and the major route through the community is completely inaccessible. Add to that, fear of delayed critical response times for ambulances, fire trucks and first responders that now must use narrow, winding roads to enter the area.

We implore the Town of Brookhaven and the Ward Melville Heritage Organization to develop a plan to repair Harbor Road and restore Mill Pond. Enough is enough!

Dale Salzberg

Head of the Harbor

Cuts to Medicaid would be disastrous for our community

I find it shameful that my congressman, Nick LaLota [R, NY1], voted to slash important programs that his constituents depend upon, in order to provide massive tax cuts for the wealthy.  LaLota voted for devastating cuts to Medicaid.  The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has indicated that 8.6 million Americans will lose their health coverage because of this. 

LaLota voted for cuts that will cause 3 million to lose Food Stamps.  He voted to cut funding to combat climate change.  He voted to cut funding for Medicare.  He voted to cut funding for our public schools.  The bill LaLota voted for will increase the deficit by $3.8 trillion over the decade, requiring higher taxes and further cuts.  The Trump-imposed SALT cap was set to expire, but LaLota voted to extend it, just changing the size of the cap. 

All Long Island Democratic members of Congress called for eliminating the cap.  The top 0.1% of earners will see tax cuts of $390,000 per year each because of the bill that LaLota voted for. [By voting for the Big, Beautiful Bill, LaLota voted to support all the cuts on all these programs.]   Nick LaLota has sold out the poor, the middle class, our seniors and our environment in order to give massive tax cuts to the wealthy.

Robert Marcus

Setauket

On Port Jeff energy

The George Altemose letter, “Learning from Europe” [May, 22], certainly has it right. 

Electric energy generation is very hard to get right when demand fluctuates, battery and wind come online and must be balanced using peaker plants. Electric energy affects us all. It affects air quality and the environment, cost of living and even our tax revenues. 

LIPA has to plan wisely to keep the power running [24/7 365 days a year].  

Millions of dollars a year are provided to the Village o f Port Jefferson,  Town of  Brookhaven Town and Suffolk County that benefit these municipalities.  

This energy coordination takes wise leadership all around.  Port Jefferson Trustee Xena Ugrinsky and I meet regularly with Katrina Westerhof – National Grid’s hydrogen chief and their management regarding their plans for our power plant.

Mayor Lauren Sheprow has enabled this through her support of the Port Jefferson Power Plant committee that Ugrinsky chairs and I am on.

We are making really good progress in pursuing a cleaner, greener, less expensive energy future for central Long Island’s very uncertain energy course with the support of Sheprow, and this benefits both the residents, and to an even larger extent, the school district.

Help us continue enabling Port Jefferson to have a seat at the table with respect to what happens at the power plant.

Bruce Miller

Port Jefferson

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

 

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From left, Kayleigh Smith and Kimberly Phyfe of the Three Village Historical Society. Photo from TVHS

By Kimberly Phyfe

The Three Village Historical Society & Museum (TVHS) recently received an Award of Excellence from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network (GHHN).

For 2025, Chicken Hill: A Community Lost to Time was recognized as Exhibit of the Year — the first time a completely digital museum exhibit has received this award.

The Landmark Preservation Society partnered with GHHN to present these awards on May 7 in Poughkeepsie. Representing TVHS were Research Fellow and Public Programs Coordinator, Kayleigh Smith and Community Engagement Manager, Kimberly Phyfe.

From left, Kayleigh Smith and Kimberly Phyfe of the Three Village Historical Society. Photo from TVHS

There, TVHS received the GHHN Award for Excellence for their new online exhibit, Chicken Hill — A Community Lost to Time. These awards recognize and commend exceptional efforts among museums throughout New York State. They are presented to projects that exemplify creativity and professional vision, contributing to the preservation and interpretation of the historic landscape, material culture, and the diversity of the region.

Smith and TVHS Visitor Services Associate Jack Maloney finalized the project in March of 2025 after months of cataloging, researching, and compiling information about the exhibit. By digitizing this exhibit, the TVHS brings more public awareness to the importance of local history by breathing new life into it via the online platform.

The Three Village Historical Society & Museum is grateful to be recognized for this innovative way they transformed a permanent exhibit of thirteen years into a multi-media interactive website, contributing to understanding not only our local history, but broader state and national narratives, and preserving our shared cultural heritage.

Chicken Hill’s story isn’t the first of its kind. It is reflective of many multiethnic communities born from industries of labor across the United States. This interactive, multi-media approach can open doors to meaningful conversations of the importance of marginalized communities in local history.

“The online exhibit features the section Conflict and Turmoil which was not part of the physical display,” said Mari Irizarry, Society Director. “After many years of continuous engagement with local community, and new perspectives being brought to light, the society made sure to include these stories never before seen. By adding this section, we hope to further collective understanding, to highlight additional perspectives excluded from the original curation, and demonstrate a nuanced interpretation of a community that no longer exists physically but whose story helps us connect to the people who built this community.”

Chicken Hill: A Community Lost to Time can be experienced online at any time by visiting tvhs.org.

Author Kimberly Phyfe is the Community Engagement Manager at the Three Village Historical Society & Museum headquartered at 93 North Country Road in Setauket.

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Artist Angela Stratton at a previous Wet Paint Festival. Photo courtesy of Gallery North

By Tara Mae

The scent of paint permeates the promise of potential during Gallery North’s 21st annual Wet Paint Festival on Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Approximately 50 artists working in diverse mediums — acrylics, oils, pastels, mixed media — will demonstrate the utterly unique experience of en plein air painting, the act of painting outdoors.

“It is a special event and loads of fun for everyone,” Gallery North Executive Director Ned Puchner said. 

Artist Laura DiLeone at a previous Wet Paint Festival. Photo courtesy of Gallery North

Children’s art activities will be offered by Gallery North. Members of the Four Harbors Audubon Society will give guided nature walks. History walks will be led by members of the Three Village Dads Foundation on Saturday and Margo Arceri of Tri-Spy Tours on Sunday. Food from Level Up Kitchen will be available for purchase.

With WUSB 90.1 fm/107.3 fm radio, Gallery North will have live music by The Fox Hill Chamber Consortium playing classical and baroque music on Saturday and singer-songwriter Kane Daily performing rock music on Sunday. 

“This is a celebration of our local artists and history of plain air painting — outdoor painting capturing beauty of a location — as well as art, history, and music,” Gallery North Director of Development Erin Smith said. 

Held this year on the verdant properties of the historic 9-acre Merritt Hawkins Homestead (c. 1774) and adjacent Nassakeag Elementary School at 490 Pond Path in Setauket, the event invites artists to dare to paint plein air in a location resplendent with authentic ambiance and natural beauty. 

Participants will set up in places of their choosing on the estate — all other activities will be held on the school grounds. Visitors will be able to observe them in action as they share an esteem of the environment. 

“Each year, the gallery picks a new location, or rotates between locations — a spot artists may not find when looking for places to paint — a place with historical significance, a different vantage point and view, in order to increase community’s awareness of the area,” Gallery North curator Kate Schwarting said.

Settings are chosen for their aesthetic appeal and cultural significance. Selecting these sites cultivates a camaraderie among participants and observers while they engross themselves in local lush landscapes, perhaps for the first time. The Wet Paint Festival is a singular opportunity for audience and artists to enjoy an inspiring scene at the same time. 

Artist Stuart Friedman paints at Frank Melville Memorial Park during a previous Wet Paint Festival. Photo courtesy of Gallery North

“We want to bring artists together, celebrate the art of plain air painting, and teach people what it is and how it is different from painting in studio. Art generally tends to be a solitary practice; the festival is a way for artists to get together and celebrate each other,” Schwarting said. 

Participating artists also appreciate this distinctive approach and how it differs from their regular artistic practices as well as other festivals. 

“I just love the adventure of it — the chance to paint outside and feel part of a community with other artists. There’s something really special about the energy of everyone out there together, each of us trying to find something interesting to paint while working through the challenges of our own pieces,” participant William Low said. With Steve Behler, another regional artist, he will be offering guided tours on plein air painting. 

Plein air art incorporates a component of excitement unlike other forms. Artists are at the mercy of the outdoors’ whims. Rather than painting from pre-conceived concepts, they commit to encapsulating a part of their world as it exists and even changes around them.

“It is a race to produce the work before weather and elements change. Artists never know what final piece will be. It’s about looking and being mindful, a very meditative practice — [as an artist] you have to be all there, you cannot be overthinking things,” Schwarting said. “It is a great exercise to be immersed in nature, environment, and location.”

For artists and attendees alike, the festival is an occasion to engage all their senses as they celebrate not only their art, but how the process of creation is a means of connection and communication.

‘’The Wet Paint Festival is such a welcoming and inspiring event, not just for the artists, but for anyone who loves seeing creativity in action. I’m incredibly grateful to be part of a festival that celebrates all kinds of expression, and I hope people leave feeling inspired to make something of their own,” participant Loretta Oberheim said. 

Sponsored by the Village Art Collective, Bryant Funeral Home, Tasty Frosty, and Suffolk County’s Department of Economic Development and Planning, the Wet Paint Festival goes on rain or shine. All works created at the event will be featured in an art exhibit at The Reboli Center for Art and History, 64 Main St., Stony Brook from July 8 to July 13 with a reception on July 12. 

Both the Wet Paint Festival and subsequent exhibit at the Reboli Center are free and open to the public. 

For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit www.gallerynorth.org. 

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Summer Swap series at The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook returns on June 3.

The Jazz Loft, 275 Christian Avenue in Stony Brook Village, in partnership with Stony Brook University, Stony Brook Medicine and community businesses, will be presenting the 2025 Summer Stage With A Purpose (Summer SWAP), on a series of Tuesday evenings throughout the summer. The events are FREE to the community.

Summer SWAP will offer visitors a relaxing and scenic outdoor venue on the front lawn of The Jazz Loft to listen to an impressive lineup of performers.

“This series was born from the desire to have the Jazz Loft collaborate with Stony Brook University, and Stony Book Medicine as a way to invest in the community and especially to nurture cultural development,” said The Jazz Loft founder Tom Manuel.

“This summer concert series was born from the desire to give back to our community, to offer high quality performances to everyone without charge, and also to expand our collaborative projects with Stony Brook University, and Stony Book Medicine,” said Manuel. “Summer SWAP is the perfect way to invest in our community and an especially real and genuine way to nurture cultural development. It’s exciting to see how this collaborative concert series has become such a special part of our community tradition.”

“We’re proud to sponsor Summer SWAP and to continue our partnership with The Jazz Loft,” said Heather Banoub, Assistant Vice President of University and Medicine Community Relations. “Bringing people together through music and culture reflects our commitment to enriching the lives of those in our community.”

The Jazz Loft will be offering a variety of refreshments for sale in the Basie Garden which is adjacent to The Jazz Loft. Attendees are welcome to bring their own chairs and blankets to set up on the lawn.

The series performers will include:

Tuesday, June 3 — Jason Marshall Organ Trio

Tuesday, June 17 — Birsa Chatterjee Quartet

Tuesday, July 1 — Kevin Blanca Big Band

Tuesday, July 22 — Dal Segno Trio w/Tom Manuel & Georgia Heers

All performances are from 6 to 8 p.m.

For more information contact the Jazz Loft at: 631-751-1895 or visit https://www.thejazzloft.org

  

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Beaches and rivers are signature settings of a fun Long Island summer and one of its most attractive features. Water is always within a 40-minute drive, tempting overheated residents with a swim. 

Plunging into the crashing waves and relazing in the cool, refreshing water is wonderfully restorative, but includes some dangers we can’t ignore. The ocean and the Long Island Sound are not pools–there isn’t a shallow floor to stand on when we tire or side walls to cling to for a break. 

Last week, tragedy struck our community after a man drowned in the Nissequogue River by the Kings Park Bluff. Unable to combat the converging waters and powerful waves, the swimmer tired and was overtaken. 

When tides become too strong, Smith Point Chief of Lifeguards Kevin Kolar urges us to lie on our backs and swim parallel to the shore. This strategy is essential in both a river or the ocean. The challenge, however, is staying calm during the adrenaline rush of fear after we realize we are further than we intended. 

“When [swimmers] are panicked and see themselves moving away from shore, they want to go from point A to B. They don’t want to waste their energy going around,” he said, adding that resisting the urge to try to push ahead and swim against the tide pulling you out is like stepping into a punch. Instincuntually, we want to return to safety as soon as possible. 

Many swimmers think we can swim in and through the ripe tide if we use enough power. This will just tire us out. Ripe tides take the form of a mushroom cloud–the current is drawn from the shore in a narrow stem before billowing out for about 30 yards. Lying on our back and gently swimming toward the shore at an angle is key to preventing exhaustion. We should not assume a vertical position, which will cause us to sink “like a needle through skin”, as Kolar said. Floating horizontally will prevent us from expending energy simply trying to stay above water. 

We need to know our capabilities. Even experienced swimmers are no match for a relentless current. Enjoy the beaches. Have fun in the water, but be prepared, look out for potential rip currents which can be identified by an area with fewer breaking waves or a visible line of seaweed leading outwards. Keep an eye out for others in distress, and swim safely this summer. 

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METRO photo

By Jonathan Sharp

The long history of the U.S. military’s heavy reliance on asbestos — a naturally occurring mineral — has unfortunately left a lasting effect on the health of veterans, especially those in New York. Although the use of this material in the military setting has already been discontinued, former service members still deal with the severe and often delayed impacts of exposure, including mesothelioma — a rare yet aggressive form of cancer. The problem, however, is not just the diagnosis of this lethal disease but the failure to respond to it promptly because of the frequent misdiagnosis. A national mesothelioma registry could address this issue as this targeted data-driven approach would track and screen at-risk veterans to make sure those affected receive accurate diagnoses and immediate care.

Detrimental impact of mesothelioma on veterans

Mesothelioma is a cancer attacking the protective covering of the lungs, abdomen or heart. It is caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos — a natural mineral once extensively utilized in construction, shipbuilding and military equipment because of its heat and chemical resistance. Even though most use of this mineral was banned since July 1989, it remains a persistent threat to veterans working in contaminated environments.

New York is one of the many states severely affected by this issue. A map by the Asbestos Nation shows that between 1999 and 2017, the state logged 15,205 asbestos-related deaths, of which 2,830 were mesothelioma cases. Suffolk County, in particular, reported 1,386 fatalities. And while mesothelioma poses hazards to anyone exposed, veterans remain among the most vulnerable populations.

True to this, the Purple Heart Foundation revealed that 30% of the nearly 3,000 Americans diagnosed with this disease yearly are former service members. Such a danger is mainly attributed to the extensive use of asbestos on military bases like Suffolk County Air Force Base and Francis S. Gabreski Airport. Such a crisis calls for continued attention and support for those directly impacted.

Cost of misdiagnosis and delayed treatment

Among the most critical concerns in addressing mesothelioma in veterans is the high rate of misdiagnosis. Recent statistics posted by Mesothelioma Guide indicate that 80.8% of stage 1 cases were inaccurate, while 69.5% of stage 2 diagnoses were wrong. Similarly, 35.4% of stage 3 patients and 12.8% of those at stage 4 also received erroneous findings. These missteps often lead to delayed treatments, which can significantly reduce the chances of patients’ survival.

One primary reason for these misdiagnoses is the slow development of mesothelioma. Often, its symptoms — such as shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue, fever and unintentional weight loss — do not appear until the disease has reached an advanced stage, which makes treatment and recovery both challenging. In addition, the delay in recording new mesothelioma cases, which may take up to two years per the Federal Register, contributes to the problem. Such a reality calls for a systemic approach aiming for early detection and better patient outcomes.

Systemic approach to combat misdiagnosis

A national mesothelioma registry could be the key to reversing the trends of misdiagnosis — being a centralized database that allows health care providers to monitor susceptible individuals and invite them for screenings for early diagnoses and appropriate treatments.

The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense already have the structure to materialize this initiative as they already maintain registries for diseases linked to burn pits and Agent Orange. What they need now is to collaborate with vital stakeholders to get additional expertise and insights that could help the federal government integrate a national mesothelioma registry into the existing health care system. Such an endeavor would likewise be beneficial to researchers intending to track disease progression to lower the misdiagnosis rate and develop more effective treatments.

The impact of mesothelioma on veterans is a long-standing concern that has yet to be fully addressed. A national mesothelioma registry could nevertheless tackle this health crisis proactively — seeing to it that those who served our country are correctly diagnosed and benefit from timely care.

Jonathan Sharp serves as the CFO of the Environmental Litigation Group P.C., a firm in Birmingham, AL, assisting victims with environmental toxic exposure cases.

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