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By Samantha Rutt

Although your backyard pool or local beach may seem like the perfect oasis, they can also pose significant safety risks. Following decades of decline, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports drowning deaths are on the rise in the United States. Based on a study released on May 14, from 2020-22, over 4,500 people died from drowning each year — 500 more per year compared to 2019. 

In all of New York State, Suffolk County holds the third highest rate of drownings at county regulated facilities, sitting only behind New York City and Nassau County, according to data from the New York State Department of Health.

“There was a rescue almost everyday,” former facility manager at the Centereach Pool, Shannon Ryan said. “It is important that everyone knows how to swim, after all, we live on an island surrounded by water.” 

Who is most at risk?

Statistics reveal that children and teenagers are most at risk of drowning. The CDC reports that drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 1-4 and the second leading cause for children ages 5-14. 

Young children are particularly vulnerable around residential pools, while older children and teenagers face risks in larger bodies of water such as the ocean or lakes.

Additionally, African American children ages 10-14 are 7.6 times more likely to drown in swimming pools compared to their White peers. 

“You may be surprised as to how many people do not know how to swim,” Ryan shared in an interview. “Either not knowing how to swim or oftentimes a parent not paying close attention to their children I’d say is the most common reason we make rescues,” the facility manager said of her experience.

Almost 40 million adults in the United States do not know how to swim and over half have never taken a swimming lesson, according to CDC compiled data. 

What to do in an emergent situation

Though not daily, emergent situations at the pool are frequent. If you or someone near you witnesses a swimmer in distress, it is important to notify a lifeguard immediately. 

“In an emergency situation it is first that the lifeguard or facility staff activates EAP [emergency action protocol] which involves making necessary whistle codes and assessing the victim for any further medical attention,” Ryan said. “Usually, thankfully, additional care like CPR or rescue breathing is avoided thanks to the in-depth training our guards practice.” 

Advice from a lifeguard

Ryan, who has also spent a handful of summers as a senior lifeguard at Cedar West Beach in Mount Sinai, shared some helpful tips for those looking to the waters this season. 

“It is important to know how to swim and if you don’t, to take the right precautions by wearing a floatation device or having parental supervision or assistance,” Ryan said.

She emphasized the need to stay hydrated, sunblocked and knowing where help can be found, if needed.

“Especially in the dense heat of the summer, is it important to stay hydrated. We have seen people who are in the sun all day without proper fuel or shade and these are the situations to look out for,” Ryan said. “Wearing sunblock for UV protection and knowing where first aid and all the guard towers can be found are great ways to help protect yourself when you are by the water.”

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By Mallie Jane Kim

Three Village Central School District is on track to restructure its schools as planned in fall 2025, according to superintendent of schools Kevin Scanlon.

The district has been planning to move sixth grade up into the junior high schools to form middle schools and move ninth grade up to form a four-year high school.

Staff teams responsible for planning the changes have been working to prepare what will be needed as far as staffing, facilities, grading and curriculum to accommodate the changes and support kids’ mental health needs during the transition, Scanlon shared at a June 12 Board of Education meeting.

“We’re not done yet,” he said. “Next year is still going to be busy, but I think we’re way ahead of our schedule and on target to move forward.”

The district has already taken into account planning moving-up ceremonies and related activities for both fifth and sixth grades at the elementary schools, as well as eighth and ninth grades at the junior high schools, for the 2024-25 school year since all four grades will be changing schools at once.

One thing still under consideration is the possibility of repurposing one of the five elementary schools in tandem with the change, to address ongoing financial concerns, especially as the schools will no longer house sixth grade. Though the possibility has come up multiple times, the board has not made any substantive moves toward such a decision.

The district also must decide whether to change the names of any of the schools — for example, changing the junior high schools to middle schools.

Some parents and at least one staff member have tried to convince the district to hit pause on the restructuring plan, expressing worry that a change could risk losing what is good about the district. 

“Three Village school district has distinguished itself by providing top-notch opportunities for our students across diverse areas, while also fostering nurturing environments during pivotal transitional years,” wrote Gelinas Junior High guidance counselor Anthony Dattero in a March perspective piece in The Village Times Herald. “Our district has maintained its uniqueness for over 40 years, resisting the trend toward common middle school models adopted by other districts.”

District administrators have argued the new structure will bring Three Village into line with the way New York State standards are written and will provide sixth and ninth graders the benefits of the curriculum available in the upper schools.

“We are ready to move forward,” Scanlon said. “This is happening.”

Scanlon indicated the teams will continue to work over the summer and into the fall to make ready the transition. 

Start time complications

Secondary school start times after the restructuring are still up in the air, as there is no solution yet for making start times later, something parent advocates have been pushing for over several years, citing mental health and academic costs of having adolescents start school at such early hours. 

Ward Melville High School currently starts at 7:05 a.m. and the junior high schools start at 7:40.

“We have to do our very best to make sure we’re not moving grade nine up to an earlier start time, if we possibly can avoid it,” said trustee David McKinnon, referring to the fact that restructuring will bring ninth and sixth grade up to schools that start earlier than the schools that currently house them.

At issue is the tiered bussing system, which allows the district to get by on fewer buses than they would need if all the schools started at the same time. 

Each additional full-sized school bus added to the fleet would cost about $105,000, according to estimates by a transportation consultant, called in to help the district figure out the most efficient way to make a change with the lowest price tag. 

The consultant shared the results of his assessment at the meeting, but the board did not see an immediately clear solution. Some of the proposed scenarios had elementary schools starting as early as 7:20 a.m. or as late as 10:00 a.m., which would mean dismissal wouldn’t begin until 4:15 p.m.

“Any elementary school that ends later than it is now, is a problem,” said Karen Roughley, who is a longtime advocate of later secondary start times. She added that the early start times would also be a problem. 

“The whole point of us moving our high school kids is that we don’t want them there so early and waiting for the school bus when it’s dark,” she said. “I’m not going to have my elementary kindergarteners standing in the dark waiting to get on a bus.” 

Some of the proposed scenarios would require adding six new buses to the fleet.

Board members indicated they would continue to work with the consultant to fine-tune his results into realistic proposals they can lay out for the community, possibly in September to make a decision by October.

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Future students may see Regents exams decoupled from their diploma

By Mallie Jane Kim

In the heat of finals season anxiety on June 10, New York State Education Department shared a vision for future updates as to how students earn a high school diploma, including decoupling Regents exams from graduation requirements. 

But these changes are not happening just yet.

“A lot of people got very excited on Monday when the Regents met to discuss what their vision is going to be for the new graduation measures,” said Karen Roughley, Three Village Central School District board member, at a meeting June 12. “But right now it is still a vision.”

In addition to removing Regents as a graduation requirement, the education department’s vision sets out a “Portrait of a Graduate,” which would require New York students show proficiency in critical thinking, problem solving, literacy across content areas, cultural and social-emotional competency, effective communication and global citizenship. Under the vision, credits would be based on demonstrating proficiency rather than time spent in class and students could demonstrate proficiency through various pathways, not limited to assessments like Regents exams.

Roughley, who sat as a parent member on the Blue Ribbon Commission which initially gave the recommendations that inspired this new vision, emphasized that the state Department of Education still needs to work out details before implementing any changes.

“It looks beautiful on their presentation,” she said. “It’s something I think that we need to aspire to, but there’s a lot of questions that need to be answered.”

The Board of Regents plans to hold forums through October to gather feedback from stakeholders and will continue to fine-tune the vision into a full plan, which should be ready by November.

Regents exam scores in final grade

Those Regents exams were front of mind for some worried parents and students, who in Three Village will see their exam scores count as 10% of their final grade for the first time since a COVID-era “Do No Harm” policy allowed the scores to be left out if they would negatively impact a final mark.

Despite emails requesting a return of “Do No Harm,” the Three Village board opted to stay the course they charted in a 4-2 vote last November to end the policy, but left open the possibility of reexamining the issue in the fall.

 “A vote is a vote, and it has to matter unless the circumstances have changed,” said board president Susan Rosenzweig. “They really haven’t right now.”

 New York does not provide a recommendation on whether or how much to count Regents exams in final course grades, but rather leaves it up to each individual district. 

Three Village administrators say Regents scores shouldn’t be a major worry for students. District data presented at the meeting showed even if a student exam score is 20 percentage points less than their average grade per quarter, the overall grade would only drop by two points. For example, a student who has a 95 in the four quarters of classwork but scores 75% on the Regents, the overall grade would drop to 93.

“It wouldn’t have a significant impact,” said Brian Biscari, assistant superintendent for educational services, who previously shared the rationale for including the scores was partly out of concern students take the exams less seriously when they don’t count toward their GPA.

Though to some, even two points may be extremely valuable. 

“Oftentimes a single point can be the difference between being accepted or rejected from your dream school,” wrote an unnamed student in an email to the Three Village board. “As someone who strives for excellence in the classroom, I work diligently to ensure that my GPA is the highest it can possibly be.”

The student’s email, read aloud during the public comment section of the board meeting, added that lower scores could also disadvantage Three Village students looking to earn scholarships. 

Biscari pointed to the fact that teachers are the ultimate authority on each student’s grade and can adjust a final grade if a student underperforms on a test, relative to their demonstrated proficiency. 

“A two-point discrepancy is well within our teachers’ purview to change,” he said.

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From left, James Danowski, board Vice Chair; Gloria Snyder, board Chair; BrookhavenCouncilmember Jonathan Kornreich; Bob Caulfield, President and CEO; Jefferson’s Ferry resident June Lapp; Anthony Comerford, VP of Health Services; and board trustees Kenneth Roberts and Debra Englehardt. Photo courtesy of Jefferson's Ferry
Visitor's got a sneak peak of 'The Grove' on May 29. Photo courtesy of Jefferson's Ferry
Visitor's got a sneak peak of 'The Grove' on May 29. Photo courtesy of Jefferson's Ferry

As the ribbon was cut on the “soft opening” of the new Memory Support Neighborhood and Assisted Living upgrades at Jefferson’s Ferry Life Plan Community in South Setauket on May 29, the packed house of spectators burst into spontaneous applause. Representative of the latest innovations in memory support living, “The Grove,” was welcomed by community residents, family members, supporters, and Jefferson’s Ferry board trustees. 

“This is a very special day for us as we open the doors to this beautiful, welcoming, and secure space,” said Jefferson’s Ferry President and CEO Bob Caulfield. “The Grove will help us accommodate the increased demand for memory support services within Jefferson’s Ferry and in the larger Long Island community in a state-of-the-art and homelike environment. The number of people experiencing memory loss has increased and is expected to continue to rise as more people live into their 90s and even 100s. Jefferson’s Ferry strives to provide a community where every resident is able to live their best life, no matter what challenges they may be facing.” 

The Grove will be home to 20 residents inhabiting private studio apartments. A variety of community spaces include an activities room, den, dining room and outdoor porch and garden, creating an inviting living space where residents, family members, and friends can spend time together socializing and pursuing meaningful and purposeful activities. Its circular layout is specially designed to allow for residents to wander within the safety of their environment with more choice and control of their daily activities. 

“There are abundant opportunities for socializing and activities for every resident to enjoy, ranging from soothing aromatherapy treatments to awe-inspiring virtual reality programming,” explained Dawn Flowers-Leib, director of admissions for The Grove. “Through virtual reality tools, our residents can travel to any place on Earth, from Paris to their old neighborhoods (using Google Maps and Street View). They can also ‘meet’ with family and friends to look at photos, play games, watch movies or simply enjoy each others’ company.” 

Grove activities will be specifically tailored to the interests and abilities of the residents, including smaller, more intimate activities that encourage greater opportunities for meaningful and engaged participation. Pet therapy, music and art therapy and other programs will also be available to residents.

Caulfield thanked the residents and staff for their enthusiasm and support throughout the entire multi-year Journey Toward Renewal initiative that includes the opening of The Grove and renovations to the dining options in Assisted Living. Journey Toward Renewal also added 60 new studio and one- and two-bedroom independent living apartments, some with a den, six distinct dining venues, expanded the Healthy Living Center, the Fitness Center, and its state-of-the-art Rehabilitation Therapy Center.

“Since Jefferson’s Ferry opened in 2001 as the first not for profit Life Plan community on Long Island, we have endeavored to set the standard for continuing care for older adults, providing a vibrant, caring, community and peace of mind to our 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 call Jefferson’s Ferry home. The opening of The Grove and our overall Journey Toward Renewal is evidence of this unswerving and ongoing commitment to excellence.”

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World Trade Center worker. Photo courtesy Steven Spak

By Daniel Dunaief 

First responders who raced to the World Trade Center site on 9/11 or who helped with the massive clean up effort did so at risk to themselves.

That was as true during those days and weeks after the attack as it is now, with many of the first responders experiencing a range of diseases and conditions linked to the difficult work they did in 2001.

In a study released recently in the journal JAMA Network Open, Sean Clouston, Professor in the Program in Public Health and in the Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, showed that 4.6 percent of the responders in a study developed dementia. That compares with 0.5 percent for the general population of people who would develop cognitive declines in a similar age group.

Between November of 2014 and January of 2023, 228 responders without dementia and under 60 years old at the start of the study developed dementia over the next five years.

“It’s stunning to see these kinds of symptoms in such young people,” said Clouston.

Through the Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program, Clouston and other researchers have documented some of the cognitive declines in this population, who likely inhaled the kinds of fine particulate matter that can enter the brain and cause damage even as the immune system fights to try to target the unwelcome contaminants.

“We assume this made it in the brain, but in such a way that it wasn’t overwhelming immediately,” said Clouston. “Once you get into a neurodegenerative space, most of these diseases take a long time to develop” with neurodegenerative processes sometimes taking decades to occur.

The exposure could have caused an immune reaction. They are not sure whether symptoms emerged because the reaction was stronger or if the symptoms developed because higher exposure triggered a stronger reaction.

“It’s like trying to fight a fire, and the truck rolls over a garden to do it,” said Clouston.

Fortunately, the brain has considerable redundancy, which makes it possible to reroute brain signals to compensate for problems. Over time, however, that ability might be damaged by that work or by the exposure.

Determining which particular chemical or chemicals causes the greatest damage is difficult, particularly because the collapse and burning of the buildings caused a heterogeneous mixture of so many industrial products to enter the air. It may not matter much, as any material in the brain could be a problem. The type of exposure may also affect the severity of the immune reaction or which parts of the brain are damaged.

Scientists suggest that some of the contaminants that have contributed to health defects may come from the various tools in offices, such as computers and air conditioners.

“As we go forward [with other studies], that will be a focus of ours, to see if we can’t isolate at least one or maybe a couple” of chemicals that could exacerbate the cognitive decline, Clouston said.

Different exposures

Clouston and his collaborators used surveys to find out exposure at the site.

Some of the first responders, for example, used face masks and wore personal protective equipment, including hazmat suits. The incidence of dementia among that group was considerably lower than it was for those who didn’t wear masks.

Five or six out of every 1,000 workers who wore PPE developed dementia, while those without protection developed cognitive decline at the much higher rate of 42 out of 1,000.

The researchers tried to address the possibility that those people who were masks lived a healthier lifestyle prior to 9/11 and may have already been less likely to develop diseases or health conditions.

“We tried to account for that,” Clouston said. In most cases, people aren’t avoiding the kinds of activities or decisions that likely contribute to dementia, such as diet and exercise, which, the general population “widely ignores already,” he said.

Additionally, while a family history of dementia or other medical conditions mattered to some degree for the reported cases, they weren’t sufficient to invalidate the statistically significant result.

To be sure, Clouston acknowledged that the study could have a screening bias, as cognitive evaluations every 18 months likely far exceeds how often most people in the same age group receive testing for their mental acuity.

This is one reason they developed a minimally exposed group that could account for that bias. In that group, dementia was close to, but still higher than the expected rates for the general population.

The number of first responders with dementia far exceeded this group.

Other health threats

Medical professionals have been studying the impacts of other events that release aerosolized particles that could be hazardous to people’s health and could damage the environment.

Burn pits, which the military used in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other locations, contributed to cancers and other diseases among members of the military serving overseas.

Natural disasters, such as the Maui fire last August that not only burned through forests but also destroyed commercial buildings, also create a hazard.

People fled the fire quickly and then returned to search for their loved ones, Clouston said, which exposed them to aerosolized dust.

It would be “good to think about studies to consider risk of dementia” from these events, he added. 

“These studies would probably take a while to complete as the risk grows with time and with age.”

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By Emma Gutmann

To address the insidious, costly scams disproportionately affecting Americans over 60, state Sen Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) and state Assemblyman Ed Flood (R-Port Jefferson) will be collaborating to host the Senior Scam Prevention Program on Thursday, June 20, at 3:30 p.m. The event will take place at Brightview Port Jefferson Senior Living facility, 1175 Route 112, Port Jefferson Station, and though it is geared toward seniors, anyone can attend.

“My office invites caregivers or older adults to attend the Senior Scam Prevention Program to learn a variety of information on how to stay vigilant and protect themselves and their loved ones from scams,” Flood said. “Many scammers target our seniors as easily as a brief interview to gain their financial information and it’s growing easier each day with advanced technology.”

According to the FBI’s 2023 Elder Fraud Report, over 101,000 seniors reported this crime, with an average loss of $33,915 per complainant. Tech support scams, personal data breaches, confidence and romance scams, nonpayment and nondelivery scams and investment scams are the top five most common types of fraud, in that order. 

“In 2023, total losses reported to the [Internet Crime Complaint Center] by those over the age of 60 topped $3.4 billion, an almost 11% increase in reported losses from 2022,” FBI Assistant Director Michael Nordwall wrote.

The skyrocketing number of older New Yorkers who have lost thousands to remote pickpocketing prompted Palumbo’s office, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and the Suffolk County Police Department to band together and create the program.

“The program provides information on the latest scams and tips to avoid being a victim of these crimes,” a DA’s representative of the program, Chris Stazio, said. “The presentation is given by both the District Attorney’s Office and Suffolk County Police Department.”

In most cases, scammers are able to prey on a lack of understanding or awareness of current technology and common phishing tactics. For example, the FBI’s 2024 Elder Fraud Report indicates that around 12,000 victims identified cryptocurrency as “the medium or tool used to facilitate the crime.” Anyone who knows little about crypto or other elusive tech can be a much easier target. 

Additionally, innocuous business email compromise scams were responsible for $382 million in losses last year, even though phishing emails can be obvious to identify once you know what to look for. 

In an attempt to reach as many people as possible, numerous iterations of the program have been held in varied locations.

“Our office has had several events throughout the 1st Senate District including at the Rose Caracappa Senior Center, Peconic Landing and local libraries,” Stazio said. “We have had great attendance at each event but have found that events located at senior facilities have the best attendance.”

Flood added, “We decided on Brightview because my office is working with senior centers across the district to keep them informed of this valuable information.”

This event aims to provide clarity and thus fortify the elderly community against online attacks. Anyone seeking to learn more about the scamming epidemic is welcome and encouraged to join Palumbo and Flood at Brightview Senior Living in Port Jefferson this Thursday afternoon.

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By Peter Sloniewsky

Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States — a “second independence day” — was celebrated on Wednesday, June 19.

Upon the release of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, slaves were legally freed throughout all of the Confederate states, but could not be fully implemented in areas still under Confederate control. Because of this, enslaved people in the westernmost reaches of the Confederacy would not be free until years later. These people were emancipated on June 19, 1865, when a group of Union troops announced that the quarter-million enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, would be freed by executive decree. This day came to be known as Juneteenth, widely recognized in African American communities but remaining largely unknown to most Americans.

On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden (D) signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law that officially made the day a federal holiday. It is intended to act as a precursor to the Fourth of July, demonstrating that the liberty we celebrate on that day was imperfect. It guides us to consider the ways that our perception of freedom has evolved, and allows new groups and generations to reflect on what more can and should be done.

Across Long Island, there were a variety of planned Juneteenth celebrations and projects that intended to honor Black history and culture. 

Suffolk County commemorations

Last year, the Suffolk County Legislature created a freedom trail, inclusive of sites dating back to the 17th century, in celebration of Juneteenth. This freedom trail includes 47 sites of Black history across the county, such as churches, monuments and the site of the founding of the first African-American baseball team in Babylon.

Over the past weekend, the Hicksville Juneteenth Cultural Festival and the Elmont Juneteenth Celebration Festival provided opportunities to celebrate the holiday in Nassau County.

The role of this holiday as a time for reflection on the meaning of freedom, as well as the modern history of race relations in our country and communities, gains special importance considering the long history of discrimination across Long Island. Both Nassau and Suffolk counties remain some of the most segregated areas in the United States, according to a Nov. 17, 2019, Newsday article. Of the 291 communities on Long Island, a majority of its Black residents live in just 11 of them. 

This problem has in fact worsened in past years, according to the organization ERASE Racism. Between 2004 and 2016, six additional school districts on Long Island reached a level defined by the organization as “intensely segregated.”

In fact, much of the history of many modern segregation practices were born nearby, in Levittown. Owners of the mass-produced suburb strictly abided by Federal Housing Administration codes known today as “redlining,” which kept racial groups separated, as well as including in the community bylaws that “the tenant agrees not to permit the premises to be … occupied by any person other than members of the Caucasian race.”

Civil rights activism on Long Island, mostly spearheaded by the Congress of Racial Equality — comparable to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the South — was regularly faced with resistance including active Ku Klux Klan membership across the Island throughout the 20th century. Even today, the white-supremacist Proud Boys have been shown to rally in Long Island communities. During the wave of Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, Proud Boys tried to forcibly block 100 protesters from marching down the streets of Merrick, which is more than 90% white.

Juneteenth remains a solemn reminder across the country and to Long Islanders specifically that the pathway to true freedom is not yet complete.

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METRO photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but I just received a copy of the draft of the debate rules that were sent to the two older gentlemen who would like to be president from 2024 to 2028.

Now, no one was supposed to see these, but my friend’s nephew’s babysitter’s neighbor happened to be taking out his recycling and he noticed a piece of paper with official presidential letter head on it. I’m going to share a few ideas that almost made it into the debate.

First, the two candidates considered the possibility of a brief nap. Each of them would have had a pillow and a small bed, just off stage, where they could recover and restore their vim and vigor.

Second, they were considering whether to allow a translator for each of them. That way, when one of them misspeaks and uses the wrong name or mispronounces a word, a country, a language or a religion, the translator could auto correct for the moment.

Third, they each considered bringing a Pinocchio onstage. When the other person spoke, the nonspeaking candidate could demonstrate the perceived inaccuracy of the other person’s comments by extending the nose of their puppet. 

Fourth, they each considered at least 30 seconds when they could appeal directly and exclusively to their donors, explaining why they needed more money and how they would best use it.

Fifth, they were each given the opportunity to ignore one question openly and ask themselves a better one that they themselves could then answer.

Sixth, they wanted the chance to stump the other with their spectacular knowledge of the world. Each person could ask the other to spell the name of a particular country and then demonstrate their world prowess by pointing to that country on an unlabeled map.

Seventh, they could each choose a way to demonstrate their intellectual prowess by choosing from the following list: name as many digits of pi as possible, name the former presidents in order, share the names of some important Supreme Court decisions, or name as many national parks as they could.

Eighth, each candidate would have the opportunity, in a minute or less, to share a lesson they learned in the classroom that they believe has come in particularly handy in their lives.

Ninth, each candidate would have to name at least five people who aren’t relatives and who are alive who they think might be great presidents one day.

Tenth, before they offered their own positions, each president would have a chance to do their best impersonation of the other man. For 90 seconds, each of them could pretend to be the candidate for the rival party.

Eleventh, in the spirit of collaboration and cooperation, each one had to say something genuinely supportive and nice about the other person, and it couldn’t be about the person’s family.

Twelfth, each participant would need to spend at least 30 seconds sharing his thoughts on RFK Jr.’s candidacy.

Thirteenth, each candidate would have to indicate how he would be president for the entire United States and not just his constituency. Each candidate would be required to speak directly to the supporters of the other candidate, suggesting why people who have made up their minds should change their vote.

Fourteenth, both candidates would need to discuss something other than his rival as the greatest threat to the future of the United States.

Fifteenth, each candidate should discuss why, despite their frustration with the press that they think favors the other side, they still support the First Amendment. They would also need to share their views on the value of a free press, emphasizing in particular its ability to hold politicians accountable.

Sixteenth, the winner of the debate, as determined by an independent panel of disinterested observers, would circle the stage while sharing some dance moves of his choice.

Seventeenth, regardless of the outcome of the debate, the candidates agree to shake each other’s hands, to smile and to wish their competitor, their competitor’s family, and the country well.

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The sculpture of Borghese's Itala in Kirov, Russia. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief,
Publisher

This month marks an anniversary of the Peking to Paris Road Race of 1907. Now there is a recent book to recount the adventure, “The Race to the Future,” by Kassia St. Clair. Five automobiles, so newly invented that people weren’t sure what to call them, turned out for the 9000-mile trip over unpaved deserts and mountains, rivers and forests to win the acclaim, and a magnum of Mumm champagne, that would go to the first person to reach the finish line.

More than a race, it was really a challenge to promote the use of motor cars. The Paris newspaper. “Le Matin,” on January 31, 1907 wrote the following:

“What needs to be proved today is that as long as man has a car, he can do anything and go anywhere. Is there anyone who will undertake to travel this summer from Paris to Peking by automobile?”

The race actually started in the other direction, from the French embassy in Peking (now Beijing) on June 10th and came down to between two very different men, ending on August 10th.

The winner was the car carrying the imperious Italian Prince Scipione Borghese, Ettore Guizzardi, who apparently did most of the driving, and journalist Luigi Barzini, who in 1908 wrote a book about the trip, “Peking to Paris.” Frenchman Charles Godard was the raffish driver of the second car, and he had no money, begged for petrol, borrowed the Dutch Spyker for the trip, and was arrested for fraud near the end of the race. One of the other cars, the three-wheel Contal cyclecar, bccame bogged down. Godard and the journalist with him ran out of fuel in the Gobi desert and almost died. Borghese’s personal car, The Itala, was technically superior to the others.

Gasoline and provisions were carried ahead by camel and horseback, and newspapers arranged for a reporter in each car to track the progress and send back articles. Because the race followed a telegraph route, stories could be posted regularly from the stations to Paris. 

Some of the areas in Asia were so remote that people were unfamiliar with automobiles, only using horses to reach them. And St. Clair, in the book, recounts episodes like the search in the Urals for carpenters to repair the cars’ smashed wooden wheels. The direction of the book, however, is always forward, as can be guessed from the title. The decadent empires of Russia and China that the racers were traversing were fading but the adventure of the remote villages and primitive Siberian settlements must have been fantastic experiences.

The race has stimulated the imagination of many over the century, and there have been reenactments during that time. In 1908 The Great Auto Race, which went from New York west (by sea for part of the way) to Paris, tried to capture the excitement of that first race. When Russia became the USSR after the 1917 Revolution, that route was barred; only when the Soviet Union dissolved in the 1990, were racers allowed back.

Other routes for similar car races include the 1997 “Second Peking to Paris Motor Challenge” that went through Tibet, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece and Italy, a more southerly trail. And there have been others through the years.

For me, the excitement of the open road is irresistible, whether it is intercontinental or merely out east to the Hamptons. The unknown that lies beyond the next bend promises, if not rugged terrain, at least new sights, sounds and contacts. It’s not necessarily a race that beckons, only the adventure of the different and unexpected. 

For me, the challenge is not the wild terrain but merely navigating the traffic. As the houses drop away and the farms and vineyards come into view, I can feel myself physically relax and breathe in the smells of flowering fields and sod farms.

I can only imagine the thrill of crossing unchartered lands.

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Josh Wege (with baseball hat) a United States Marine, retired Lance Corporal and Brian Gentilotti, United States Airforce. Photo courtesy St. Charles Hospital

By Christopher Schulz

Three members of the USA Patriots softball team — formerly known as the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team — visited patients at the St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson Friday morning, June 14. The group initially met in the hospital’s recreational center before proceeding to meet the patients.

The softball players, Josh Wege, Jeffrey Hackett and Brian Gentilotti, shared their stories with the approximately 30 staff members and 10 patients. 

Wege said he lost both his legs fighting in Afghanistan as a Marine in 2009. The military vehicle he was riding in hit a bomb that “turned into a landmine” which “traumatically amputated [his] right leg” and mangled his left leg. He now has two prosthetics in place of his lower legs.

Despite his traumatic injury, Wege keeps pushing forward. 

“The biggest motivator I would say is to get my life back,” he said. “There are some things that you feel like are just taken away from you”. He later added that he “felt broken” inside that he did not have the same agility and speed he once had as a star athlete. 

“You don’t want to feel broken so you start chasing the life that you had,” he said. 

Hackett, on the other hand, pushes forward every day for his family. After losing his left leg, “I still wanted to stay in the Army so that pushed me to get back to a normal life,” he said. 

In addition, Hackett expressed his respect toward the patients. “They all have their own story. It’s all about making goals and taking that step further,” he said. 

One such patient, Shawn Coyle, does not need prosthetics but is in need of a wheelchair at all times. He has avascular necrosis affecting both hips. Coyle says he was diagnosed with the condition six months ago but has only been in the hospital for a couple weeks now.

He has already had surgery on one of his hips. The surgery for his other hip will happen in a few months. When asked about how he felt about the softball players coming, he jokingly responded that he wanted to play with them. 

“I like softball,” Coyle simply stated. He also found it “inspiring” to see them and would love to play again his own sports — basketball and baseball — someday. “It’s a process but you’ve got to just keep working at it,” he said. “I feel like they’re like regular people,” referring to the players. 

Both Wege and Hackett expressed their desire to come back to St. Charles Hospital or any other hospital to visit and support people who are in the same position they were once in. 

“You either stay where you’re at or you just keep inching forward every day and try to get your life back. We like to give that message to people and even talk to kids in schools because they’re curious and they have never met a wounded warrior before, [especially] at the state that we’re at,” Wege said. 

“This is stuff we like to do,” Hackett agreed. 

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