Charges Unveiled in Public Corruption Case Involving Prostitution Ring
By Matt Meduri
After a three-year investigation, District Attorney Ray Tierney (R), his department, and the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), have released the findings in a public corruption case that involves a nowformer SCPD officer and an Islip High School teacher. The two, along with other individuals, were allegedly involved in forging a criminal enterprise that perpetuated prostitution in Suffolk County.
The investigation was aided by the SCPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI. The result is a fifty-eightcount indictment, charging four defendants with a litany of crimes.
Tierney described the “criminal enterprise” that operated for approximately five years, from 2019 to 2024, and the alleged perpetrators “unlawfully profited from prostitution.”
Frank Saggio is alleged to have been the “head” of the enterprise, who owned the two buildings involved in the investigation. One is located at 6089 Sunrise Highway in Holbrook and the other is located at 30 B Gleam Street in West Babylon.
Continued on page 16
Mastic Beach Redevelopment Aided by Albany
By Matt Meduri
The Mastic Beach area has been a subject of major projects and redevelopment over the last several years. From over $200 million poured into Forge River Watershed Project, to a brand-new bridge to Smith Point, to a Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) for downtown Mastic Beach, the area is experiencing significant changes to propel it fully into the Twenty-First Century.
For context, the Forge River Watershed Project is expected to mitigate decades of nitrogen pollution from septic runoff into the ground and surface waters, as well as preserve the crucial wetlands that act as natural storm barriers and breeding grounds for endangered species and organisms that help the vibrant kelp industry.
Continued on page 10
Concept Art for the finished Mastic Beach product (Credit - The Beechwood Organization)
2 Messenger Papers
Spacious
Kerry J. Maher Lic. Manager & Director
Kenneth Maher, Jr. Lic. Director
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
By Matt Meduri
Assemblyman Doug Smith won a special election in 2018 to fill the seat of his former boss, Al Graf (R). After winning three regular elections, the top Republican on the Education Committee is gearing up for a fourth term. Assemblyman Smith sat down with The Messenger for an interview for this candidate spotlight.
Q: What is your professional background and how does it equip you for the Assembly?
A: I was a certified high school math teacher for grades seven through twelve teaching Algebra II and Trigonometry. Before getting elected, I served as chief of staff to my predecessor, Al Graf. I also had a small business doing website design. I was on the Board of the Ronkonkoma Chamber of Commerce.
Candidate Spotlight
Thursday, October 17, 2024
I miss teaching, but the reason I got involved in government on the education standpoint is because of the deeply-flawed common core curriculum that was being rolled out. I didn’t think it was age-appropriate and developmentally-appropriate. When I worked for former Assemblyman Graf, I fell in love with education policy. I have a lot of respect for the practitioners who had to endure Andrew Cuomo’s (D) period of anti-teacher sentiments and the common core curriculum, which was a completely failed rollout, and then the pandemic. I’m fighting to give our students the best educational opportunities possible. I don’t think the state should be involved in every little aspect of education.
I also sit in on Regents Board screenings. We figure out if the nominees should be making education policy, and most of the time, the answer is they should be nowhere near making education policy. However, I do feel that the quality of the people on the Board of Regents has improved since I’ve been involved in the process. Education policy is run through the Board of Regents, who are appointed by the legislature, and then they appoint the Education Commissioner. It’s the only department where the commissioner does not answer to the Governor.
Q: What are some of your accomplishments for AD-05 and New York overall?
A: One of the first things I did when I took office was there was not a security vestibule or state-of-the-art visitor entry system in every school building. I was able to shake loose money - $11 million - that was tied up in Albany for years to ensure every single school building that I represent is secure. We’re working on getting there statewide.
I also put forward a proposal that anyone who died in service to our country would have their spouse or child attend any state university tuition-free, including room and board. Democrats defeated that initially. We caused such a ruckus because at the same time, they granted free college tuition for Dreamers. We got so much media attention that Donald Trump even tweeted about it. Eventually, Governor Cuomo (D) enacted it administratively. Democrats argued it was budgetary, but we were able to calculate how much this would have cost; it was miniscule.
The big one lately is securing the four-acre Holbrook Chamber Park on Union Avenue, the old Sachem administrative building. In collaboration with the county, the Sachem School District, and the Town Brookhaven, it will be an all-inclusive, disabilities-accessible park and playground, with walking paths, benches, and it would be a perfect venue for summer concerts or a Christmas tree lighting. It will be like Central Park for Holbrook. Legislator Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville) and I successfully got Brookhaven to cover the cost of razing the building.
Q: What is your top priority if re-elected?
A: We have to be very careful about how the school aid formula is reworked. Since I’ve taken office, the Sachem CSD has received $10 million more per year, so it will be a fight because I don’t want us to go backwards. We need the schools fully funded to protect local property taxpayers. I’ve already started having conversations about keeping the harmless provision in place. Sachem has 2,000 fewer students than they had ten years ago. It costs more to educate students, but I don’t believe that burden should fall on the taxpayers. I think we also need a new metric to evaluate what a “successful” student is because our schools on Long Island are doing a much better job than other parts of the
USPS No. 066-780
Official Newspaper for County of Suffolk, Town of Brookhaven, Town of Islip, Inc Village of Lake Grove, Middle Country School, Centereach, Selden, Middle Island, Ronkonkoma Fire Dist, and Farmingville Fire Dist. Periodicals Postage Paid at Smithtown, NY and additional entries. Published every Thursday by: Messenger Papers, Inc. 558 Portion Road, Suite B Ronkonkoma, NY 11779
Email: editor@messengerpapers.com www.messengerpapers.com
3
Assemblyman Doug Smith
Candidate: Assemblyman Doug Smith
Residence: Holbrook
First Elected: 2018 special election
Prior Elected Experience: None
Party Lines: Republican, Conservative Committees: Ranking Member on Education; Higher Education; Aging; Energy; Chair of the Task Force on School Safety and Security; Commission Member of the Future of LIPA; Member of the Future Caucus
Endorsements: Every law enforcement group, every building trade, NYSUT, IBEW, working people of my district.
state. Sachem has a graduation rate north of 90%, but it’s not the only way to measure success. What are school districts providing for a more enriching experience?
We also need to change how we deal with English language learners (ELL). Districts are seeing a great deal of influx, especially with the migrant crisis. It’s very expensive to educate people who might not have had formal English training. Funding special needs students is also expensive, but each student might have different education costs.
We have districts doing a great job in special ed and people are moving to them as a result of that. Middle Country has an incredible Universal Pre-K (UPK) program. Parents move into the district for those services, but now Middle Country becomes a victim of its own success by having its aid reduced. Costs go up, now they have to cut back on services, which becomes self-defeating, especially when families move into a district to have those resources.
Q: In your opinion, what is the “defining issue” of this election?
A: Safety and affordability, everyone knows it. Last time I checked, the average household income in my district was $94,000 per year, before taxes. Since Joe Biden took office, that same income only has buying power of $78,000. Inflation is a very insidious tax. Wages have not kept up and prices have skyrocketed. People are putting more on credit cards than they ever have.
People are not yet feeling fully safe either. I’m happy D.A. Tierney (R) and Sheriff Toulon (D) are here keeping us safe, but quality-of-life crimes, like catalytic converter theft, are still a very real concern. Also, about 75% of crimes being committed in NYC are related to the migrant crisis. The people I represent know who’s to blame for all of this.
We tried to provide a good inflation reduction package which would have been a series of reductions in state income tax on certain items, a reduction in sales tax on certain items, and a reduction in the state fuel tax. It would have also allowed the counties to be able to make some of those decisions. We’re hoping that gets bipartisan support to take pressure off the families.
Child care is a big burden as well, and it’s particularly hard if both parents have to work. In some cases, it might not even make economic sense for one parent to work because child care costs are so high. It sometimes makes more sense for one parent to stay at home.
Q: What is your favorite, quote, motto, or work ethic?
A: “It’s amazing what you can get done when you don’t care who gets the credit.”Harry Truman. I have this quote on a plaque in my district office
Q: How do you like to connect with your community?
A: You’ll find me at Irish Times in Holbrook, Flanagan’s Pub in Lake Ronkonkoma, and the Village Idiot in Lake Grove. My daughter goes to the same elementary school that I went to. I’m very active in the PTA as well. I want my daughter to be able to live the American Dream here in New York and not somewhere else.
The Messenger thanks Assemblyman Smith for his time for this interview.
Smith’s opponent, Michael Reynolds (D-Lake Ronkonkoma), was contacted for an interview but did not reply with availability.
About the Fifth Assembly District
The Fifth District is split between the Towns of Brookhaven and Islip, containing the communities of Lake Grove and parts of Bohemia, Centereach, Farmingville, Holbrook, Holtsville, Islandia, Lake Ronkonkoma, North Patchogue, Ronkonkoma, and Selden.
The Brookhaven Messenger serves Centereach, Lake Grove, Selden, Coram, Farmingville, Rocky Point, Patchogue, Medford, Miller Place and Mt. Sinai 69 Years of Service to Our Community
Entered as a second class matter at the Post Office of Smithtown, NY, under act of December 21, 1879. Periodicals postage paid out of Smithtown, NY. This newspaper will not be liable for errors appearing in any advertisement beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. The opinions expressed in byline articles, letters and columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of Messenger Papers, Inc., its publishers or editors. Pictures submitted for publication remain property of the publisher.
Postmaster: Send address changes to Messenger Papers Inc, P.O. Box 925, Smithtown, NY 11787
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Report: Hochul Receives Failing Grade on Fiscal Restraint
By Christian Wade | Center Square Contributor
New York’s Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul received a failing grade on fiscal restraint from a libertarian think-tank, which criticized her for supporting higher taxes and government spending.
The Cato Institute’s 2024 fiscal report card on U.S. governors gave Hochul an “F” grade. It ticked off a long list of tax increases that have driven up costs for average New Yorkers since she took office in 2021 to replace then-Governor Andrew Cuomo (D), who resigned amid sexual harassment claims.
The report credited Hochul with accelerating previously enacted income tax cuts in 2022 and, a year later, approving a six-month suspension of the gas tax, but it said those have been overshadowed by other tax and spending increases under her watch.
“Hochul has approved some tax cuts, but they have been narrow special-interest breaks,” the report’s authors said. “New York’s budget in 2022, for example, included breaks for such things as childcare, digital gaming, heating oil conversion, theatre productions, electric vehicles, and farmers. New York hands out $700 million a year
in film tax breaks.”
That included a significant increase in an MTA payroll tax, extending a capital base tax and an increase in the top corporate tax rate from 6.5% to 7.25% through 2026, and increasing the state’s cigarette taxes.
“A far larger cost to New Yorkers will be imposed by Hochul’s ‘cap and invest’ program, which is supposed to counter climate change,” the report’s authors wrote. “The program, which is scheduled to begin operation in 2025, will raise $2 billion or more in its first year in operation and increasing amounts after that from the auctioning of emissions allowances. These costs will ultimately land on every New Yorker.”
The report’s authors said the tax increases will “speed the exodus of New Yorkers to lowertax states” and pointed to Internal Revenue Service data showing New York lost a net 108,000 households to other states in 2022.
“Most troubling for New York’s economy is that high earners are leaving in droves and taking their wealth and skills with them,” the report noted. “The IRS data show that about two high earners have been moving out of the state for each one
moving in.”
The Cato Institute grades governors in their annual report on their tax and spending records. Those who have cut taxes and spending receive higher grades, while those who have increased taxes and spending get lower marks. The report also considers trends in school choice, business subsidies and government debt.
Only six governors — all Republicans — were given “A” grades in the report, including Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Jim Justice of West Virginia, and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, according to the group.
“These governors have led the largest wave of state tax-cutting in decades,” the authors wrote.
“Half of the states have cut individual or corporate income tax rates in recent years.”
Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mills joined Hochul as one of the six governors to receive an “F” grade and scored poorly on spending, which the group attributed to her support for “large budget increases” and an expansion of Medicaid spending. The group pointed out that Mills’ predecessor, Republican Governor Paul LePage, received an “A” grade for his fiscal restraint.
Can AI Save Us from Superbugs?
By Dr. Akhila Kosaraju
You’ve probably heard of artificial intelligence writing college admissions essays or producing authentic-looking “deep fake” images. Less discussed is AI’s potential to help us address health crises.
If deployed properly, AI could equip scientists with tools to fight the rise of drug-resistant superbugs.
Scientists predict that superbugs -- bacteria and fungi that have developed resistance to existing medicines -- could kill 10 million people per year by 2050.
Fortunately, AI has the potential to give humans a leg up on superbugs. But it’ll take the best efforts of the public and private sectors to ensure new drugs are accessible to patients -- before it’s too late.
In 2019, superbugs were linked to the deaths of nearly 5 million people worldwide.
Despite this alarming trend, many large companies have stopped researching antimicrobials. That’s not due to lack of scientific promise. It’s because the process is often commercially infeasible. In fact, nearly all of the small companies that received FDA approval for a new antibiotic since 2017 have filed for bankruptcy, been bought out by another company, or shut their doors.
We need to attack this problem from two ends: optimizing the discovery of treatments and reshaping the antibiotic market with new incentives.
My company and our academic partners are working on the first part of the problem. Using AI, we’re developing new classes of antibiotics that treat the world’s most urgent threats. In days or weeks, AI can do discovery work that would take researchers months or years.
Here’s how it works. Researchers expose a pathogen to thousands of chemicals with diverse structures to determine which ones prevent bacterial growth. They use the results to train an AI model to predict which new chemical compounds might be similarly effective.
Researchers then bombard the model with millions to billions of possible molecular structures. AI can virtually screen millions of molecules in an afternoon, no petri dishes required.
Scientists then test the most likely prospects. AI could shorten the time between drug discovery and the pre-investigation stage from roughly 4.5 to 2.5 years. AI could reduce research expenses to one-third of what they might be otherwise.
With breakthroughs like these, we are poised to discover new antimicrobials. Yet the economics mean there’s little incentive to develop them.
Clinicians must use antibiotics judiciously to preserve their effectiveness. This has contributed to challenging economics for companies to recoup the investments made to bring a new antibiotic to market.
Government efforts have a key role to play. The bipartisan PASTEUR Act would create a subscription-like model to ensure that if a company develops
My colleagues and I are confident we can outpace antimicrobial resistance scientifically. But we can’t do so on our own. We need a multi-pronged effort that includes a reinvigorated marketplace. The fate of modern medicine
The List of Non-Bail-Eligible Crimes is Absurd
Since election season is right around the corner, both parties are ramping up their messaging on one of the state’s most contentious issues: bail reform.
It’s no secret that it’s been a lightning rod for qualityof-life crimes across the state and it’s also public knowledge that a bipartisan slate of legislators have been fighting tirelessly to make some of these charges bail-eligible and restore judicial discretion in most cases.
If you have a chance, take a look at Page 14, our Civics 101 column. This week, we exhaustively list a litany of crimes for which defendants cannot be held on bail.
The kicker: our Page 14 article is just part one of a very long list. We look forward to running the second part next week.
Assaults, stalking, reckless endangerment, failure to register as sex offender, prostitution in a school zone, poisoning or attempting to poison an animal, aggravated labor trafficking, some degrees of arson, and a host of drug offenses.
These are just a few of the serious crimes that are currently not bail-eligible. It’s ludicrous that Albany would come to a point where they could think this is sensible.
Granted, some crimes have lesser degrees that are not bail-eligible, while the most serious offenses of certain crimes remain so. It’s also worth mentioning that some charges are not akin to the ones above, but it’s unsettling to see just how many are comparable to some of the more brazen crimes.
As a humorous side note, we were fascinated to learn that fortune telling is an actual crime in New York. It’s a class B misdemeanor applied to anyone who claims or pretends to tell fortunes for fees or other compensation, claims to be able to answer questions and/or give advice on personal matters, and claims to be able to influence or affect evil spirits or curses. The law does not apply to fortune tellers who engage in the practice for entertainment or exhibition.
Still, we found that to be a rather specific crime and we agree that con artists should be held accountable. We’ll even be willing to say that such a person could probably be released on their own recognizance, at least in most cases…benefit of the doubt…
Moreover, Democrats on the campaign trail are arguing that fear tactics completely blow the reaction out of proportion. They argue that since major
crimes are down in Suffolk, it’s a non-issue.
They might have a point, but we owe our major crime handlings to our fantastic District Attorney Ray Tierney (R) and our equally-fantastic Sheriff Errol Toulon (D).
However, quality-of-life crimes, and even those more severe, such as drug sales implicit in the sale of fentanyl and potential related overdoses, allow criminals to remain at large while the County’s top cop is handcuffed on the issue.
We also learned this week that some Democrats knew that the overhaul would convince voters to back the Republican Party. The premonitions were apparently palpable in Albany, yet the progressive legislature engaged in their typical cart-before-thehorse behavior.
Only adding insult to injury was a Governor (Cuomo) who could not get along with a legislature increasingly growing out of touch with his more traditional brand of politics. Cuomo attempted to get on the progressive bandwagon in 2018, only to be effectively couped in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations.
Sensing the impending dysfunction and recognizing the zero-sum game of a legislature with powers to override his veto, Cuomo simply took the loss and signed the budget - and bail reform - into law.
This is not how laws in our state should be made. It’s one thing to address a bail system that might penalize some to a point of no return fiscally (we do believe in second chances), and it’s also sensible to create a check on more affluent offenders to whom bail bonds don’t apply.
But it’s another to throw the baby out with the bathwater in the other direction: a free-for-all, Wild West-style of criminal justice reform where the people who crafted the bill are seemingly discovering its ramifications at the same time the rest of the state is.
These laws need serious changes as soon as the next legislative calendar starts. Albany would be wise to consult with law enforcement personnel from all corners of New York to bring back reasonable checks and balances while also deliberating provisions in line with the original intent of the legislation.
We believe in second chances, but Albany only had to “fool us once” for us to say “shame on them.”
Prostitution Bust Reminds Us of a Familiar Face
District Attorney Ray Tierney’s (R) latest announcement of a three-year investigation that busted two prostitution rings managed by a vetted member of the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) and an Islip High School teacher shows that some people are truly unaware of the dangers of flying too close to the sun.
Both public positions are of generally wellrespected careers, but to have allegedly acted in such nefarious ways is enough to make some people look at them differently.
We here at The Messenger understand neither individual is representative of their respective fields, but we can also understand why some are likely to be off-put by the charges.
One reporter at Tuesday’s press conference became argumentative with D.A. Tierney on this issue, first alleging that qualified immunity shielded the officer from any wrongdoing during his time on the force. Qualified immunity obviously has nothing to do with this, as the concept only applies to actions taken within the scope of duty.
The incensed reporter’s vendetta became clear when he claimed that he’s been harassed by police officers for seemingly no apparent reason. When Tierney vocally disagreed with his allusions to a broader problem within the department, the reporter retorted “that’s horrible.”
We think it’s reprehensible to engage in that type of conduct with public officials, especially those presenting and prosecuting evidence that takes these people off public payroll and into jail cells for what could be a rather long time. Moreover, using a major press conference to air personal grievances for
unspecified reasons is just immature and, quite frankly, lame.
But our bigger question is more or less of what the case reminds us of. The officer allegedly involved in the prostitution ring, which also saw sex workers forced to sign “lease” agreements that conscripted them to their “service,” was on the force since 2006. The officer is also alleged to have managed his properties while in uniform and on duty.
We can think of another long-time Suffolk cop who participated in prostitution-centric activities while on duty.
The ghost of Jimmy Burke’s decency serves as a poignant reminder of just what kind of “inner circle” and power class was set up in the department, enabled by crooked former D.A. Tom Spota (D), and passively allowed by former County Executive Steve Bellone (D-West Babylon). Although Burke wouldn’t be appointed by Bellone as police chief until 2012, he had served in the SCPD since 1995.
We’re not laying blame squarely on these three men for this particular incident, but it begs the question of whether or not the officer allegedly involved in such schemes was a leftover byproduct of an old guard that Caligula probably would have enjoyed running.
We commend D.A. Tierney, the SCPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, and all investigators and bodies involved in bringing this three-year case to light. It is our hope, that if the officer in question is, in fact, proven guilty, that another palace guard serves time for his crimes and breach of public trust.
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Judge: Even Year Election Law Has More Holes Than Swiss Cheese
By Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay
New York’s politically motivated and unconstitutional Even Year Election Law has been struck down by an Onondaga County state Supreme Court Justice. For anyone who recalls the immediate pushback from local officials and constitutional law scholars when the law was first passed, this ruling should come as no great surprise.
The law was painted as a way to improve voter turnout in local elections by “consolidating” them to align with higher-profile state and federal contests taking place in even-numbered years. The problem with this law, outside its obvious political motivations, is that it excludes certain races and certain counties like those in New York City. In other words, there would still be elections in odd-numbered years, and all the costs and work associated with hosting those elections would still be incurred.
Rightfully, Supreme Court Justice Gerard J. Neri took exception to the contradictory and illogical legislation as he pointed out it tramples home rule, usurps the legal authority of counties to schedule elections and set terms of office, violates the state
constitution and raises federal equal protection concerns. There were a lot of holes in this law, and the courts saw right through them.
This law, which was pushed by legislative Democrats and Governor Kathy Hochul’s (D) office in the waning hours of the legislative session, reeked of political manipulation. Even years tend to have greater participation than odd years because they include higher-turnout elections like that for the president. In New York, where Democrat voters outnumber Republicans by a wide margin, it’s clear the motivation behind the law had nothing to do with increasing voter participation overall but rather boosting downballot Democrats’ chances in local elections by putting them on ballots with candidates expected to draw more voters. Again, the court saw right through this tactic.
Our elections are sacrosanct. They are the cornerstone of our democratic system and should be treated with the respect they deserve. The laws governing our electoral system are not political tools to help generate one outcome or another; they must be fervently and aggressively fair, and
most everyone could see this law was not. I’m glad this matter was handled swiftly by the courts and am very happy to see local governments preserve their legal authority over this most important consideration.
If you have any questions or comments on this or any other state issue, or if you would like to be added to my mailing list or receive my newsletter, please contact my office. My office can be reached by mail at 19 Canalview Mall, Fulton, NY 13069 and by email at barclayw@nyassembly.gov. You may also find me, Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, on Facebook or Twitter at @WillABarclay.
Assemblyman Will Barclay (R-Pulaski) is the Assembly Minority Leader and has represented the 120th Assembly District since 2003.
The 120th District contains most of Oswego County and parts of Jefferson and Onondaga counties.
Why We Celebrate Columbus Day
By Long Island Life and Politics
A member of our staff confided with us about a conversation he had with his eight-year-old son.
He asked if he was happy that his son had off for Columbus Day. The boy didn’t know what he was talking about. “What’s Columbus Day, dad?”
“It’s the day we’re celebrating on Monday.”
“Oh, you mean Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”
When the dad asked the boy if he knew who Columbus was, he replied, “Isn’t he the man who helped poison the Indians?”
In our new woke, politically correct era, Columbus is now portrayed as an evildoer.
The trend is to stop celebrating the second Monday in October as Columbus Day and instead use it as an opportunity to honor those he allegedly abused.
There’s no question that some of the methods of the European settlers were harsh. But we guess we could say that that would pertain to just about every group of explorers venturing into new territory since the beginning of time.
The relationship between Europeans, and then the Americans, with Indians in North America was complicated. It wasn’t so simple as to say that the settlers sought to kill off the Indian population and that the Indians were passive toward the new settlers. In fact, there was tremendous warfare between one Indian tribe and the next.
We’re now seeing horrific critical race theory, and DEI instructional mandates coming from the
New York Board of Regents that rolls out 40 videos to be shown in state parks, entitled “Revisit the Revolution.”
It emphasizes how people of color worked with the revolutionaries, only to be betrayed by them after the war. Another video states, “Since its founding, the United States has never upheld a treaty made with an indigenous nation.” They are looking to distribute these materials within our schools next year.
The constant berating of America to our children by our legislative and academic leaders is a prime reason why so many of the upcoming generation dislike the nation in which they live. The majority of young people have said they will not fight to defend America if it was attacked.
How about teaching this instead to our kids:
Columbus was an imperfect human being, but the opening up of America to the rest of the world helped usher in a future homeland where the world’s greatest democracy would flourish. It helped precipitate a vast explosion of world trade.
Readers are encouraged to check out the book Suicide of the West by Jonah Goldberg. It notes how present leaders of the West are doing their best to denigrate their own systems and culture which have produced the most advances, best quality of life, and largest extent of freedom that ever existed in the world.
People lived as serfs and under totalitarian rule
Dear Mr. Balzer,
for the vast majority of human existence. Then two things suddenly erupted around the time of Columbus and immediately thereafter.
One was the opening of trade routes that allowed for an explosion of wealth and an opportunity for upward economic and social mobility. The other was the advent of democracy that placed the worth of the individual above that of the state. These values would usher in the Renaissance, which percolated — coincidentally enough — a short time after Columbus expanded European curiosity to other worlds.
It would take some time before the new world that Columbus discovered would result in this new American society that truly did become a beacon of light for the rest of the world. But, make no mistake, America’s astonishing achievements could never have happened without Columbus taking the brave step of sailing into the unknown.
This new land that Columbus discovered is one where people all over the world still strive to come to. It provides opportunities and freedoms that don’t exist in many other places.
That’s something that should be celebrated and embraced, not disowned as our younger generation is being taught to do.
This op-ed originally appeared in Long Island Life and Politics. For more from LILP, visit them online at lilifepolitics.com.
Thank you for your thoughtful and sensitive essay.
I wonder if you ever considered suggesting adoption to the women you describe in your article? I’m sure that this could be heart wrenching, but it could be the best option in these cases. There are childless parents who are ready, willing, and able to adopt.
I was a teacher for unwed mothers; many of my students had chosen abortion (after their first birth), and many regretted their decision and even found it traumatizing.
Sincerely, Marie
Cotter Kings Park
By Cait Crudden
LaLota, Panetta Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Children of Fallen Service Members
In a strong show of bipartisan collaboration, Congressman’s Nick LaLota (R, NY-01) and Jimmy Panetta (D, CA-19), both Navy veterans, have introduced the Gold Star Children Education Act. The proposed legislation, aimed at supporting the families of fallen service members, would ensure that dependents of Armed Forces members who died while on active duty are eligible to enroll in Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools on a tuition-free, space-available basis.
The bill is designed to alleviate the financial burdens that Gold Star families may face in accessing quality education for their children. Currently, DoDEA schools, known for providing top-tier education to military-connected students, are primarily available to dependents of active-duty service members stationed overseas or on certain military installations. The Gold Star Children Education Act would extend these educational benefits to the children of fallen service members, giving them access to the same level of education at no cost.
“As a Navy Veteran, I understand firsthand the sacrifices that military families make every day — sacrifices that are even more profound for Gold Star Families who have suffered the ultimate loss. My bipartisan Gold Star Children Education Act aims to honor the legacy of our fallen Service Members by ensuring their loved ones receive the support they need, including access to DoD schools,” said LaLota (pictured right)
Congressman Panetta stressed that this bill is not just about access to education, but about offering stability to families who have endured profound loss.
“As a nation, we have an obligation to support the families of our fallen servicemembers,” said Panetta (pictured right). “The Gold Star Children Education Act ensures that children of the fallen can access Department of Defense schools, giving them a stable, supportive community as they navigate forward from the tragic loss of a parent. This bipartisan, bicameral bill honors the sacrifice of our Gold Star families by providing their children with the resources their children need to succeed”.
The Gold Star Children Education Act reflects a commitment to the enduring principle that a nation should care for those who have borne the brunt of war, including the families of the fallen. Gold Star families, designated as those who have lost a loved one in military service, face unique emotional and financial challenges. Education is a cornerstone of recovery and resilience for these families, and the bill aims to remove one critical stressor by offering access to top-tier
schooling without financial strain.
In addition to its bipartisan support, the bill has garnered interest in the Senate, with similar proposals. Lawmakers from both parties have expressed optimism that the legislation will gain widespread backing, given its focused mission of supporting military families.
The introduction of the Gold Star Children Education Act has been welcomed by military advocacy groups and veterans’ organizations, who see it as a much-needed expansion of educational benefits for the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. DoDEA schools are renowned for their high academic standards, experienced teachers, and focus on the unique challenges faced by military-connected students, making them an ideal resource for Gold Star children.
As the bill moves forward, both LaLota and Panetta are urging their colleagues in Congress to act swiftly in passing the legislation, ensuring that Gold Star children across the nation can benefit from these educational opportunities.
“Studies have shown that access to quality schools on military installations significantly enhances the quality of life for military families. We must ensure that Gold Star children can remain in familiar military communities, where they can grieve and heal with the support of experienced professionals. These families have paid the ultimate price for our country, and providing this support is the very least we can do to honor their sacrifice,” remarked LaLota.
The Gold Star Children Education Act marks a significant step in ensuring that the children of fallen service members are given every opportunity to thrive, despite the hardships their families have faced. By providing access to free, high-quality education in DoDEA schools, this legislation seeks to honor the legacy of service members who gave their lives for their country and support their children in achieving their fullest potential.
Garbarino, Newhouse Push to Protect Food Supply Chains and Counter China’s Biotechnology Advances
By Cait Crudden
In response to growing concerns over China’s advances in biotechnology and their potential impact on U.S. agriculture, Congressmen Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) (pictured right) and Dan Newhouse (R, WA-04) are leading a bipartisan effort to protect the U.S. food supply chain. The two lawmakers recently sent a letter to the Director of National Intelligence and the Director of Homeland Security at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), urging a national strategy to address Chinese innovation in biotechnology, particularly in agriculture.
The letter, also signed by Representatives Ken Calvert (R, CA41), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R, OR-05), Brian Fitzpatrick (R, PA01), Jennifer Kiggans (R, VA-02), Mike Lawler (R, NY-17), Nancy Mace (R, SC-01), Marc Molinaro (R, NY-19), Joe Wilson (R, SC-02), and Robert Wittman (R, VA-01), highlights concerns that China’s rapid advancements in biotechnology, specifically in genetically modified crops and food security technologies, could have serious implications for U.S. food supply chains, biosecurity, and agricultural dominance.
“These developments are related to the People’s Republic of China’s efforts to dominate emerging fields like innovative proteins, which includes cultivated meats. This year’s DNI Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community issued a stark warning about China’s strategic advancements and highlighted China’s use of synthetic biology and agricultural biotechnology as a targeted attempt to dominate global food supply chains. The report identified China as a formidable competitor aspiring to lead the broader biotechnological landscape. This reality has only been compounded by recent Chinese activity in the innovative protein market, most notably by the inclusion of cultivated meat research and development in China’s five-year agricultural plan,” the Members wrote.
The lawmakers expressed concerns about China’s strategic investments in biotechnology, which could allow them to gain control of critical segments of global food
supply chains. They noted that these innovations could not only undermine the U.S. position as a global leader in agriculture but also threaten national security by making the country vulnerable to supply chain disruptions or agricultural bioattacks.
The letter calls for the Director of National Intelligence and the USDA to coordinate to conduct a focused analysis on the potential implications of China’s advancements in innovative protein technologies and their potential to disrupt global food supply chains.
These representatives, who have long been advocates for U.S. agriculture and rural communities, emphasized the importance of protecting American farmers. “We request that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the USDA Office of Homeland Security coordinate to conduct a focused analysis on the potential implications of China’s advancements in innovative protein technologies and their potential to disrupt global food supply chains. We seek your recommendations on strategic measures the United States should consider to ensure continued leadership and resilience in this critical sector,” the Members continued.
The lawmakers see this as a potential threat to U.S. food security and believe that stricter regulations are necessary to prevent foreign control of key agricultural resources. As the global population continues to grow and the demand for food increases, biotechnology will play an increasingly important role in ensuring food security. The letter highlights the need for the U.S. to take decisive action to protect its agricultural industry from foreign interference and to remain at the forefront of innovation.
With bipartisan support, the letter signals a growing concern among U.S. lawmakers about the potential consequences of falling behind in the biotechnology race and ceding American leadership regarding the global food supply. The next steps will involve working with federal agencies to develop a coordinated national strategy to address these pressing issues and safeguard the future of American agriculture.
Image by freepik
This Week Today National, State and Local Temperature Checks
By Matt Meduri
National
As the crucial 2024 election nears, a valuable barometer of political moods is voter registration.
The fresh numbers have come from Pennsylvania, where Republicans have been lapping Democrats in voter registration numbers not seen in decades. The valuable swing county of Erie has seen an eighteen-point drop for Democrats over the last four years. They still have the edge, but it’s a stark downturn in such a short period of time.
Erie County was won by Joe Biden (D-DE) in 2020 by only one percentage point. Erie County is regarded as one of the top swing counties in the nation and could have a hand in swinging the Keystone State, and the election, to either candidate. It’s also a valuable bellwether county, having backed the winner of the general election in twenty-five of the last twenty-eight elections.
A key player in the ground game in Pennsylvania comes from Scott Presler, who has tirelessly been registering voters across his home state. Meanwhile, in Arizona, Democrats have lost over two points of their ground against the GOP compared to four years ago. The lion’s share of new registrants have sided with the Republican Party. In Nevada, the past four years have seen a 22% increase in voter registration, but Democrats have lost 4% of their share, while Republicans have picked up 8%.
In North Carolina, both parties have seen minor reductions in their shares, but voter registration overall is up 5% compared to 2020. Four years ago, Democrats had a six-point registration advantage over Republicans. Now, the GOP leads the Party of Jackson by one point.
Nationally, Decision Desk HQ notes that while Republicans have gained almost 150,000 new registered voters, Democrats have lost 3.5 million.
In foreign policy news, the U.S. has launched airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen in an effort to target five underground weapons aches. The Iran-backed militant group has experienced its first U.S. attack since last year.
“U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy assets, including U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers were part of the operation,” U.S. Central Command said in a news release. “The employment of the B-2 bomber demonstrates U.S. global strike capabilities to reach these targets, when necessary, anytime, anywhere.”
The underground Houthi facilities reportedly housed “missiles, weapons, and other munitions used to target military and civilian vessels,” CENTCOM said in the release.
“This was a unique demonstration of the United States’ ability to target facilities that our adversaries seek to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply buried underground, hardened, or fortified,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. “We will continue to make clear to the Houthis that there will be consequences for their illegal and reckless attacks.”
State
Governor Kathy Hochul (D) (pictured above right) is apparently showing support for the currently embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D).
Last month, Adams was indicted on charges that allege bribery, conspiracy, fraud, and two counts of
soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. It is alleged that Adams received luxury travel and gifts from Turkish dignitaries and created a false paper trail to show that he had paid for the trips in full.
Adams (pictured above) is the first New York mayor to be charged with a federal crime.
During the Columbus Day Parade, Governor Hochul told PIX11 News: “Told him to bring in new blood…he’s doing that…working well through the chaos.”
Several members of Adams’ inner circle have resigned and some face their own investigations. Some notable resignations include former First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Schools Chancellor David Banks, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III, and NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban.
Mohamed Bahi, a Muslim liaison to Adams, was recently charged with witness tampering and destruction of evidence relating to the investigation that led to Adams’ indictment. Bahi is accused of deleting encrypted messages to Adams and persuading a businessman to lie to federal authorities about a straw donor scheme.
A straw donor scheme is when a donor contributes to a political campaign before receiving reimbursement from another campaign. The secondary campaign uses that donor as a means of
exceeding limits on campaign contributions.
Adams has asserted he will not resign, despite a Marist Poll finding that 70% of New York City residents believe he should exit the office. The poll also found that 63% of New Yorkers think Hochul should remove him from office, a power never previously invoked against a mayor of the state’s largest city. The last time the governor removed an elected official from office was in 1932, when then-Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) removed Manhattan Sheriff Thomas “Tin Box” Farley over padding his office’s payroll.
Adams’ approval rating stands at just 26%.
Local
The Suffolk Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Task Force is set to hold a public listening session at the William H. Rogers Legislative Building in Hauppauge on Wednesday, October 23, at 6:30p.m.
The task force is seeking input from all who are concerned or have been impacted by material morbidity/mortality. The task force hopes for stakeholders, medical professionals, medical
students, midwifery organizations, civic and faithbased organizations, and elected officials.
The task force was started in 2020 by Legislator Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon) (pictured above) The task force is composed of sixteen members .
Maternal morbidity is considered any health condition attributed to and/or aggravated by pregnancy and childbirth that has a negative impact on a woman’s wellbeing, such as diabetes, mental illness, anemia, infections, and other perinatal complications. The most severe complications of pregnancy affect more than 65,000 women per year in the country. This statistic also includes unexpected outcomes of labor and delivery that result in significant short- or long-term consequences to a woman’s health.
The task force is charged with studying the challenges within the County with respect to these issues, particularly with a focus on majorityminority communities. The goal is to compare the number of deaths associated with improper vs. proper aftercare and provide recommendations to reduce the material morbidity/mortality rates in Suffolk County.
Credit: Matt Meduri
Continued from front cover
The project is also expected to be an economic boon to the Mastic Beach area, allowing for a proper downtown revitalization to expand the scope of local businesses and attract more commerce to the area. The master plan for the area announced two years ago hopes for a walkable community on Neighborhood Road and Commack Road to Doris Drive.
The Mastic Beach area is also in the eye of the hurricane as far as coastal resiliency is concerned, with Suffolk County having applied to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for the county’s coastal resiliency initiative.
Brookhaven Matters
Mastic Beach Redevelopment Aided by Albany
On September 27, Governor Kathy Hochul (D) signed the pair of bills S.9035A and A.9887A into law. The legislation now permits the Town of Brookhaven to alienate specific parklands to develop a wastewater treatment plant in the Beechwood Community.
“The revitalization of downtown Mastic Beach has been a top priority for
community leaders, residents, businesses, and elected officials on all levels of government, for years,” said Senator Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue), the sponsor of the Senate bill. “I’m thrilled that our legislation will allow the Beechwood Organization’s project to advance with the construction of a much needed sewage treatment plant that will benefit the entire community. I’m very excited to see how this project will revitalize, not only the Neighborhood Road Corridor, but the entire community as a whole.”
The Jericho-based Beechwood Organization, ranked as the top residential builder in New York State for two years, was selected by the Town as the master developer of the project.
“This legislation is a significant step towards making the revitalization of Mastic Beach’s Neighborhood Road Corridor a reality. It paves the way to treat wastewater from the proposed development and in a way that ensures water quality in nearby bays and estuaries. The construction for this needed sewage treatment plant will benefit the community at large,” said Steven Dubb, Principal and President of the Beechwood Organization.
“Thank you to our legislative colleagues and Governor Hochul for supporting our efforts to bring sewer service to the Mastic Peninsula,” said Assemblyman Joe DeStefano (R-Medford), the sponsor for the Assembly bill. “Getting residents off cesspools has been a critical environmental goal for over a half-century, and we’re finally seeing the necessary actions to make it a reality. Our water resources are the lifeblood of this community, and I’m glad to see that the plan to protect them is moving forward.”
“The availability of sanitary capacity holds the keys to unlocking the redevelopment potential across our region. In this case, the needed redevelopment potential in downtown Mastic Beach can only be achieved through the creation of an STP, as there is no alternative hook up elsewhere,” said Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches). “Therefore, this alienation bill helps achieve that purpose and we are hopeful that NYS will be a partner in the redevelopment effort with additional funding for this and other needed infrastructure projects in the future. I thank Senator Murray, and his staff, for their advocacy.”
“The alienation of this land for the sewer treatment plant is a crucially important step in moving forward with the Neighborhood Revitalization Project. We are grateful to our partners in New York State government for seeing this through,” said Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig (R-Manorville).
“Suffolk County is committed to working with all levels of government with the goal of expanding sewers into Mastic Beach and the Neighborhood Road business district. This sewer expansion is not just an investment in clean water infrastructure, it is a step toward spurring economic development and community revitalization,” said Suffolk County Legislator Jim Mazzarella (R-Moriches). Thursday, October 17, 2024
about adding
By PJ Balzer
aren’t known, they both have come to the same
we wouldn’t recommend any one of any age to use strongly advise against it for adolescents, teenagers, and THC in a growing brain have been coupled up with life altering people using marijuana have gained an impaired ability to now
COUNTY OF SUFFOLK
now a teenager who is now content winning a few
Some of my friends, just like myself, ended up getting
Some of my friends, just like myself, ended up
I personally started smoking marijuana in middle school. I was barely even a teenager when I took my first drag. I was a sports kid during the week but hung out with the kids who liked to fight, smoke, and drink on Friday and Saturday nights. My young body was resilient enough to be able to live between both worlds and still somewhat excel. Yet, as I look back in hindsight, if I could do it all over again, I would have stayed in one world. The world of discipline, scholastics, sports, and complete sobriety. Study after study has now taught us that marijuana has detrimental effects on the still growing and developing teenage brain, effects that are irreversible and last a lifetime
MANGOTREE REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS, L.P., AND OPPORTUNITY
ZONE RE 2019, LLC., PLAINTIFF, -AGAINST-
alone. Some used marijuana as a gateway to harder
3) NORTH 88 DEGREES 25 MINUTES 30 SECONDS EAST, 215.84 FEET;
Our brain is going through major changes from childhood right up until twenty-five years old. The frontal lobe and wiring of the brain go through monumental changes that determine the way we learn, memorize, react, feel, and process information and handle emotions. Much of our impulse control, decision making, and mental health all circles around this region of the brain. This area of the brain controls executive functions including the ability to plan, organize, initiate, self-monitor, and control our own response in order to achieve goals.
4) SOUTH 03 DEGREES 14 MINUTES 30 SECONDS WEST, 433.55 FEET;
5) SOUTH 88 DEGREES 09 MINUTES 00 SECONDS WEST, FEET:
ISLAND PROPERTIES & ASSOCIATES, LLC., IPA ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC.,IPA ASSET MANAGEMENT III, LLC., 31FO, LLC., 453F, LLC., 91G, LLC., LONG ISLAND INVESTMENTS, LLC., 35DO, LLC., IPA ASSET MANAGEMENT IV, LLC., AND 1032C, LLC., DEFENDANTS. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------X
STATE OF NEW YORK) ) SS: COUNTY OF SUFFOLK)
BY VIRTUE OF A CERTAIN EXECUTION ISSUED UPON A JUDGMENT IN THE SUPREME COURT, COUNTY OF SUFFOLK, STATE OF NEW YORK, AND TO ME DIRECTED AND DELIVERED AGAINST CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY THEREIN DESCRIBED, I HAVE SEIZED ALL THE RIGHT, TITLE AND INTEREST WHICH THE DEFENDANT, IPA ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC., HAD ON THE 19TH DAY OF JULY, 2024, OR ANY TIME THEREAFTER OF IN AND TO THE FOLLOWING DESCRIBED PROPERTY, TO WIT: ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING AT HAUPPAUGE, IN THE TOWN OF BROOKHAVEN, COUNTY OF SUFFOLK AND STATE OF NEW YORK, KNOWN AND DESIGNATED AS LOT NO. 119 ON A CERTAIN MAP ENTITLED, “MAP OF HIDDEN PONDS AT SMITHTOWN SECTION 2” AND FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF THE COUNTY OF SUFFOLK AUGUST 15, 1985, AS MAP NO. 7949, WHICH SAID LOT IS MORE PARTICULARLY BOUNDED AND DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:
BEGINNING AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE PREMISES HEREIN WHERE THE SAME IS INTERSECTED BY THE DIVISION LINE BETWEEN LOTS 118 AND 119 ON THE ABOVE MENTIONED MAP, SAID POINT OR PLACE OF BEGINNING BEING ALSO DISTANT THE FOLLOWING 7 COURSES AND DISTANCES FROM THE CORNER FORMED BY THE INTERSECTION OF THE EASTERLY SIDE OF MT. PLEASANT ROAD (AS WIDENED) WITH THE SOUTHEASTERLY SIDE OF NESCONSET-PORT JEFFERSON HIGHWAY N.Y.S. ROUTE 347;
1) NORTH 59 DEGREES 25 MINUTES 30 SECONDS EAST, 943.07 FEET;
2) SOUTH 30 DEGREES 34 MINUTES 30 SECONDS EAST 237.00 FEET;
6) NORTH 09 DEGREES 24 MINUTES 50 SECONDS WEST, 0.78 FEET;
Some selling and have had a life full of run-ins with the law. Some are dead and were just never able to fully pull it together after using marijuana with alcohol their entire young life. In being where I’ve been and seeing I’ve seen, I would easily agree with the sentiment of both Harvard Hopkins in saying, “I would strongly advise that young people with developing brains do not add marijuana to it.”
alone. Some used marijuana as a gateway to harder drugs. Some selling and have had a life full of run-ins with the law. Some are dead were just never able to fully pull it together after using marijuana with alcohol their entire young life. In being where I’ve been and I’ve seen, I would easily agree with the sentiment of both Harvard Hopkins in saying, “I would strongly advise that young people with brains do not add marijuana to it.”
Harvard and John Hopkins University both have extensive and ongoing studies being conducted about adding high levels of THC to a brain that’s still growing and developing. While the studies are ongoing and the longterm effects still aren’t known, they both have come to the same premature conclusion: “While we wouldn’t recommend any one of any age to use marijuana, we would strongly advise against it for adolescents, teenagers, and young adults.”
7) NORTH 80 DEGREES 35 MINUTES 10 SECONDS EAST, 39.25 FEET TO THE TRUE POINT OR PLACE OF BEGINNING;
High levels of THC in a growing brain have been coupled up with life altering changes. Young people using marijuana have gained an impaired ability to
8) NORTH 03 DEGREES 49 MINUTES 25 SECONDS EAST, 656.88 FEET; THENCE ALONG THE DIVISION LINE BETWEEN LOTS 118 AND 119 AND ALONG THE COMMON AREA NORTH 9 DEGREES 24 MINUTES 50 SECONDS WEST 61.83 FEET; THENCE NORTH 80 DEGREES 35 MINUTES 10 SECONDS EAST 25.83 FEET TO THE DIVISION LINE BETWEEN LOTS 119 AND 120; THENCE ALONG SAID LAST MENTIONED DIVISION LINE SOUTH 9 DEGREES 24 MINUTES 50 SECONDS EAST 61.83 FEET TO A COMMON AREA;
THENCE ALONG THE COMMON AREA SOUTH 80 DEGREES 35 MINUTES 10 SECONDS WEST 25.83 FEET TO THE TRUE POINT OR PLACE OF BEGINNING.
119 HIDDEN POND COURT, SMITHTOWN, NEW YORK 11787
DISTRICT 0800 SECTION 132.00 BLOCK 01.00 LOT 119.00
WHICH I SHALL EXPOSE FOR SALE BY PUBLIC VENDUE AS THE LAW DIRECTS ON THE 16TH DAY OF DECEMBER, 2024 AT 11:00 A.M., IN THE FORENOON OF THAT DAY, SALE TO BE HELD IN THE AUDITORIUM AT THE SUFFOLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, 360 YAPHANK AVENUE, YAPHANK, SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK.
TERMS OF SALE: PAYMENT BY CASH, CERTIFIED CHECK OR ATTORNEY’S CHECK, BANK CHECKS TO BE MADE PAYABLE TO SHERIFF OF SUFFOLK COUNTY (AND INCLUDE OR YOURSELF) THIRD PARTY CHECKS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED, AT LEAST TEN PERCENT (10%) DOWN AT CONCLUSION OF BIDDING WITH THE BALANCE DUE NO LATER THAN 4:00 P.M. OF THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY. NOTE: DOWN PAYMENT MAY BE SUBJECT TO FORFEITURE IF THE BALANCE DUE IS NOT PAID BY THE DUE DATE.
DATED AT YAPHANK, NEW YORK THIS 17TH DAY OF OCTOBER, 2024 ERROL D. TOULON,Jr.,Ed.D., SHERIFF SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK
6485 S 11-28-24
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF SUFFOLK
WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, D/B/A CHRISTIANA TRUST, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUT AS TRUSTEE FOR PRETIUM MORTGAGE TRUST ACQUISITION, Plaintiff, vs.
FRANCINE CASHEL A/K/A FRANCINE PARZIALE CASHEL, ET AL., Defendant(s).
U.S. BANK NA, SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO BANK OF AMERICA, NA, SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO LASALLE BANK NA, AS TRUSTEE, ON BEHALF OF THE HOLDERS OF THE WASHINGTON MUTUAL MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, WMALT SERIES 2005-8, Plaintiff, vs.
ANTHONY URBINATI, ET AL., Defendant(s)
Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee’s Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on April 9, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Brookhaven Town Hall, 1 Independence Hill, Farmingville, NY 11738 on November 20, 2024 at 10:30 a.m., premises known as 2 Patricia Lane, Lake Grove, NY 11755. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated village of Lake Grove, County of Suffolk and State of New York, District 0208, Section 021.00, Block 05.00 and Lot 008.000. Approximate amount of judgment is $317,496.41 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #602208/2018. Cash will not be accepted.
Annette Eaderesto, Esq., Referee
Knuckles & Manfro, LLP
120 White Plains Road, Suite 215
Tarrytown, New York 10591
Attorneys for Plaintiff
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on February 26, 2020 and an Order Substituting CourtAppointed Referee duly entered on August 19, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Brookhaven Town Hall, 1 Independence Hill, Farmingville, NY 11738 on November 20, 2024 at 11:30 a.m., premises known as 56 Thomas Street, Coram, NY 11727. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Cora, Town of Brookhaven, County of Suffolk and State of New York, District 0200, Section 374.00, Block 02.00 and Lot 026.000. Approximate amount of judgment is $517,894.25 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #617259/2018. No cash or third party checks, only bank or certified checks made out to Giuseppe Rosini, Esq. as referee.
Giuseppe Rosini, Esq., Referee
Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC
10 Bank Street, Suite 700
White Plains, New York 10606
Attorneys for Plaintiff
12 Candidate Spotlight
By Matt Meduri
Rebecca Kassay
Candidate: Rebecca Kassay
Residence: Port Jefferson
Party Lines: Democratic
Prior Elected Experience: Port Jefferson Village Trustee, elected in 2020 and 2022, Deputy Mayor from 2023-2024
Endorsements: LIFL, AFL-CIO, NYSUT, LiUNA, RWDSU, CWA, 1199 SEIU, 314 Action, Sierra Club, Eleanor’s Legacy
In the race for Suffolk’s most competitive Assembly District, and perhaps the most competitive seat within the county’s borders this year, former Port Jefferson Village Trustee and Deputy Mayor Rebecca Kassay is challenging freshman Assemblyman Ed Flood for the two-year term. Rebecca Kassay sat down with The Messenger for an interview for this candidate spotlight.
Q: What is your professional background and how does it equip you for the Assembly?
Thursday, October 17, 2024
A: I have over a decade balancing careers. I got degrees in environmental studies and communications at SUNY New Paltz. In 2011, I worked with Avalon Park and Preserve to create their volunteer teen program to get kids off their phones and into the community and environment. This consisted of trail maintenance, beach cleanup, and habitat restoration. I was also on the Board of the Long Island Native Plant Initiative and I served on the Port Jefferson Village Conservative Advisory Council. My husband and I bought our home in 2013 and we opened a bed and breakfast in 2014, the Fox and Owl Inn; we have three bedrooms and bathrooms. We have a self-serve European style breakfast, and we put out a smorgasbord of fresh fruit, fresh baked goods, and snacks throughout the day. Currently, my husband and I are the only staff members there. On and off, we’ve had people contracted to help clean in the peak of seasons, but lately, we’ve just been doing it ourselves. It keeps me connected and humble. At first, I asked “how much work could that possibly be?” The answer is a lot, but it’s been incredible.
I’ve been a member of the chambers of commerce and a member of the local Rotary Club for six years. I’ve not only become very aware of how government regulation affects my business, but others. It’s taught me how to keep a balanced budget, looking for returns on investment as far as advertising/client services, and making sure we count our pennies in tough times like COVID-19. My two sets of experience, environmental and business, are instrumental in bringing a fresh perspective.
Q: What is your top priority if elected?
A: Proactively building a strong bipartisan intergovernmental and creating that open line of communication between our elected officials of other levels of government. We need to make sure there isn’t redundant work going on, and we often assume there is communication happening at these different levels, but it isn’t always there. 80% of the time, most folks agree on a certain issue. Finding synergy with others and setting goals together, working with first responders, continuing to build a relationship with the Sixth Precinct, and leading by listening are all important. We need boots on the ground to bring those voices to Albany.
Q: In your opinion, what is the “defining issue” of this election?
A: Cost of living affects so many other problems that we’re seeing. We need to figure out a way to find relief from day-to-day expenses, make sure our taxes come back from Albany as much as possible, receive school funding and relief for local taxes. Our young folks can’t afford to make a life for themselves here, ideally near their families. Retirees deserve to enjoy life with the friendships they’ve built for decades. The heritage generations have enjoyed here for so long is being lost and that’s a shame. We have the $4.2 Environmental Bond Act and money for protecting water quality, preparing for storms, and preserving open space, all goals electeds from both sides talk. That’s less money that our taxpayers will have to spend at the town or county levels to tackle infrastructure projects and preserve open space.
As a woman of science and small business owner, I lean on facts and figures. You can’t just do an experiment and check in on the results later. Too often, there’s government programming where they set up a plan, fund the program, and there might not be adequate follow through or tracking to see if it’s performing as expected or scrapped entirely if it’s not having that return on investment. I’m not saying reduce across the board, necessarily, but making sure that every dollar going out has a purpose and is being tracked and cutting fat out of the budget. For example, the Village’s parking program helps fund the maintenance of the parking lots and flooding infrastructure. Our paved spaces are affecting our ability to mitigate stormwater; the parking fees can be used for that.
Throughout the campaign, the driving motto is: “bringing public service back to politics.” You can’t lead a district without showing up consistently and listening to the needs of the community. I have been showing up to these community spaces, listening, and learning. I have not seen my opponent showing up until it’s election season. Anyone who holds
these offices needs to be strong public servants to time and attention to detail to further our shared goals we’re facing.
Q: The Siena College regularly tracks New Yorkers’ views of the direction of the state. Since Democrats formed a trifecta in 2019, the approval ratings have seen a net decrease. What’s your pitch to voters to add you to a majority with which they’re already unhappy?
A: My core values align with the Democratic Party, but sometimes, the right goes too far right and the left goes too far left. AD-04 is a pretty solid mix of red and blue, part of the reason my campaign ads are purple. I intend to represent 100%, not 51%, and to be in the majority and in the room where these critical conversations are happening. Some of the voices get lost while not in the room and I can be a Suffolk County Democrat who is in Albany advocating for Suffolk County. The proposed foundation aid formula change slated Three Village to lose $9 million, Port Jefferson to lose $1.2 million. There was a move to politicize this. School funding, the environment, and infrastructure shouldn’t be partisan. The governor and legislature are of my party, but I am going to stand up for the values and needs of our community. I took some flack for rallying with Republicans to restore state aid to schools; others said it was the right thing to do.
There are definitely loopholes in bail reform that need to be closed. I’ve been attending Sixth Precinct meetings for many years now and we need to be working with other legislators to make sure we’re listening to uniformed officers and their superiors about what is preventing them from taking dangerous offenders off the streets, or if someone is shoplifting and hurting small business or driving others out. Keeping it even between people who have a lot of money and no money. One problem is the mandate to have certain deliverables against someone in sixty days, whereas it used to be longer. I can see lawmakers saying it expedites the process, but listening to our officers, it’s too short of a timeline and it’s not possible for them to get those deliverables in time. Bail reform is the hot story because it evokes emotion, and when there are extreme moments, we react swiftly. What I’m hearing day-to-day is the shoplifting cases. It’s the revolving door of crime that we’re hearing about. Businesses don’t want to open in certain areas or are closing or struggling. We’re talking from mom-and-pops to Home Depot or Stop and Shop. We have the scalpel, we just need to know where to make the incision.
Another issue is illegal cannabis shops: there is not a single legal one in Brookhaven, and yet in the five square miles of my home, there are more than a dozen cannabis shops. The State’s rollout has been a mess; they have not kept to timelines. The enforcement arm is not well funded and staffed. These shops are also an eyesore and makes a neighborhood less welcoming to families. The sale of cannabis should be taken as seriously as the sale of alcohol. Right now, it’s the Wild West of cannabis.
With the even-year elections law, I am aware of it, but have not developed enough into it to understand the arguments against it. I won’t go for if the party is for it. I love being humbled by having my opinion changed based on facts. I would be willing and ready to listen to folks on both sides of it to better educate myself on it, so that’s what I’m going for.
Q: What is your favorite, quote, motto, or work ethic?
A: From One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: “But I tried, didn’t I? G-ddammit, at least I did that.” We’re surrounded by cynicism and defeatist language. Giving into cynicism is always worse than rolling up your sleeves and tackling the problems. We’re facing enormous challenges here in the state and Suffolk County, and I’ll always charge forward with pragmatic optimism to deliver relief.
Q: How do you like to connect with your community?
A: I’ve always loved helping the community, from volunteering at a 5K to face-painting a kids’ fair, to organizing food drives. One of my greatest joys is working alongside other people. Even if it’s a really heavy issue, such as helping kids who don’t have presents at Christmastime, this hope and joy you get when you see people coming together to bring light into other peoples’ lives. It’s what drives my role in government. When I’m at events like that, I don’t feel like I’m working.
I have a rescue pup who is now eleven. We love to go on strolls around the harbor, Avalon Park, Frank Melville Park, and the Pine Barrens. We love the natural beauty of Long Island. I worked in Italy on farms and kitchens, so my favorite evening activity is cooking dinner while listening to Louis Prima and having a nice warm, cozy night in.
The Messenger thanks Rebecca Kassay for her time for this interview.
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
By Matt Meduri
After winning a stunning upset that ousted then-Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket), Assemblyman Ed Flood is seeking a second two-year term in the state’s lower chamber.
Assemblyman Flood sat down with The Messenger for an interview for this candidate spotlight.
Q: What is your professional background and how does it equip you for the Assembly?
A: I was the Chief of Staff of thenAssemblyman Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue), who is now a State Senator. I’m also a small business owner; I’ve owned my law firm since 2012. I was also a prosecutor for five years. Working for thenAssemblyman Murray was invaluable in understanding how the Assembly works, how to reach across lines, and how to push legislation.
Q: What are some of your accomplishments for AD-04 and New York overall?
13 Candidate Spotlight
Thursday, October 17, 2024
A: I’ve been able to bring in money for our district’s organizations. I helped the Gordon Heights Fire Department receive substantial money, as well as every library in the district, for Port Jeff High School to upgrade their technology/ education department, and VFW hall in Setauket. I also fought to restore the school foundation aid formula for Three Village, Port Jefferson, Mt. Sinai, and our other districts. District leadership wrote to me thanking me for my fight to restore that aid to them. I’ve also fought back against tax increases and fought to get rid of some of the criminal justice reforms that have made New York less safe. We were also able to pass a bill to ensure that the Port
Assemblyman Ed Flood
Candidate: Assemblyman Ed Flood
Residence: Port Jefferson
First Elected: 2022
Prior Elected Office: None, ran for County Legislature District 5 in 2017
Office Sought: New York’s Fourth Assembly District Party Lines: Republican, Conservative Committees: Codes, Judiciary, Environmental Conservation, Banks, Children and Families, and Higher Education
Endorsements: Entire police conference, CSEA, AME, NSBCTC, AFSCME
have nefarious intent, but some are exploiting the system to engage in drug dealing and human trafficking. We’re spending billions on the migrant crisis while cutting aid to school districts. My human trafficking seminar was aided in part by complaints from constituents in Coram and Gordon Heights, who see open-air prostitution. We also have infrastructure problems, especially on Routes 25 and 25A. Senator Murray and I were able to speed up the projects, by Route 112 and CR-83 on Route 25.
Suffolk County does a great job handling major crimes, and those numbers are down, in spite of the laws we have in Albany. In terms of quality-oflife crimes, the police are still handcuffed.
Q: What’s your pitch to voters to return you to the Assembly as a member of the minority?
A: Since Democrats had that supermajority in both chambers, we’ve seen the budget increase by $70 billion. There are checks and balances issues. Since that time, we’ve had criminal justice reforms that have made New York less safe. During that time is when we saw, by Executive Order, that New York is going to a sanctuary state. We’ve spent $4 billion in the last two years on New
Thursday, October 17, 2024
The Necessary Standard for American Education
Faithless Electors
By Matt Meduri
It’s somewhat uncommon knowledge that when the American public hits the polls to vote for president, they’re not actually voting directly for the president. Rather, they’re voting for a slate of electors who will then cast their votes in favor of the candidate who won their state. It’s essentially a leftover policy from the creation of our nation wherein the population did not directly participate in elections until 1824. Its retention is seen as crucial in upholding the purpose of the Electoral College.
Last week, we discussed the Twelfth Amendment in this column, which lays the foundation for how presidential elections are administered and what happens when no candidate receives the magic number of 270. There is another asterisk, however, to how presidential elections are run, and that is in the rare circumstances an elector is considered “faithless.”
What is a Faithless Elector?
A faithless elector is a party representative who does not uphold the election result and instead votes for another person for either the office of the presidency or vice presidency, or both. Alternatively, a faithless elector might be one who abstains from voting.
Electors are generically nominated and chosen by a state’s political party or the party’s presidential nominee. In short, there are slates of electors in each of the fifty states and the District of Columbia chosen by both parties, in the event that either candidate wins each state and the capital.
Since electors are typically chosen by party leadership, they run a large risk of opting to not back the winner of their state’s popular vote, which might result in censure and/or political retaliation. Some states impose penalties for not casting their votes in favor of the winning party.
As of 2020, there have been a total of 165 faithless electors, ninety of whom were for president, and seventy-five of whom were for vice president. Of much relief to the American public, a faithless elector has never swung an election. Essentially, an elector’s option to be “faithless” is more of a point of personal privilege and/or to send a message surrounding a particular party and/or candidate.
Neither the U.S. Constitution nor any federal statute address the pledging of electors; all pledging laws originate at the state level, as the states are free to administer their own elections. The Supreme Court upheld the states’ rights to impose pledging laws in their 1952 decision Ray V. Blair, and the Court also ruled that states are free to enforce laws that bind electors to the winner of the popular vote in their state in the 2020 decision of Chiafalo V. Washington.
How Are Electors Chosen?
Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution states that electors cannot be an incumbent member of Congress or a federal officeholder. The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified after the end of the Civil War, states that electors cannot be anyone who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or given aid or comfort to its enemies.” Congress may remove this disqualification by a two-thirds vote in each chamber. The states are then free to set their own rules thereafter.
Electors are chosen predominately by the states’ political parties at their respective state conventions. Some states choose electors by a vote of the state party’s central committee.
Eight states actually print their electors’ names on the ballots when the public votes for president: Arizona, Idaho, Louisiana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Tennessee.
Faithless Elector Laws By State
As of 2024, thirty-eight states plus D.C. have laws that require electors to vote for the candidates to whom they are pledged before an election result is announced in their state. Fourteen states have laws that void an elector’s vote if that vote is contrary to their pledge and they are subsequently replaced by another elector. Two states, North Carolina (16 electoral votes) and Oklahoma (7), impose fines for faithless electors, along with a voided vote and replacement. Two states, New Mexico (5) and South Carolina (9) still impose penalties on their faithless electors but still count their votes nonetheless.
Fifteen states, including New York, simply void an elector’s vote. Sixteen states and D.C. count the faithless votes without penalty. Fifteen states currently have no laws on the books regarding faithless electors.
State laws are generally open about a person for whom a faithless elector might vote. Presidential candidacy is not required, only presidential eligibility.
The 2016 Election - The Most Recent Case of Faithless Electors
Although faithless electors aren’t commonly involved in the presidential election process, several states were at the forefront of this in 2016. A total of seven electors in three states were faithless to those states’ winners, the most in any one election since 1896. The 1896 election was also the last time until 2016 that there were multiple faithless electors in one election.
Donald Trump (R-NY) lost two electors from Texas, resulting in him winning just thirty-six electoral votes. One electoral backed then-Governor John Kasich (R-OH), who had run for president in the Republican primary that year, and another backed for Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX). At 81 years old, Paul became the oldest person to have ever received an electoral vote, despite not running for office. One elector was faithless in his vote for Mike Pence (R-IN) as vice president, instead opting for GOP nominee and brief running mate of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Carly Fiorina (R-CA). It was the first time since 1972 that a winning presidential candidate lost an electoral vote. Richard Nixon (R-CA) had lost a Virginia vote to Libertarian nominee John Hospers. However, Hillary Clinton (D-NY) lost more electors than Trump, with four defecting from her in Washington. Three electors backed former Secretary of State Colin Powell, of Virginia, making him the first black Republican to receive electoral votes. Native American activist Robert Satiacum, Jr., voted for fellow activist Faith Spotted Eagle, a member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe who attempted to block the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline and the Dakota Access Pipeline.
This column will seek to address the long-forgotten concept of civics and how it relates to American government in general, from the federal level to the local level. This column will explore Constitutional rights, the inner workings of government, the electoral process, and the obligations and privileges of citizens.
Spotted Eagle, of South Dakota, became the first Native American to receive an electoral vote for president.
The three electors who backed Powell each chose separate vice presidential nominees: Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Senator Susan Collins (RME). The elector who chose Faith Spotted Eagle opted for environmentalist and activist Winona LaDuke of Minnesota.
With the four defections from the slate, Clinton only took home eight electoral votes from Washington, instead of its usual twelve.
Clinton also lost an elector from Hawaii, who backed Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for president and Senator Warren for vice president.
The result was a slightly decreased Electoral College result from the raw count. Trump had won with 306 votes to Clinton’s 232. With the faithless electors’ votes considered, the final count became 304 for Trump and 225 for Clinton.
Other electors attempted to be faithless in other states, but state laws precluded them from doing so. The two electors who opposed Trump in Texas were part of a greater movement called the “Hamilton Electors.” The group tried to find thirty-seven Republican electors willing to defect from Trump to deny him the election and force a contingent vote in the U.S. House, which likely would have picked Trump anyway. The namesake of their group was Alexander Hamilton, who expressed voting for the president based on conscience to prevent someone unfit for office from assuming the presidency.
Although it has been difficult to estimate just how many faithless Republican electors there might have been, at least twenty additional Republican electors reported accepting anonymous pro bono legal counsel if they were to support a different candidate. Republicans members of the Electoral College also reported in December 2016 that they were being coerced to back a different candidate with “threats of political reprisal.”
Three Democratic faithless electors were invalidated. In Maine, one elector attempted to back Senator Bernie Sanders for president, with then-vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine (D-VA) for the vice president. He later changed his vote to Clinton.
Another Democratic elector in Minnesota backed Sanders for president and thenCongresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D, HI-02) for vice president. He was replaced by an alternate elector.
Finally, a Colorado elector attempted to vote for John Kasich for president, but was barred from listing a vice presidential nominee. He was eventually replaced by an alternate.
The four faithless electors from Washington were each fined $1,000 for breaking their pledge. Three electors appealed the fines, which were upheld by the Washington Supreme Court. The electors were later unsuccessful in their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in the aforementioned decision, Chiafalo V. Washington.
Notable Cases of Faithless Electors in History
1796: Nineteen electors were faithless in this election. Samuel Miles, a Pennsylvania elector, was pledged to vote for Federalist John Adams, but instead voted for Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson. His other vote was pledged to Thomas Pinckney, as the Twelfth Amendment had not yet been ratified and there was no process for selecting presidential and vice presidential candidates separately. Eighteen other electors backed Adams for president, but did not vote for Pinckney, as an attempt to foil Alexander Hamilton’s perceived plot to elect Pinckney as president. Jefferson became Adams’ vice president, the only time in history that the two officeholders were from different political parties.
1820: One New Hampshire delegate backed John Quincy Adams, despite James Monroe having been uncontested for re-election. Some speculate he wanted George Washington to be the only unanimously-elected president, while others say he was using the moment to elevate Adams, his friend, as a possible candidate. Adams would end up winning in 1824.
1836: Twenty-three Virginia electors refused to back Richard Johsnon (D-KY) due to his public relationship with an enslaved woman. Johnson was one vote short of a majority, throwing the election to the Senate. He was elected as vice president on the first ballot.
1864: One Nevada elector was snowbound, preventing him from casting a ballot.
1872: Sixty-six electors were faithless, the most in any one election, as the Liberal RepublicanDemocratic nominee Horace Greeley of New York died before the Electoral College vote in December. Three electors cast votes for him as pledged, while sixty-three backed other candidates. The three posthumous votes for Greeley were rejected by Congress.
1896: Twenty-seven electors were faithless, mostly due to the fusion ticket between the Democratic and the People’s parties that coalesced around William Jennings Bryan. However, the coalition ran different vice presidential nominees. These twenty-seven electors backed Thomas Watson from Georgia instead of Bryan’s running mate in Arthur Sewall (D-ME), despite the People’s Party receiving no electoral votes.
1948: Strom Thurmond (D-SC) campaigned on the States’ Rights ticket in response to racial integration. A Tennessee elector was an elector for both Harry Truman (D-MO) and Thurmond. Despite Truman having won the election, the Tennessee elector had actively campaigned for Thurmond and backed him in the final vote.
1960: An Oklahoma elector contacted the other 219 Republican electors to vote for the noncandidates of Harry Byrd (D-VA) for president and Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) for vice president, instead of Richard Nixon (R-CA) and Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. (R-MA). Fourteen unpledged electors, eight from Mississippi and six from Alabama, backed Byrd for president and Strom Thurmond for vice president.
2000: A Washington, D.C., elector abstained overall to protest D.C.’s lack of voting congressional representation. It was the first abstention since 1864.
2004: One Minnesota elector cast his/her presidential vote for “John Ewards” [sic], which is assumed to be a typo, relating to then-running mate of John Kerry (D-MA), John Edwards (D-NC). At the time, Minnesota electors conducted their votes on secret ballots, a practice that ended with this instance.
By Diane Caudullo
Blessing Box at Centereach Bible Church
Sometimes, the community is the answer, and the solution can be so simple that even the kids know the answer.
A few middle-school-aged girls joined together by way of Girl Scout Troop 3177 of Selden were working towards their Silver Award, a project-oriented milestone as they prepare to graduate from their cadet status. Four girls, Kara Zappasodi, Trinity Barcia, Paige Renehan, and Andreya Baldwin make up this troop under the leadership of Ana Zappasodi. They are keenly aware, through personal experience and that of their peers, that more and more families are struggling to put food on the table. Starting from their own knowledge, they then did some research on food insecurity right here in their community, gathering information on food pantries and what has become known as Blessing Boxes. A Blessing Box, similar to widely known Free Libraries, are cabinets placed outside where people can leave random groceries in the cabinet and anyone can simply take what they may need.
These girls had to come up with their idea, plan the build of the box, fundraise to pay for the materials for the box, find property to place the box, and commit to ensuring it stays cared for and stocked. Two of the Girl Scouts attended and used their connection to Pastor Scott Kraniak of Centereach Bible Church on North Coleman Road in Centereach to ask permission to place the box there in front of the church. Centereach Bible Church has a food pantry inside but this provides for someone who may not feel comfortable to come inside or for someone who has come when the church is not open.
To raise the funds, they sold their well known Girl Scout Cookies at a unique location, the train station. They get to use some of that money for their projects. To add to the fund, they made and sold bracelets and hair scrunchies. The bracelets had various words on them like “Inspire” or “Believe.” They raised about $400.
The girls brought in Trinity’s father, Rich, to guide them in the construction of the box. He oversaw them as they purchased, cut, assembled, and painted the wood to build the Blessing Box. It is painted white with glass doors and complements the little white Bible Church building. On the glass doors, the words read “Take what you need…Leave what you can.”
In speaking with the girls about ‘the why’ behind choosing a Blessing Box as their project, Andreya stated “we made this box because we know that many people are unemployed. And even more people need help with everyday needs.”
Kara added “We hope that kids get the food they need”
Paige summed it all up with “This box will bring smiles, comfort and happiness to those in need.”
Well done girls, well done!
To the many people who see the issues and struggles of those around you and you genuinely hope someone will help, follow the lead of these impressive young ladies. That someone may be you!
Fighting to Make Safety a Real Priority
SENATOR DEAN MURRAY
As the publisher and founder of the crime-fighting website, www.LiFugitiveFinder.com, Dean knows how
Senator Dean Murray
• To battle the deadly opioid/fentanyl epidemic.1
• That increases penalties when a person commits a crime while concealing their face.2
• To designate certain offenses against emergency medical services personnel, firefighters, and law enforcement as hate crimes.3
•
•
•
Charges Unveiled in Public Corruption Case Involving Prostitution Ring 16 County News
The Holbrook location is comprised of three suites, all allegedly owned by Saggio. Tierney (pictured left) stressed that although the three storefronts appear to be separate businesses, internal connections show the one business was essentially subdivided into three suites, each of which housed an alleged sex worker. American Girls Spa was located in Suite 3, a separate spa in Suite 4, and an adult toy shop in Suite 5.
Additionally, each suite had a separate manager who was required to “pay up” to Saggio.
The West Babylon location, called the Tunnel of Love, a live adult entertainment venue. The managers of Tunnel of Love were also allegedly required to “pay up” to Saggio.
Furthermore, sex workers within these two locations were required to collect “house fees” and cash from customers. The house fees went to the managers and Saggio, while the tips were retained by the workers, who were not paid a salary from management. Tip amounts varied based on specific sex acts required, which Tierney described as an “a la carte” menu of services offered.
A search warrant of Saggio’s West Islip residence was executed in June, which resulted in the seizure of $104,225 in cash, which was hidden throughout the house.
Saggio also allegedly had some of the sex workers sign agreements, which he “euphemistically,” according to Tierney, termed as “leases.” These agreements stipulated the workers to pay $6,000 per month at the Holbrook location and $12,000 at the West Babylon building. Other euphemistic terms included “rents” and “towel fees.”
“All they really were were terms to hide what the proceeds were,” Tierney told reporters at a Tuesday afternoon press conference in Hauppauge. “All proceeds were derived from prostitution and prostitution acts. Some of these sex workers spoke limited English and could not read in English, but nonetheless Saggio required them to sign agreements with him written in English.”
Saggio and his girlfriend, co-defendant Dana Ciardullo, allegedly discussed how many specific acts of prostitution the workers would need to perform each day in order to maintain their monetary obligations. These findings were obtained through intercepted communications.
The story thickens with now-former SCPD officer George Trimigliozzi, who had been with the department since 2006. He is charged with serving as manager of the Holbrook location from October 2019 until March 2021. He was suspended in August without pay from SCPD for conduct unrelated to the investigation.
Tierney described March 19, 2021, as the “turning point” in the case. Trimigliozzi was called by
a sex worker to report that a customer at the Holbrook location had been robbed; Trimigliozzi had been on duty in the Third Precinct at the time. Based on GPS data for his patrol car provided to the D.A.’s office by the SCPD, Trimigliozzi allegedly abandoned his post while on duty and traveled at speeds of almost ninety miles per hour to the Holbrook location. He allegedly traveled six miles outside of the Third Precinct into the Fifth Precinct. After spending roughly a half-hour in Holbrook, he traveled back to his post in Islip Terrace.
“It’s alleged he couldn’t report this because the SCPD was unaware that he allegedly had a side job managing a prostitution business,” said Tierney. Trimigliozzi is being charged with one count of Enterprise Corruption, thirteen counts of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, two counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree - pertaining to his unauthorized response to the Holbrook robbery - one count of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, and one count of Official Misconduct. All but the last charge are felonies.
Steven Arey, a twenty-six-year employee of the Islip School District, is also alleged to have served as a manager at the Holbrook location on Saggio’s behalf. The physical education teacher was suspended prior to the school year.
Contacts from sex workers’ phones label Trimigliozzi’s phone number as “George,” with a further designation of “Boss.” The number is registered in Trimigliozzi’s government name.
Saggio, 60, is charged with one count of Enterprise Corruption, two counts of Sex Trafficking, and fifty-one counts of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, all felonies. He faces eight-and-onethird years to twenty-five years in prison if convicted.
Tierney called the case a “comprehensive investigation that employed electronic evidence collection, undercover police investigation, years of surveillance, and interviews of numerous witnesses.”
“No one is above the law and this indictment illustrates that point,” said Tierney. “Public servants committing crimes are a violation of public trust and that will not be tolerated.”
Tierney relayed another message to public officials and the general public: “In Suffolk County, we’re watching. The D.A’s office is watching and our law enforcement partners are watching. But more importantly, so is everyone else: coworkers, colleagues, and members of the public.”
“The charges outlined here today are deeply disturbing,” said SCPD Deputy Commissioner Belinda Groneman (pictured right), adding that Trimigliozzi will “never work again” as an SCPD officer. “The men and women of our department are the utmost professional and dedicated to public safety. The actions of Trimigliozzi are his own and are in no way a reflection of sworn officers who are protecting and serving with integrity.”
Tierney also noted that there is currently no evidence that the sex workers were living at the locations or were being forcibly held against their will. The sex workers have been interviewed, but Tierney said the charges against the four alleged defendants are the only charges being disclosed at this time.
One reporter became slightly argumentative with Tierney over Trimigliozzi’s representation of the SCPD overall, even questioning whether or not officers’ “qualified immunity” is a culprit in perpetuation of such public corruption cases.
“Qualified immunity has to do with acts that are taken in connection with official [police] duties,” said Tierney. “This, we allege, is clearly misconduct.”
Tierney also asked the reporter: “Is the teacher [Arey] indicative of an underlying problem with teachers on the lot?”
“Could be, yes,” said the reporter. Tierney stated his disagreement, to which the reporter replied, “that’s horrible.”
Arey, 53, of Islip, is charged with one count of Enterprise Corruption and twentyseven counts of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, all felonies.
Ciardullo, 32, of North Bellmore, is charged with one count of Enterprise Corruption and seventeen Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, all felonies.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Bureau Chief Laura de Oliveira and Bureau Chief Kevin Ward of the Public Corruption Bureau.
This is a developing
The Moloney Family
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Anthony’s Red Shoe FUNd Run: Benefiting the Ronald McDonald House
By Ashley Pavlakis
The first annual Anthony’s Red Shoe FUNd Run took place in Stony Brook over the weekend to benefit Ronald McDonald House. The 5K and one-mile walk/run was in support of Stony Brook’s campaign for the new Ronald McDonald House that’s set to open in 2026 at Stony Brook Hospital.
“I organized the FUNd run, it’s in memory of my nephew Anthony who was 14 when he was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma at the children’s hospital at Stony Brook. Unfortunately, he passed away at 16. The two years he was there in the Ronald McDonald House room, was so critical, mostly to my sister who never left him the whole time he was there,” said Lisa Muratori, organizer of the FUNd Run.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities, established in 1974, is an organization that helps families going through treatment alleviate the financial burdens that come with being in the hospital. On Long Island, the new house will be the first-ever in Suffolk County and the second on the Island.
“My family and I just wanted to be part of it. I have connections with Stony Brook as a full professor in the School of Health Professions. I wanted to do something with that, when I brought it up to my dean, she was all about sponsoring it,” said Muratori.
The new house that will reside in Stony Brook is a 60,000-square-foot facility where families will be able to receive no-cost housing, respite, meals, and hospitality all while maintaining a close distance to the hospital while their child receives the care they need.
“100% of the money raised through donations and registrations goes to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the New York Metro. That’s the division that’s responsible
for the building of the house. We’re in the last [estimated] $4 million,” said Muratori.
Anthony’s Red Shoe FUNd Run was held on the Stony Brook University Campus, runners who signed up for the race were given a free t-shirt as well as access to the post-run patio party with music and food trucks on site.
“This was our first one and hopefully will not be our last one. It was really successful and we’re very pleased with the turnout,” said Muratori.
A special connection was made at the FUNd Run in honor of Anthony.
“Of the three speakers we had, the second speaker was the head of Pediatric Oncology who was Anthony’s oncologist. She [Laura Hogan] really wanted to come because she was his doctor. She still felt this closeness to him and his family,” said Muratori.
Stony Brook University members showed up and showed out for one of their own as the cause was near and dear to the heart of Muratori and her family.
“It was tremendous, so the men’s basketball team led the walk portion. We also had almost forty runners from the physical therapy department, we had over thirty volunteers from the east campus School of Health Professions, we had competitors from nursing and public health. It was really great; it involved people from all over campus as well as people from outside in the neighboring communities,” Muratori told The Messenger. “The first three sponsors for the event overall were Stony Brook sponsors. The first three that stepped up were the School of Health Professions, the program at Public Health, and the Department of Preventive Medicine. Stony Brook really stepped up for sure.”
Catholic Health’s Skilled Nursing Facility Ranked #1 on Long Island
Catholic Health’s St. Catherine of Siena Nursing & Rehabilitation has once again been ranked as one of the top skilled nursing facilities in the country by Newsweek For the sixth consecutive year, the Smithtown facility was listed on its “America’s Best Nursing Homes 2025” report. In addition to being rated as one of the nation’s top care centers, St. Catherine of Siena Nursing and Rehabilitation was ranked #1 on Long Island and the 3rd best facility in New York state.
“This recognition is a true testament to our incredibly talented and caring staff at St. Catherine and their continued excellence in keeping our residents safe and healthy,” said St. Catherine of Siena Nursing & Rehabilitation Administrator John Chowske. “We always strive to provide the best possible quality and compassionate care to our residents and their families.”
This year’s list recognizes 1,050 nursing homes across the 25 states with the highest number of facilities, according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data. The top nursing homes in each state were assessed and ranked based on four pillars: performance data, recommendations of medical professionals, accreditations and resident satisfaction.
“I would like to congratulate John and his team on this incredible honor and their continued commitment to excellence,” said Catholic Health Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Gary Havican. “To be ranked among the top facilities in the country reflects Catholic Health’s mission of providing Long Islanders with the highest level of care.”
Thursday, October 17, 2024
The Messenger Goes on the Ground in Nevada Ahead of 2024 Election 18 Election News
By Matt Meduri
An aspect of the presidential landscape rarely afforded to New Yorkers is regularly provided to Nevada, one of the several premier swing states of the last several elections.
The Messenger had the opportunity to speak with voters in Reno, the state’s third-largest city, a crucial pinpoint for any statewide campaign, and the site of a weekend rally by former President Donald Trump (R-FL).
Nevada has not backed a Republican presidential nominee since 2004. Democrats only recently consolidated control of the state legislature, but voters ousted oneterm Governor Steve Sisolak (D) in 2022 for Clark County (Las Vegas) Sheriff Joe Lombardo (R). Lombardo’s role in the governor’s mansion broke the trifecta Democrats had held in the Silver State since 2019. Nevadans also ousted one-term Senator Dean Heller (R) in the 2018 midterms, opting for then-Congresswoman Jacky Rosen (D), who is currently running for her second term against war hero Sam Brown (R).
Despite Nevada’s consistent support for Democratic presidential candidates, the state has seen razor-thin margins in the last two elections. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) won Nevada by just over two points - a margin of about 27,000 votes out of over one million cast - and Joe Biden (D-DE) carried the Silver State by a slightly slimmer margin in 2020. Nevada was one of just six states, along with the District of Columbia, to give Trump a better margin than his 2016 showing.
Nevada’s politics comes down to two counties: Clark (Las Vegas and its suburbs) and Washoe (Reno). While Republicans have been able to win the state without Clark, Washoe is seen as a must-win county for any campaign. Washoe, along with Nevada, was once reliably Republican, having backed every GOP nominee from 1944 to 2004, with the exception of 1964. Since then, however, it has backed Democrats in every election, with the 2012, 2016, and 2020 margins being especially thin.
With a total population of about 500,000, Washoe County has a median household income of $84,183, an education rate of 35% (Bachelor’s or higher), and an employment rate of 62.6%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 25% of the Washoe population is Hispanic or Latino of any race.
A Trump win in Nevada consists of significantly courting the Latino population and taking a decent share of the suburban, educated electorate. Capitalizing on the state’s slow response and recovery period from the COVID-19 Pandemic will also likely help him with the state’s vibrant tourism and entertainment industries, a facet of the 2022 gubernatorial campaign that escorted Sisolak out of office.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ (D-CA) strategy would simply be to hold the bottom line and ensure turnout does not dip below what it was in 2016. A narrow win in Washoe for Trump, along with decent turnout in Las Vegas and/ or the rural areas, would likely mean he would clinch the state’s six electoral votes.
For either campaign, speaking on a message of community values can be challenging in some parts
in certain areas.
We spoke to some residents in Reno to get a bigger picture of where the state might be headed, as well as to afford to our readers a boots-on-the-ground picture of one of the nation’s most hotly contested battlegrounds.
“The old Democrats who used to care about the United States have switched over to this socialist agenda,” Val Wagner, a forty-nine-year Reno resident told The Messenger as she was waiting in line for the Friday Trump rally.
Wagner said she was a registered Democrat who backed Al Gore (D-TN) in the 2000 election, but switched her registration with the presentation of John Kerry (DMA) as the 2004 nominee.
“John Kerry scared me,” said Wagner, as one of the two reasons she switched her registration. “The other is I stopped watching our local news because they wouldn’t give both sides of any story. That’s when I decided I needed to vote down the ballot for Republicans.”
Wagner said she was “excited” about Trump’s 2016 candidacy.
“Finally, we have a businessman who’s going to run the largest business of our country, which is our country itself,” said Wagner. “I don’t think the politicians should be there [Washington]; it needs to be businessmen like Trump.”
Wagner added that getting her finger on the pulse of the electorate is complicated, as she believes people are afraid of putting out lawn signs supporting the former president.
“After 2020, people got really scared of repercussions if they supported him. I think more people support him, but they’re not willing to say anything,” said Wagner, who referenced verbal abuse and/or berating that she has personally experienced from Democratic family members.
Wagner also believes Trump has a “realistic shot” at both Washoe and Clark counties and adds that she thinks the Silver State will flip red in November. She stated the “defining issue” of this election as national security.
“I fear that we’re going to be taken over by anyone and
country,” said Wagner, fearing a gradual “internal social takeover.”
Wagner offered a final interesting point: Even if Trump wins, she believes the U.S. is headed for a large-scale internal conflict.
“But I think he [Trump] has a better chance of stopping it,” said Wagner.
The Messenger also spoke with John Parrish, a State Republican Committeeman from Carson City.
“We’re not nervous so much as we are concerned,” said Parrish. “We’ve got the lead, but it’s a critical election. Harris and Walz are extremely liberal and Harris wasn’t really vetted [as a candidate]. We have the most liberal Senator and Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), who is extremely liberal. They could change the fabric of our nation if they get in. We really want to win and win fairly.”
Parrish also spoke of Trump’s chances in Nevada, as it’s one of the only states in which Democratic support is regularly underestimated in pre-election polling, as of the last several cycles.
“If all the Republicans in Nevada’s rural counties voted, they could sweep the state and beat Clark [County],” said Parrish. “The numbers are with us.”
Parrish added that he personally thinks Trump has an 80% chance of winning Nevada, but remains optimistic that Trump has the advantage nonetheless.
“I’m encouraged,” said Parrish, based on what he has seen as a state GOP committeeman.
Just over the border in Truckee, California, The Messenger spoke with a Harris supporter, who also lives in Reno.
“Mr. Trump pretty much has Nevada locked up,” said Merritt Weisinger, a four-year resident of Sparks. Despite being a Democrat, he thinks Trump will “absolutely” carry the state. Weisinger thinks that the “big” race is the one between Senator Rosen and Sam Brown, which he believes will go to Rosen.
Weisinger likens Trump’s support across rural Nevada to campaigning on issues that affect the inner-cities, such as homelessness and migrants, two key issues that he argues the rural Nevadans are “not used to.” He also posited that “most of the people” in Las Vegas are likely from California.
“The fact is that these problems don’t go away just because you live in a rural area,” said Weisinger.
He also says that Trump’s “big lie” about the 2020 election allegedly being stolen is giving him enough lift to get his Nevada campaign off the ground.
“If the lie is big enough, people believe it,” said Weisinger. Weisinger has been a registered Democrat for over ten years, after having previously been a registered Republican who voted for Ronald Reagan (R-CA). He is a former resident of the San Francisco Bay Area who retired four years ago after a fifty-year career practicing law. He concedes that the homelessness issue in San Francisco is “intolerable” and retired to Sparks due to familiarity with the area and friends in town.
With the election just weeks away, states like Nevada will continue to be a lightning rod for both campaigns as they make their final pitches to the American electorate.
Credit: Ashley Chindamo
Published
Due To Inflation, Americans Are Spending More Under Biden-Harris Than They Have In Decades
By Paul Ingrassia | AMAC Contributor
Inflation has been a constant headache all throughout the Biden-Harris years, which have observed everything — from the price of groceries to gasoline to electricity —skyrocket to decades (and by some estimates, even century) highs. While record-setting inflation has been perhaps the most defining hallmark of this miserable era in our politics, Americans are only now beginning to fully grapple with the scope of the harm wrought by “Biden/ Kamala-nomics,” which is sure to have a lasting toll on our economy. For example, over the past four years, a $100,000 income is now only worth $83,000 per year – a whopping 17% decrease in value! In just the four-year period in which Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have occupied the Oval Office, the dollar has lost 4.3% of its total value per year — and that’s the government’s own, trumped-up numbers. The real costs have been even worse.
Although Biden-Harris administration officials try to patch over these damning figures by claiming that inflation has cooled in recent months, that only tells part of the story. As the old saying goes, a halftruth is often a whole lie. What they fail to remind everyone is that inflation is cumulative – even though the rate might have slowed down ever slightly, its cumulative effect cannot be wished away. And since there hasn’t been deflation, prices remain higher now than they were a year ago — and much higher compared to when President Trump departed office.
As inflation has skyrocketed at home, this reckless administration’s response has been to send the money printers on overdrive. The current administration has used these funds not to invest in domestic businesses, but to fuel the war machine — as Biden’s latest blank check to Zelensky goes to show. While the Ukrainians, Chinese, and Mexicans receive hundreds of millions from American taxpayers, millions of our own citizens still languish in Hurricane-ravaged states like North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia – our government is hardly able to scrap together a measly $750 to help them out. The effects of inflation in America have touched every aspect of day-to-day life: energy prices have quadrupled, car insurance has quintupled, while foodstuffs like coffee and eggs have risen by a staggering seventy percent.
The toll on the American consumer has been the most devastating. Americans now increasingly fear a Weimar Germany or Venezuelan-type situation where inflation, the result of too many dollars chasing too few goods, continues to spiral out of control, forcing either the Federal Reserve to implement dramatic rate hikes, and potentially kick off a recession. Or be pressured to do nothing (or lower rates further still), which comes with an outsized risk of triggering an inflationary firestorm, when inflation slips beyond the control of policymakers.
The correction to this disaster scenario naturally involves a prudent monetary policy coupled with an administration devoted to fiscal responsibility. However, that will not happen unless Donald Trump, who pledges to reduce taxes dramatically and downsize the scale of government – including putting a full stop to the winless overseas conflicts that have drained the American taxpayer of vital resources at home – gets re-elected on November 5th. Indeed, the 45th President has even proposed teaming up with Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, to establish some sort of “government efficiency” commission (better late than never!). This commission would be dedicated to cutting wasteful regulations based on frivolous environmental and equity-based policies, which do nothing but stifle growth and dampen American prosperity.
However, even with President Trump’s return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Americans will still be contending with the financial fallout emanating from the most economically reckless administration in our history for a period of time. Under the BidenHarris regime (a more appropriate word for an administration of doubtful legitimacy), $8 trillion has been added to America’s national debt. $4.3 trillion of that total has come over the last year alone,
ballooning the total debt in size to nearly $36 trillion, or 124% of total GDP.
Indeed, the United States is on a precarious economic course, one whose future is more uncertain than at any time in modern history. Simultaneously, rather than implement fiscally responsible measures, the Democrats have taken a far leap leftward, proposing dyed-in-the-wool communist policies like taxes on unrealized capital gains, a surefire economy wrecker, which would send America onto the road to serfdom. If, for instance, Americans were all forced by their government to pay taxes on unrealized capital gains from investments in stocks, bonds, and other asset classes, it would trigger a panic selling of untold proportions – ending in an apocalyptic market crash. Donald Trump, on the contrary, has pledged not to tax
Overview - AMACThe Association of Mature American Citizens
The Association of Mature American Citizens represents Americans 50 plus. AMAC is centered on American values, freedom of the individual, free speech, and exercise of religion, equality of opportunity, sanctity of life, rule of law, and love of family, with benefits at all levels.
AMAC plays a vital role in helping build the services that will enrich the lives of America’s seniors. AMAC Action, a 501 (C)(4) advocates for issues important to AMAC’s membership on Capitol Hill and locally through grassroots activism. To Learn more, visit amac.us
social security, hospitality tips, overtime payments, and even deductions on automobile loans. All these things are oriented with a singular objective: to empower the American consumer, who will in turn have more cash on hand to help fuel our embattled economy. He has also pledged to rein in The Federal Reserve, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and myriad other three-letter agencies that have fought tooth and nail over the past four years to make life harder for Americans – whether by deploying armed agents on political dissidents, as the IRS actively seems to be preparing to do, or by clamping down on crypto, Bitcoin, and other emerging alternative asset classes, which the SEC has done, squelching growth and innovation in the process. The result of this keeps more Americans poorer and dependent on Big Brother.
20 Bits & Pieces
WORD OF THE Week DERELICTION
Origin: late 16th century: from Latin derelictio(n-), from the verb derelinquere
Synonyms: disrepair (sense 1), negligence (sense 2), failure
Noun
Pronounced: deh·ruh·lik·shn
Definition: the state of having been abandoned and become dilapidated; the shameful failure to fulfill one’s obligations.
Example: “The recent indictment from the District Attorney highlights public corruption and a dereliction of duty.”
Antonyms: fulfillment, attention, care
Source: Oxford Languages
S
H K L M A I
See how many words you can create. Must have center letter in word and can use letters more than once. 4 letter word minimum.
SUDOKU
See bottom left for the answers (please don’t cheat!)
This Week in History
October 19, 1983: U.S. Senate establishes Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday, observed on the third Monday in January (on or near his January 15 birthday).
October 23, 1981: U.S. national debt hits $1 trillion.
October 18, 1867: U.S. takes formal possession of Alaska from Russia, after paying $7.2 million in the Alaska Purchase.
October 20, 2020: U.S. Justice Department sues Google for holding an illegal monopoly on search advertising.
October 17, 1973: OPEC oil ministers use oil as an economic weapon in the ArabIsraeli War, mandating a cut in exports and recommending an embargo against unfriendly states.
October 21, 1858: Jacques Offenbach’s operetta “Orpheus in the Underworld” premieres in Paris, includes “Infernal Galop” (Can-Can tune).
October 22, 1884: International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C. adopts Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) worldwide, creating 24 international time zones with longitude zero at the Greenwich meridian.
Messenger Perspective
Park Right on Main Street
By PJ Balzer
Well before the “shop local and shop small” movement sprang up, I’ve fully known and have seen the benefits of supporting a local business. My parents have made a living most of my life out of a small “Mom and Pop” clothing store, a store so small that it’s extremely possible to miss on the way to Kohl’s or Walmart. Yet local people, and one friend telling another friend, have caused their business to both survive and thrive.
The inside and outside of the store aren’t fancy or trendy. There are stores not far from us that are, but that’s just not us or our selling point. We buy inexpensive, sell our items inexpensive, and keep our overhead low. This has allowed us not to raise our prices much when everyone else has had to. After decades in business, we are still the store where you can find a Christmas gift for ten dollars.
We live a few miles from where we have our business. We understand the community we sell to, its concerns, needs, and changing demographics. My siblings and I played sports on the same teams as many of our customers. We often spend time reminiscing with our customers about those times while we help them find their size. We buy our neighbors kids chocolate bars, raffle tickets, and coupon books, all because we love our community and its people. To us it’s not only about making a living, it’s about being a vital part of the place we live.
A few miles down the road, you can find several big chain stores. You can run in and quickly grab the items you need. You don’t have to have any human contact or conversation while you ring up your own items at the self-checkout. Easy, fast, convenient, and making an unknown CEO richer by the moment, someone you’ll most likely never meet and will never know your name.
We have one small, older model register in the corner of our small store. We know most of our customers by first name and if we don’t, we’ll at least offer you a kind greeting and some casual small talk. It’s not rare to hear, “Charlie, that extra-large charcoal colored hoodie just came in.”
During the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, we nearly shut our doors for good. People weren’t coming out to shop, especially in small places like ours. They were nervous to be in such a small room with a non-family member, even with both having a mask on. In the midst of that long customer drought,
we had a pickup truck pull up to our storage unit in the middle of the night. A man exited the truck, carved a hole in our storage and loaded up thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise. He drove away and was never caught.
Discouraged, overwhelmed, and seriously considering having one last sale just to get rid of whatever merchandise wasn’t stolen before closing down, we reluctantly decided to take our most recent woes to social media. We put up a post about the recent robbery in the midst of the COVID struggles of a small business. In what we would consider a modern-day miracle, that one post totally revived and helped revamp our business.
What happened next always reminds me of the final and heartwarming scene in the timeless Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” People came from up and down the island to support us and help us keep our doors open. People and families we haven’t seen in years visited our business to do purposeful, intentional early Christmas shopping. That social media post not only kept our business alive during some dark days, it also reconnected us with a lot of old friends from Floral Park all the way to Montauk. We once more came to understand why small businesses are the very heartbeat of a community.
As the holiday season is rapidly approaching, don’t forget to get out there and “Park Right on Main Street.” There are small store fronts right in your community and mine that are counting on us walking through their doors in the next few months. Some are even praying for a miracle. In some cases, it may cost a few dollars extra to support them, but you are supporting a family that may sit next to you at your child’s sports event or chorus concert.
In my opinion and personal experience, that is money so well spent.
The Girls of Hauppauge-Smithtown Varsity Swimming: A Dynasty in the Making
By Ashley Pavlakis
Long Island is surrounded by water, so naturally people have gotten fairly good at swimming. If we’re talking about the shared varsity swim team for Hauppauge-Smithtown High Schools, they’re simply unmatched. The team is in a lane of their own, looking for a fourth straight championship this season.
The team is led by head coach Richard Lionetti, who serves on the Girls Swimming & Diving Committee for Section XI in the New York State High School Public Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA). Lionetti has coached at Hauppauge for twenty-two years.
“Yeah, it’s kind of fun. We took our lumps early on, we weren’t that good. We’ve had kids make county and qualify for county. We’ve had some good competitive kids but we haven’t had the horses that we do now,” said Lionetti.
In 2021, both Smithtown and Hauppauge High schools merged to form one team. The merger benefited both teams as Hauppauge needed more swimmers and Smithtown needed a pool. Combining the two teams has worked out for both parties regarding scheduling, a diverse pool of swimmers to choose from, and the social aspect has increased for the girls on the team.
“Their numbers were dwindling, our numbers were dwindling, and financially I think the districts decided we might as well combine. It’s been a great merger, the kids all get along because they all swim together in club,” said Lionetti.
The team has taken home titles three years in a row in both League One and County, going undefeated in the two categories since 2021. Since then, the team has had 31 consecutive wins.
“I think it’s a testament to how hard the kids work. It’s a tradition that the other kids will uphold, they’re not only swimming for themselves but they swim for the team, and they push each other. That’s the best part about our team, we help each other. When you do that, you don’t want to let your other friend down,” Lionetti told The Messenger. Lionetti has a diverse group of girls that can go into a meet and compete in all aspects. His teams’ strengths fall on the underclassmen as they graduated 12 seniors last year.
“Most of the kids that swim on the team are already club swimmers, they have the background and they’re going to swim.
We have [roughly] 33 kids on the team, and we can get them all into a meet so that everybody can swim, which is the best part about swimming. Everybody has an opportunity to swim at every meet,” said Lionetti.
Lionetti echoed the importance of what it means to have good qualities in a teammate.
“You want somebody that’s coachable, willing to take constructive criticism, a person you’re able to push to be their best, and wants to be pushed to be their best. You want somebody to be a good teammate, you want somebody to buy into what we’re selling. It’s about the team, it’s not about you, sometimes you have to make sacrifices,” said Lionetti.
GET THE FACTS ON TOWNLINE RAIL
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) has approved the Townline Rail application for a 5,000-foot rail line onto the CarlsonCorp property in Kings Park.
During a thorough Environmental Assessment, the STB addressed questions and concerns raised by residents. Unfortunately, misinformation continues to circulate in the community. You can read the STB’s full environmental findings by scanning the QR Code below.
HazMat Because the Town of Smithtown and the State DEC have jurisdiction over the transloading facility and will not permit hazardous materials to be transloaded at the facility, materials such as chlorine, petroleum products, or other hazardous chemicals will not be transloaded on or off of rail cars coming in and out of Townline Rail.
Hours of Operation Loading and unloading of material will take place under our permitted hours of operation Monday through Saturday with one train per day in and out; this will not be a 24/7 facility.
Truck Traffic Transportation of sand, gravel, and other materials to the industries along Old Northport Road by rail reduces truck traffic into the area from other locations. Shipping ash and construction debris off Long Island by rail significantly reduces truck traffic on our major highways.
Environment The STB’s analysis states that with mitigation measures that we have agreed to, there will be minimal to no adverse environmental impacts (EA at pg. iii) and “no impacts on groundwater.” (EA at pg. 50)
Zoning The Town of Smithtown updated Master Plan acknowledges the history of Old Northport Road as an industrial corridor which contributes to the local economy and states this area is not for residential development.
The best option for the future
Credit: Ashley Pavlakis
BROOKHAVEN LAW ENFORCEMENT CANDIDATES NICK LALOTA
for US CONGRESS - NY 1
ANTHONY PALUMBO
for NY Senate, 1st District
ED FLOOD
for NY Assembly, 4th District
CANDIDATES WHO SUPPORT LAW AND ORDER
Andrew Garbarino - US Congress 2
Dean Murray - NY Senate 3
Stephen Kiely - Assembly 1
Jodi Giglio - Assembly 2
Joseph DeStefano - Assembly 3
Doug Smith - Assembly 5
Jarett Gandolfo - Assembly 7