The 2025 campaign season’s top race just became slightly clearer as District Attorney Ray Tierney (R) announced to a fired-up room of bipartisan supporters that he will, indeed, be seeking a second term.
Tierney became the County’s top prosecutor in 2021, when he ousted one-term incumbent D.A. Tim Sini (D) in a landslide victory of just under eleven points, a large margin that spoke more of a referendum on crime and safety in Suffolk County, compounded by the fact that Sini had be elected to the open seat vacated by the scandal-plagued Tom Spota (D) in 2017 by a landslide win of 62% over Raymond Perini (R).
With his 2021 win, Tierney returned control of Suffolk’s D.A.’s office to the GOP for the first time in nearly twenty years.
Continued on page 4
D.A. Tierney Launches 2025 Re-Election Campaign Investigation of Abuse at Holtsville Ecology Site
The Harold H. Malkmes Wildlife Education and Ecology Center, better known as the Holtsville Ecology Site, is a park and zoo operated by the Town of Brookhaven Highway Department. The park offers free admission to the public, while housing over one hundred injured, socially handicapped, or otherwise non-releasable wild and farm animals. Over the years, the site has held mountain lions, lynxes, goats, llamas, eagles, deer, peacocks, emus, mainstay farm animals, as well as greenhouses, a picnic area, a pool, and playground. The site is known for its holiday light shows and its Groundhog Day celebrations with Holtsville Hal.
The site was also well known for its famed black bear that roamed its own large enclosure towards the eastern part of the site. That bear, Honey, unfortunately, seems to be the lynchpin of an investigation called for by Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches).
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Honey the bear
(Credit - Holtsville Ecology Site & Animal Preserve Facebook)
By Matt Meduri CreditMatt Meduri
D.A. Tierney announces his re-election candidacy on Tuesday afternoon in Riverhead
Community Spotlight
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Kayla Masotto Honored for Daring Christmas Rescue
By Matt Meduri
It was just the day after Christmas when Mastic Beach resident Kayla Masotto performed a daring rescue on the icy waters of the Poospatuck River that afternoon.
What started as a typical post-holiday afternoon quickly became a life-or-death situation. Masotto had observed a man on a jet ski in the creek behind her house. She had gone into her backyard to ask him if he needed assistance, to which he responded that he needed none, only for her to go back inside and witness the jet ski begin to smoke and sink beneath the ice.
A lifelong enthusiast of the water, Masotto instinctively grabbed her paddleboard and took to the water to render aid, only to find that her board wasn’t getting traction on the ice, which had already developed about “no more than an inch in thickness” at that point, according to twenty-eight-year-old Masotto.
“I learned from my friend at the fire department that I could distribute my weight evenly across the ice,” Masotto told reporters during a December 30 press conference at the Mastic Beach Fire Department, adding that this method allowed her to get the board out to the man stuck in the ice.
Masotto found that the situation was much more life-or-death for how quickly it had unfolded, as the man told her that his fingers “weren’t working,” nor could he feel his hands and legs. At this point, hypothermia had already set in, and that the endangered man couldn’t break his way through the ice to free himself. The man was winterizing the jet ski and had told Masotto at the scene that he thought he was going to die. Despite attempting to winterize the jet ski, the man was not wearing a life jacket, nor did he know how to swim.
“This gentleman was already experiencing the early effects of hypothermia and thanks to Kayla’s actions, will be okay after being evaluated at a local hospital,” the Mastic Beach Fire Department wrote in a statement.
Bystanders at the nearby marina threw a rope to Masotto, effectively saving them both from the conditions.
Masotto was honored by Suffolk County for her life-saving actions and was presented with a proclamation by Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) for her selflessness.
“Everyone says that I’m a hero, but I’m just a girl, a person, a neighbor, a daughter, and I’m here,” said Masotto, adding that the receiving the accolades are “awkward, to be honest,” as
she believes that in a “case of life or death or minutes, everyone should do their part.”
“You can’t fall into the bystander effect, especially in this world. And I would think that if that was my family member, someone else would do the same thing.”
When asked if she was scared during the events of the rescue, Masotto said that the adrenaline is something she was surprised to witness in the recording of the rescue that her sister took from the house.
“When I look at the video, I am shocked about the adrenaline. Usually in the summer, when I’m paddleboarding, it takes a lot of effort for me to even lift that paddleboard,” said Masotto, adding that she was able to lift and maneuver the eight-foottall board up and out of the basement into the backyard, despite her 5’3” stature. Owing more to her adeptness in the rescue is her lifelong acquaintance with the water.
“I’m a boater, I grew up on the water. I swim, I’ve sailed; I have no fear of the water,” explained Masotto. “I knew that if I fell, I would be able to get right back up on the board, go over the poles, and get my hands up. I knew that he was in much more trouble than I would ever be.”
“Everyone says that I’m a hero, but I’m just a girl, a person, a neighbor, a daughter, and I’m here.”
- Kayla Masotto
Continued from front cover
D.A. Tierney Launches 2025 Re-Election Campaign
The 2025 campaign season’s top race just became slightly clearer as District Attorney Ray Tierney (R) announced to a fired-up room of bipartisan supporters that he will, indeed, be seeking a second term.
Tierney became the County’s top prosecutor in 2021, when he ousted one-term incumbent D.A. Tim Sini (D) in a landslide victory of just under eleven points, a large margin that spoke more of a referendum on crime and safety in Suffolk County, compounded by the fact that Sini had been elected to the open seat vacated by the scandal-plagued Tom Spota (D) in 2017 by a landslide win of 62% over Raymond Perini (R).
With his 2021 win, Tierney returned control of Suffolk’s D.A.’s office to the GOP for the first time in nearly twenty years.
The Suffolk Theater in Downtown Riverhead hosted an array of County, Town, and State officials, including Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard (R-Aquebogue) - who also led the ceremony in the Pledge of Allegiance - Suffolk County Republican Party Chairman Jesse Garcia (R-Ridge), Suffolk County Conservative Party Chairman Mike Torres, County Clerk Vincent Puleo (R-Nesconset), County Comptroller John Kennedy (R-Nesconset), Assemblyman Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills), Senator Mario Mattera (R-St. James), Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R-Kings Park), members of the Suffolk County Legislature, various councilmembers from across Suffolk, and County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches), who spoke in support of Tierney ahead of the formal campaign announcement.
The Case for a Second Term
Tierney, flanked by his wife, Eric, two of his four children, Patrick and Sean, and, as the youngest of five, two of his four sisters, Joanne and Regina, laid out his record over the last three years, with still another to go in his current term.
“I’m not from a political background. I was never involved in politics; I was never a member of a political party,” said Tierney.
“But the people of Suffolk County put their trust in me and I’m so grateful to those supporters for standing behind me and coming up with constructive criticism, as well as ways we can do better.”
Within the D.A.’s office, Tierney outlined the re-establishment of the Homicide Bureau, the formation of the Gang Bureau - an “actual” Gang Bureau, Tierney notes, that “follows the violence in our streets.” The office also took a “task force approach” to the Gilgo Beach investigations, after only a year of which was a suspect - Rex Heuermann - produced. Since the July 2023 cracking of a stubborn cold case and of one of the most high-profile serial killings in the country, the D.A.’s office has alleged Heuermann’s responsibility in seven of the Gilgo Beach murders, including those of the original “Gilgo Four.” Other victims’ fates are still being investigated by the department.
“Our District Attorney has contributed to much to Suffolk County. We need people who are going to make sure that the laws are enforced, that criminals pay a price, and that the public is protected,” said Romaine. “That’s exactly what Ray Tierney. He is a great District Attorney and he will go down as one of our greatest district attorneys in terms of justice and fairness.”
D.A. Tierney was introduced on stage by two people with whom he has worked closely since last year.
Gene and Sue Murray have been steadfast advocates in campaigning for more effective laws to curtail the deadly scourge of opiates into Suffolk’s communities. Their daughter, Chelsey, tragically had her life cut short in 2022 due to a fatal mix of fentanyl and heroin. Tierney successfully prosecuted Jaquan Casserly, the defendant who sold Murray the lethal cocktail. He received ten years in prison and five years of post-release supervision.
However, the true work has come in the form of lobbying Albany to pass “Chelsey’s Law,” a bill crafted with Tierney’s input and sponsored by Assemblyman Stern. The bill would increase penalties on dealers who knowingly sell controlled substances that are likely to result in the death of another person.
“We’re just regular people, we’re not involved in politics or anything,” said Gene Murray, recounting how their proximity to such a pressing issue began in 2012, when they lost their son, Michael, to a drug overdose.
“Nothing happened,” said Gene. “Fast-forward to August of 2022, and our daughter Chelsey overdosed on fentanyl. We contacted the police, they did an investigation, and the D.A.’s office is in touch with us all the time. We met with him when he decided to introduce Chelsey’s Law, named after our daughter. Ray [Tierney] didn’t know us, but he cares about the people of this county. We’ve been to Albany with him and we see the amount of work he puts in behind the scenes. I don’t think that anybody else would be doing that for the residents of Suffolk County.”
Tierney then took the stage, calling the Murrays “emblematic of the victims’ families” that he and his team have come to know over the last three years since he took office.
“They’ve taken this personal tragedy and turned it into action, and the only thing they ask is that they don’t want another family to go through what they have.”
Tierney thanked his many inspirations and teammates, especially his executive team, Chief Assistant D.A. Allen Bode, and the various law enforcement agencies of Suffolk. Tierney also mentioned Officer Brendan Gallagher, who sustained heavy injuries after a high-speed, Sunday-evening chase near Exit 55 on the Long Island Expressway resulted in the reckless driver side-swiping Gallagher’s vehicle, causing him to careen off the side of the road and into a tree.
“The bare bones were there, but what was missing was a comprehensive approach and proper leadership,” said Tierney. “This is how we were going to treat not only a case such as Gilgo, but all of our cases. All of our cases resemble Gilgo in the level of comprehension, comprehensive preparation, investigation, and litigation that we do.”
Tierney referenced quality-of-life crimes that he immediately took to addressing upon taking the oath of office, such as organized retail theft and catalytic converter thefts, the former of which has been facilitated by wiretaps and a State RICO investigation, while both, Tierney says, weren’t just handled through “press conferences,” arrests were made and defendants were sentenced to “Upstate jail.”
“If you want to go into a store and you want to take whatever you want; if you want to impede those merchants’ ability to make a living; if you want to raise the prices of consumer goods; if you want to have stores shut down in compromised communities so the people in those communities aren’t able to shop, you’re going to bear the consequences of that,” asserted Tierney.
Tierney also said that his office has helped craft beneficial legislation, something he “never thought he would do.”
“In thirty years as a prosecutor, you’re taught that you go to court, you try your case, you investigate your cases, whatever the outcome is, you move on, keep your mouth shut, and try your cases,” said Tierney. “But what I soon realized once I got to this office, it was necessary for me to speak out because when you talk about socalled criminal justice reform, bail reform, or discovery reform, they were enacted with a lie. Those laws do not make us more safe; they do the very opposite. And until they’re changed, I’m going to keep on talking about it. I will not stop talking about it.”
Aside from Tierney’s steadfastness in speaking out against counterproductive criminal justice reform passed in Albany, other legislative initiatives from the D.A. include reimbursement penalties for those convicted of illegal dumping of waste in Suffolk, and the epidemic of illegal street racing, to which the County Legislature responded with a bipartisan bill to increase such penalties. Members of the Suffolk delegation to Albany promised in October to carry a similar bill this year.
“We have fought the opioid overdose crisis; we reinvented and reinvigorated our Overdose Task Force, our East End Drug Task Force, and our Fentanyl Task Force,” said Tierney. “We started a community outreach program with zero dollars and then we allocated the funds to it; now, we have a robust community outreach program.”
Tierney said the importance of such a program is needed to “introduce ourselves to the community,” and that it “allows them to have faith in what we do.”
“We have to educate our young people, our elderly, with regard to what’s happening out there, how they can keep themselves safe,” said Tierney, adding that accountability comes with showing the receipts and proof of concept to residents, even when the news from the D.A.’s office is positive.
“It’s one thing to do it [the job]; it’s another to hold yourself accountable to the
Continued on following page
Tierney joined by his family and Executive Romaine (Credit - Matt Meduri)
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D.A. Tierney Launches 2025 Re-Election Campaign
public, and we’re always going to do that. The very least we can do is hold ourselves accountable to the public and to let them know that we are going to enforce the law in a fair and evenhanded manner,” said Tierney.
Tierney outlined the robust units that were rolled out under his leadership, adding that “starting from scratch” in the D.A.’s office isn’t similar to “remodelling a home,” wherein everyone moves out, renovations are made, and everyone moves back in.
“You’ve got to change on the fly,” said Tierney, sharing that, despite the constant momentum of his office, the department was able to unveil a Bias Crimes Unit, an Animal Crimes Unit, and Environmental Crimes Unit, and a Human Trafficking Unit, owing to the help of his executive staff.
Statistics
Tierney shared some public safety numbers that he proudly delivered as proof of his effectiveness after just one term, and as proof of concept for another four years. He recounted the pushback he received from some officials in starting a ShotSpotter program, a gunshot detection system that uses microphones and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to identify and locate gunfire in real time. Information is relayed directly to law enforcement. Tierney revealed that some were skeptical of the program, as collecting gun violence statistics would make the County and its various departments “look bad.”
“If we address the problem, it won’t matter what the numbers are, because we’ll have the results,” said Tierney, stating from 2023 to 2024, shooting victims dropped 33%. In the two years prior to his oath of office, Suffolk saw eighty (80) shooting incidents per year. The average number between 2022 and 2024 was forty-six (46) shootings. In the past year, Suffolk saw twenty-six incidents.
Tierney shared additional figures: the number of persons shot fell from eighty-four in 2021 to thirty-two in 2024 - a 62% decrease. Incidents of shots fired, regardless of those shots produced victims and without ShotSpotter, was 280. In 2024, with ShotSpotter, the number fell to ninety incidents - a 68% decrease.
The homicide rate fell about 39% this year, cratering at just fifteen homicides this year, the lowest rate in Suffolk County since the State began keeping that statistic in 1960.
The overall crime rate per 100,000 residents is 89. For perspective, the rate in Nassau County is 162.2; Westchester, 167.7; Albany, 397.2; Queens, 526.3.
“Suffolk County is the safest ‘big county’ in the State and one of the safest ‘big counties’ in the nation,” said Tierney. “And to my earlier critics who said, ‘you shouldn’t do ShotSpotter because it will make you look bad:’ if you do your jobs properly, everyone will look good.”
Looking Forward
Tierney spared no expense in decrying the criminal justice reforms passed by the State Legislature, adding his views on what he as a County prosecutor would need to make the work for his department easier.
“Let prosecutors argue dangerousness. Don’t let discovery reform affect cases; don’t let cases be dismissed on petty procedural grounds. Let all cases be discovered on the merits. It’s an easy fix to change our speedy trial statute,” said Tierney.
Tierney also hopes for more clarity on regulations regarding driving while intoxicated on marijuana, an offense that can be difficult for officers with which to charge a driver based on grounds of probable cause and insufficient methods of testing intoxication.
“We’re not asking for an enhanced penalty for our driving-while-drugged laws. We just want to treat drugged driving like we treat drunk driving; it doesn’t mean we’re anti-alcohol. It doesn’t mean we’re anti-marijuana; we’re pro-public safety.”
Tierney says that while the Suffolk delegation to the Assembly and Senate have been “great partners” in advocating for such State changes and bringing legislation to the floor, the Legislature at-large has not been proactive in passing such bills.
Tierney also pledged to continue fighting for the passage of Chelsey’s Law, as
“we need to reflect what’s happening on our streets. We need to have our laws reflect what’s happening in our communities.”
D.A. Tierney closed by thanking the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), represented Tuesday afternoon by Deputy Commissioners Kevin Catalina and Belinda Alvarez-Groneman, as well as Lou Civello, President of the Suffolk Police Benevolent Association (PBA). He owes the SCPD “99%” of his department’s success in prosecuting their cases and making Suffolk safer. He also thanked the Medical Examiner’s Office and the Crime Lab for their work in this era of cold cases and the opioid epidemic.
“Our homicides in 2024 were fifteen (15); historically low, but still too high,” said Tierney, and while overdose numbers for 2024 are not yet prepared, the 2023 figure serves as a decent metric.
“We have 465 overdose deaths, and each of those individuals mattered. We will continue to fight for those individuals. We’re going to continue to work to make Suffolk County safe and we will work to make law enforcement fair, accountable, and effective. We’re going to do that not just for the North Shore, the South Shore, the East End, or the West End. We are going to do those things for all of Suffolk County.”
Tierney now has just one year left in his first term and will be on the ballot this November with the Republican and Conservative lines for another four years.
The laughs. It’s every special moment.
The Moloney Family
Gene and Sue Murray (Credit - Matt Meduri)
Republicans Avoid a PR Nightmare and Prove They Can Handle Their Mandate
Republicans in Congress have successfully avoided a massive public relations nightmare by electing a Speaker on the first ballot, with relatively little intraparty fighting visible to the public.
The significance of this cannot be understated. Voters gave Donald Trump (RFL) a clear win - while we won’t go as far as to classify it as a landslide, it was still a definitive win of historic proportions in many parts of the country - along with a Republican-led Senate and a Republican-led House. There wasn’t much of a question of leadership in the Senate. Not only did Republicans have their eyes on John Thune (R-SD) as the new Majority Leader over the clearly ailing and aged Mitch McConnell (R-KY), but, in relative terms, they have a much more robust majority in their chamber than their counterparts in the House. Their 53-seat majority is the largest any party has had in the Senate since Republicans flipped four seats - for a net gain of two - in 2018. While not a massive majority, at least compared to Democrats’ 57-seat majority in 2008, it’s majority that will likely be more conducive to their agenda.
68th Congress in 1923 was the last time it took more than one ballot to elect a speaker, and the 36th Congress in 1859 was the last time it took more than nine ballots to elect a speaker. For context and trivia purposes, the record is 133 ballots during the 34th Congress in 1855, owing to sectional conflicts over slavery, anti-immigration, and the collapse of the Whig Party in favor of the nascent Republican Party.
In short, Republicans’ displays in January 2023 handed voters a difficult pill to swallow regarding their ability to govern and agree to disagree to keep the House in session. Republicans then committed another PR misstep in October 2023, by moving to vacate the Speaker’s chair - the first such occurrence in American history - a move which precipitated four rounds of votes until the GOP unified around Mike Johnson.
A big question going into this year was just how an even thinner Republican House majority would play out, especially with Trump’s populism coming to roost in a little over a week and intraparty fighting over a spending package to avert a government shutdown.
Republicans also successfully defended all of their seats in one cycle for the first time since 2014, which is somewhat owed to the rotation of seats up this year, but still speaks to the mandate nonetheless, in our opinion.
The House, on the other hand, has been decided by historically tenuous margins in each cycle since 2020. Republicans defied media expectations of a Democratic wave in the House to cement their 235-majority, only to leave Democrats clinging to a 222-seat quorum. Democrats returned the favor by defying the midterm curse and holding Republicans to an identical margin. This year, it was even thinner, with the GOP packing just a 220-seat majority.
The 2022 midterms were seen as wholly damaging to the GOP’s electoral prospects, as Democrats not only carried the single-issue banner of abortion across the finish line, but Trump-aligned or endorsed candidates lost easily winnable races. It was the left’s proof of concept that Trump, his allies, his surrogates, or even just his policies and persona, were unelectable. It’s what made them bullish on Harris and company’s prospects in 2024, but the momentum didn’t carry over.
Instead, Trump scored a historic win and perhaps the most extraordinary phoenix-from-the-ashes comeback this country has seen, at least politically, Republicans created a firm lock on the Senate that might be tough for Democrats to pick over the next couple of cycles, and a House majority, albeit a razor-thin one.
But in the interim, Republicans had a difficult time governing with the barebones majority voters gave them in 2022. It took fifteen ballots to elect Kevin McCarthy (R, CA-20) as speaker. For context, only fourteen other speaker elections required more than one ballot, thirteen of which occurred before the Civil War. The
Despite these contentions, Johnson took the gavel on the first try, allowing the party to display that they can agree to disagree on some differences, especially when it means demonstrating to the American public their ability to manage themselves. After all, a party that can’t manage itself doesn’t exactly make a good case for managing the country.
But despite the obvious objections of certain party members, especially between those of the House Freedom Caucus and the more “establishment” wing of the party, it’s a breath of fresh air to see a party disagree.
That’s the point. Parties are supposed to disagree. They’re not supposed to toe every line and rubber stamp every bill. Disagreement and even discord, at times, is what drives genuine conversations and change. In a way, Republicans can also demonstrate strength through leading by example, as Americans are unlikely to agree on certain hot-button issues, but still need to keep the presses running and the lights on.
It’s also refreshing to see Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elon Musk, Cenk Uygur - creator and host of The Young Turks, a progressive alternative media source - and Donald Trump, Jr., all agreeing on X, formerly known as Twitter, than that Pentagon requires some serious scrutiny. After failing massive audits for the better part of the last decade, it’s an unusual, and equally welcome, solution to solving our nation’s biggest problems.
We might not agree on everything, but putting away the 95% of items on which we disagree and working together to solve the 5% on which we do agree is an excellent start.
The Holtsville Ecology Site CAN Be Done Correctly
Many remember the Holtsville Ecology Site as a nostalgic zoo to which the kids could be brought to tour the greenhouse, feed the goats, and view unusual species from around the country, and even the world, all in a taxpayer-funded center conveniently located in the hamlet of Holtsville.
To boot, the original premise of the site is an admirable one: housing injured, socially incompatible, or otherwise unreleasable animals into the wild. It’s a concept that we can get behind, especially in light of the points made by opponents of for-profit zoos. It provides a similar level of entertainment and education but with a more humanitarian aspect.
Unfortunately, it seems the center has long eclipsed its heyday. If these allegations are true - although the photo evidence is fairly damning - then it is a complete travesty that the animals were as neglected as they were for as long as they were. Furthermore, should the allegations be proven, it’s a further travesty that such a great concept right in our own backyards couldn’t uphold its very basic creed.
We agree that an investigation is necessary and we hope for a speedy, transparent one.
However, we don’t think this has to be the end of the Holtsville Ecology Site. The proof of concept is there, as similar sites across the country operate
professionally, and again, why can’t we have an educational community center that can benefit the residents and animals simultaneously?
After the review is complete, leadership of the Ecology Site proper should be dealt with accordingly, whether that entails criminal charges or public admonishment. The punishment should fit the crime, and we’re sure there have been a lot of moving parts within the facility for years for it to have gotten this bad.
But once the house - and the center - are cleaned, both figuratively and literally, the site should be remediated and returned to the public for their own enjoyment, but also as a legitimate haven for unreleasable animals.
This can be done. Granted, it might take time for the Town to find and vet the proper candidates, but zoologists, animal behaviorists, veterinarians, surgeons, and even the assistants should all be top-shelf to continue the great work that can be done with this type of facility. Habitats should simulate natural habitats. Toys, activities, and other items should stimulate the animals. If they can’t be released for legitimate reasons, it doesn’t mean they have to serve as prisoners.
Allegations are allegations, but if they do stick, some real reckoning is required in Holtsville.
Rep. LaLota presents Speaker Johnson with Yankees jersey at a summer fundraiser in Nissequogue (Credit - Matt Meduri)
By Jim Soviero
Lifetime Long Islander Lee Zeldin for the EPA
Lifetime Long Islander Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump (R-FL) to serve as Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It’s a big job at a critical government bureau that requires someone with both an exemplary personal profile and legislative experience.
Lee’s personal story is marked by character-building milestones that give insight into his integrity, loyalty, tireless, detail-oriented work ethic, courage, and patriotism. After attending public schools in the William Floyd School District, he went to SUNY Albany to become, at that time, the youngest person to get a law degree in New York State. Zeldin received an Army ROTC commission. While serving as a second lieutenant in the famed 82nd Airborne during the Iraq War, he was called home. Lee’s wife Diana was in labor with twin girls, born at 25 1/2 weeks, and weighing less than 1 1/2 lbs. each. Lengthy hospital stays ensued.
virtually his entire life, Lee has been active in promoting legislation to protect environmentally sensitive lands and waterways. Here are some examples:
1) Helped preserve the Long Island Sound by working across the aisle to pass the America’s Water Infrastructure Act, which included reauthorization of EPA Long Island Sound funding at $40 million per year.
2) Annually led a bipartisan coalition to secure funding for Sea Grant, which supports American fishermen and oyster growers, protects U.S. beaches, and bolsters marine science research essential to local economies and the environment.
3) Permanently secured protection for Plum Island by successfully getting a new law passed blocking the sale of the island to the highest bidder.
4) Supported clean and green energy on L.I. by getting monies for research at Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory.
On September 18, 2021, Lee announced he’d been diagnosed the previous November with Leukemia, was “in complete remission” and the disease had no impact on his work or Army Reserve duties.
During a July 21, 2022, event, while campaigning for NYS governor, Zeldin was attacked on stage by a man wielding a double-bladed weapon. The attacker was subdued, and Lee continued his barnstorming schedule.
Mr. Zeldin, whether it be good times or bad, has the ability to remain remarkably calm, focused, and empathetic to those around him. Having lived close to the shoreline
5) Led Democrats and Republicans in getting permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
At 44 years of age, Lee Zeldin has balanced a remarkable professional resume of resiliency and legislative successes with a wonderful family life. Lee’s shown he has the energy, intellect, and empathy to successfully meet the most difficult challenges. He’ll do the same while leading the EPA.
Jim Soviero is a small business owner and former Special Education Teacher. He worked with Congressman Zeldin on a number of issues, including cleaning up the Long Island Sound, the fentanyl crisis, and supporting law enforcement.
Support Carpenter’s Plans to Connect Airport to LIRR
By Ernie Fazio
The discussion about having the Southwest Airlines terminal at Islip-MacArthur Airport adjacent to the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) goes back many years. Paul Townsend, who was the editor of Long Island Business News, made that argument since before the terminal was built.
The idea of having a train that services the airport and leaves you a mile from the terminal makes absolutely no sense. Whatever the reason the terminal was built where it is, can no longer be justified, if it ever could.
Islip–MacArthur Airport is more convenient to those of us in Nassau and Suffolk, but if we want to make it more attractive to people who live in Queens and Brooklyn, we need to make that airport easier to access.
One suggestion to make the terminal more accessible is building a light rail to connect the LIRR and Islip-MacArthur, but what is wrong with that idea is that it may be very costly, and it probably would not be able to handle a large volume of
passengers. Another problem is that it would necessitate another loading of luggage.
After examining the situation, the best resolution appears to be moving the terminal near the LIRR station in Ronkonkoma. That is what Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter (R-West Islip) had in mind. Her proposal would include funding to build a new terminal at the northwest section of the airport. Unfortunately, the town council shot down the proposal by a 4-1 vote.
It is disappointing to see the Town Council disapprove of a forward-thinking initiative that would encourage more visitors to the airport while reducing traffic congestion. One council member said they are considering other options but gave no specifics.
Kudos to Supervisor Carpenter for taking an innovative, proactive approach on this issue. Too bad the town council stood in the way.
Ernie Fazio is the chairman of LIMBA (Long Island Metro Business Action).
Letter To The Editor
Keep Those Letters Coming...
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Larry Penner Long Time Reader and Frequent Letter Writer Great Neck
McCaffrey, Flotteron Re-Elected to Legislative Leadership Positions
By Matt Meduri
The start of each year warrants a reorganizational meeting for the County Legislature, in which leadership elections are held, rules are adopted, County newspapers are designated, and certain aspects of the horseshoe’s business are settled to chart the course of the next year.
One of those points of business, and perhaps the most important, is the selection of Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officer. Both roles are typically of the majority party, but are elected to the positions with a full quorum of the Legislature.
But before business was handled, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) (pictured right) addressed the Legislature, offering an at-aglance perspective of what he and the eighteenmember body have accomplished in just one year.
“I wish Washington and Albany would take lessons from us because the partisanship that we sometimes see on a state and national level is more or less absent here,” said Romaine, who began his political career on the horseshoe in 1986. “The one thing that dominates this body is its common sense, and I want to thank you. This past year, you’ve adopted more than a thousand pieces of legislation, a thousand resolutions. As county executive, I vetoed none.”
Romaine shared some statistics highlighting such bipartisanship: over 220 new police officers 30 new deputy sheriffs added; the County’s ability to stay within its tax cap; four bond rating increases; $15 million appropriated for open space; a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that is now near the top in the State, as opposed to the bottom where it once was; the training of CPS workers; and the purchasing of cyber insurance.
Legislator Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) has served as Presiding Officer since Republicans won a majority in 2021, the first time the GOP captured the horseshoe since 2005. He has been re-elected each year to serve as Presiding Officer (PO) of the Legislature, culminating in his final win this year, as his sixth and final term expires January 1, 2026. His nomination was motioned by Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (R-Centerport), who did so with the “utmost pleasure,” followed by a second from Majority Leader Nick Caracappa (C-Selden).
Caracappa recounted a 2013 meeting with McCaffrey, who was a trustee for the Village of Lindenhurst at the time, looking to run for Legislature in a Democratic-held seat. Caracappa, at the time, was a labor leader.
“It was a very easy decision after sitting down and having a conversation with you, your dedication to your community as a trustee in the Village of Lindenhurst, your dedication and commitment to the hard-working middle-class families of your members and all those in your community,” said Caracappa, adding that all of his commitments and promises have been kept. “Years later [2021], I was elected to this Legislature and got to sit with you. You were Minority Leader at the time, and not only did you guide me, you guided our entire caucus and I’ll never forget some of those lessons… you were always forthright and I appreciate that.”
Caracappa also heralded McCaffrey’s bipartisanship, in that he has worked with each Legislator to ensure peak representation of Suffolk constituents.
McCaffrey was re-elected as Presiding Officer 17-0, with Legislator Jim Mazzarella (R–Moriches) not present due to an excused absence. At last year’s
McCaffrey was administered the oath of office by Suffolk County District Administrative Judge, the
Honorable Andrew Crecca (R-Hauppauge), who had represented the Twelfth District in the Legislature from 1999 to 2004, and returned to the center of the horseshoe after making his election official with the signing of the Clerk’s book, with County Clerk Vincent Puleo (R-Nesconset) present.
“In 2025, I look forward to finishing the work we started over the last several years. As always, public safety is a priority. And this year, we’ll hire 200 more police officers,” said McCaffrey, adding that this year’s budget will “provide more resources” for District Attorney Ray Tierney (R) and Sheriff Errol Toulon (D).
McCaffrey outlined some legislative accomplishments of 2024, including, but not limited to, the horsehoe’s unanimous stance against coordinated street takeovers, strengthened a bill - sponsored by Legislator Dominick Thorne (R-Patchogue) - that prohibited faulty and uncertified lithium batteries from being sold in Suffolk, as well as the end of the widely-panned red-light camera program, which McCaffrey said was “more about generating revenue than preventing accidents.”
However, he said that traffic safety remains a priority of the Legislature, and that other programs can be further scrutinized, such as work to “refine” the school bus camera program to get rid of the “gotchas,” referencing a tendency for motorists on multi-lane highways to be nailed with school-bus tickets from across multiple lanes and even a median. McCaffrey also highlighted his leadership on Proposition Two, a measure that passed this November that began with legislative Republicans making good on their promise to reintroduce the 2023 measure with better ratios for sewer funding.
McCaffrey also spoke of plans to continue the work on the most ambitious sewer projects across the county, including Holbrook, Oakdale, Mastic Beach, Deer Park, North Babylon, and Smithtown.
The next order of business was to select a Deputy Presiding Officer, a role that has been held by Legislator Steve Flotteron (R-Brightwaters) since Republicans took control of the horseshoe in 2021. His nomination was motioned by Legislator Thorne, who called Flotteron a “man of great integrity, honesty, and hard work.” His motion was seconded by Legislator Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville), who worked for Flotteron as a legislative aide until his own election in 2019.
“Steve is a nonstop worker for his community, whether it’s constituent services or legislation,” said
Piccirillo of his former boss, who called his two years as Flotteron’s aide as “great years of learning experience.”
“He was able to spearhead the Fire Island Wastewater Program. His work on water reuse and recharge to make sure we protect our single-source aquifer is an unprecedented move county-wide,” said Piccirillo, adding that Flotteron “always makes it a point” to return constituent phone calls and that problems are “resolved immediately rather than dying on the vine.”
Like McCaffrey, Flotteron was re-elected as Deputy Presiding Officer in a 17-0 vote, followed by the oath of office from Justice Crecca and a signature in Clerk Puleo’s book. Flotteron shared that, as Chair of the Public Safety Committee, public safety remains his “number one” priority and “the most important function of our County government.”
“Over the years, [we went] from one time fighting for making sure we had enough officers on the streets and having enough people in our [police] class, to now working on their [police] infrastructure and doing a review of the police headquarters and the precincts to make sure they have the proper funding,” said Flotteron, adding that buildings are “a lot of times, in deplorable shape.”
“I believe we’ve all been working in the same harmony together, regardless of political affiliation,” said Flotteron, including water quality as another issue important to him.
“In twelve years, we had twelve bond rate downgrades. In one year, we have had four bond rate increases, and that is with this Legislature working with the County Executive’s office,” said Flotteron, offering his seasoned fiscal opinions as Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee. “That is some terrific work. When we have to repave a street or build a bridge, it costs us less, which everybody saves on.”
Some rule changes were accepted and discussed, most of which were formatting changes, although a new change prohibits signs, placards, banners, and similar items from the meeting chamber, while video or audio recordings will not be allowed to be played by public speakers at the podium without prior approval. Recording audio or video of the meetings, for the public or press, will still be allowed.
The concern, according to Legislative Counsel William Duffy, Esq., was born of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and “deep fakes,” in which video or audio is completely manufactured, but can sound or look shockingly realistic.
The concern of banning display items is that they have been a distraction to members of the Legislature, as well as members of the public, who have had their abilities to hear, see, and participate in the meetings hindered. To this, Legislator Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) suggested the position of a sergeant-at-arms for the Legislature, a position the body has never had, with typical decorum procedures at will of the sheriffs who are regularly on standby to maintain the law and remove hecklers.
“I think it’s time for us to consider the maturation of this institution,” said Englebright, referencing the relative youth of the Suffolk County Legislature, which held its first elections in 1969. He compares to it ageold institutions like the State Legislature - in which he served for thirty years as an Assemblyman - and the U.S. Congress.
The Legislature adjourned after and set the course for 2025, with the next elections for the body to be held in November.
National, State, and Local Temperature Checks
By Matt Meduri
National
Pursuant to the results of the 2024 elections, the new U.S. House and U.S. Senate have been seated. With the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump (RFL), Republicans will govern the next two years, at least, with a trifecta, supplied by a 220-215 House majority and a 53-47 Senate majority.
The first order of business of the new Congress is to elect a Speaker, a move on which the certification of the presidential results depended, as a joint-session of Congress is required to certify the results, and, if no candidate received a majority of the 270 electoral votes, Congress would need to preside over the contingent elections.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R, LA-04) won the gavel on the first vote, a stark departure from GOP consensus in the House, which resulted in the historic ousting of then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R, CA-20) in October 2023 after just ten months on the job and the third-shortest Speaker tenure in history. What followed was a contentious series of ballots that produced several other high-profile names in GOP leadership, such as Congressmen Jim Jordan (R, OH-04), Steve Scalise (R, LA-01), and Tom Emmer (R, MN-06).
Republicans did not decide on a new Speaker until they backed Mike Johnson with 220 votes on October 25, with no Republican defections.
This year’s Speaker vote seemed destined for a path of similar contention, as a nominee requires a simple majority of the entire House, not just his or her party’s caucus, to obtain the gavel. Without a majority of the quorum, a Speaker cannot be elected. Three Republicans backed alternative nominees, including Congressman Emmer, while six Republicans did not respond to the initial roll call vote. At roll call, Johnson at 216 votes, just two short of the required majority. Two holdhouts in Ralph Norman (R, SC-05) and Keith Self (R, TX-03) backed Johnson after phone calls from President-elect Trump.
The final count resulted in 218 votes for Johnson (50.23%), 215 for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D, NY-08) (49.54%), with just one vote for Tom Emmer, substantiated by Congressman Thomas Massie (R, KY-04). Fallout over the race for the gavel was anticipated by a near-miss of a government shutdown, which resulted in passage with the endorsement of a spending package about a tenth of the size of the original bill.
Since the House election was handled quickly, Congress was able to certify the results of the presidential election, with Vice President Kamala Harris (D-CA) presiding over the count. No sitting vice president has lost an election, nor has he or she presided over the certification of such a loss since Al Gore (DTN) lost in 2000.
This year’s certification of presidential results was markedly different from those past: not a single objection was raised to any state’s results, a clear contrast from that of the 2020 election, and those of 2016, 2004, and 2000, the latter three of which Democrats objected to at least one state’s result in each of them.
With no faithless electors, Donald Trump’s win is now official: 312 electoral votes to 226 for Harris, the greatest margin in the Electoral College for a Republican since 1988, and with the third-smallest popular vote margin (1.5%) since 1888.
In other national news, the U.S. has been gripped by multiple terror attacks within an extraordinarily short period of time.
The first came out of New Orleans, where, around 3:00a.m. just off of Bourbon Street during New Years’ Day celebrations, a man drove a pickup truck through a crowd, killing fourteen and injuring thirty-five before being killed by police in an ensuing shootout.
The suspect is Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an American-born resident of Houston whose truck was found with an Islamic State (IS) flag. The FBI has determined that Jabbar was influenced by the IS, now categorizing the attack as an instance of domestic terrorism, as there is, as of now, no evidence there was a foreign direction behind the attack. Jabbar, a U.S. Army Veteran, has allegedly posted videos pledging his allegiance to the IS hours before the attack.
The same day saw a Tesla Cybertruck explode outside Trump Tower in Las Vegas around noon on New Years’ Eve, resulting in the death of the driver and injuries to seven others. The
attacker has been identified as Matthew Livelsberger, a U.S. Army Veteran, who committed suicide by gunshot immediately before the explosion. Livelsberger, an American-born, activeduty Special Forces soldier from Colorado Springs, was on leave from overseas duty.
Two letters were obtained by the FBI from his burnt phone, in which Livelsberger denied being a terrorist and admitted using explosives to make a political statement. A December 31 email manifesto was sent to Samuel Shoemate, a retired Army intelligence officer, in which Livelsberger claimed that he was under surveillance by U.S. agencies due to his knowledge of covert military operations and an alleged cover-up of war crimes during a 2019 U.S. airstrike on Afghanistan.
Interestingly, the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks were both perpetrated within just hours of each other, both terrorists had served at Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg), and both vehicles were rented using the same peer-to-peer carsharing service, Turo.
Finally, another New Years’ attack took place outside the Amazura Concert Hall in Queens around 11:15p.m. The venue was full of about ninety attendees for a private event, a vigil for sixteen-year-old Taerion Mungo, who was shot and killed last October. The shooting unfolded when fifteen people were on line outside the at-capacity venue when four men approached the crowd and fired about thirty shots. Ten teenagers were hurt in the shooting, but all were transported to either Jamaica Hospital or New York-Presbyterian Queens with non-lifethreatening injuries. All are expected to recover while law enforcement is actively canvassing local medical centers for any gunshot victims who might have gone unaccounted.
The four shooters fled the scene to 143rd Place, where they left in a light-colored sedan with New Jersey license plates. The NYPD is asking anyone with information to contact their hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. All calls and website tips are kept confidential.
State
Albany has welcomed new editions to the State Legislature. Democrats flipped three seats, while Republicans flipped two, giving Democrats a net gain of one seat, securing their supermajority hold of the lower chamber.
From Suffolk, the only seat to see turnover was that of the Fourth District, where former Port Jefferson Village Trustee and Deputy Mayor Rebecca Kassay (D-Port Jefferson) unseated one-term Assemblyman Ed Flood (R-Port Jefferson) by a razor-thin margin. Also in Suffolk, the Eleventh District, which contains much of western Babylon Town and a small part of Massapequa Park, produced freshman Assemblyman Kwani O’Pharrow (D-West Babylon), who defeated Joe Cardinale (R-Amityville) by a single vote in the Suffolk portion of the district.
On the East End, the First District, which includes the South Fork, Shelter Island, Southold, and a few parcels of southeastern Brookhaven, saw the retirement of long-time Assemblyman Fred Thiele (D-Sag Harbor). He is replaced by Tommy John Schiavoni (D-Sag Harbor), who served as a Southampton Town Councilman until his election in November.
Outside Suffolk, Daniel Norber (R-Great Neck) unseated Assemblywoman Gini Sillitti (D-Manorhaven), becoming the first Republican to win an Assembly seat in the Town of North Hempstead in over fifty years. Noah Burroughs (D-Hempstead) held an open seat in the Eighteenth District, while Judy Griffin (D-Rockville Centre) won a third consecutive rematch with Brian Curran (R-Lynbrook), who had represented the seat since 2010, lost to Griffin in 2018, but reclaimed his seat in 2022.
Patrick Chludzinski (R-Cheektowaga) and Aron Wieder (D-Spring Valley) flipped seats for their respective parties and are now official members of the lower chamber. Thirteen freshman members held open seats for their party, three Republicans and ten Democrats.
Assemblyman Joe Sempolinski (R-Canisteo) offers an example of a rather unusual pivot in politics. He previously served in the U.S. House after winning a special election to represent NY-23 from September 2022 until January 2023.
Meanwhile, in the Senate, Republicans picked up only one seat, but successfully cracked the supermajority. The sole flip came in the Seventeenth District, a Brooklyn-based seat represented for just one term by Hong Kong-born Iwen Chu (D-Dyker Heights). Chu won the open seat in 2022 by a razorthin margin, only to lose to fellow Hong Kong-born Steven Chan (R-Bensonhurst). Chan is the first Asian-American Republican elected to the State Senate and the first Republican since 2018 to represent a Brooklyn-based seat. Contrary to the close margin of 2022, Chan ousted Chu by just under ten points. Democrats enjoy a 57.6% voter registration advantage in a district that is 44% Asian. The district includes Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Kensington, and Gravesend.
“It is an exciting time to return to Albany as we welcome our newest members to the Assembly Minority Conference. Each individual has a proven track record of hard work, professionalism and a deep love and respect for this great state,” said Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R-Pulaski). “While much work is ahead, I’m confident these new members will be instrumental in achieving great things for their districts and for our Conference. We are eager and united in our commitment to tackling the state’s most pressing issue and building a brighter future for New York.”
Moreover, members of Suffolk delegation’s Assembly Minority Conference start the year in leadership positions. Jarret Gandolfo (R-Sayville) will serve as Minority Leader Pro Tempore, Doug Smith (R-Holbrook) will serve as Minority Whip, and Michael Fitzpatrick (R-St. James) will serve as Chairman of the Program Committee.
Local
Last month, Suffolk County Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) announced a project for sewage effluent reuse at the Bergen Point Wastewater Treatment Plant in West Babylon. The plan consists of using treated effluent to irrigate the adjacent golf course and for the plant’s own internal workings.
“This is one of ten county wastewater treatment plants that we are currently considering for water reuse,” said Romaine. “By utilizing what otherwise would have been a byproduct, we can decrease the pressure on our aquifer by hundreds of millions of gallons a year and even help recharge the aquifer.”
The project is based on a successful model from Riverhead, who utilized their town-owned plant to irrigate the nearby golf course. The reuse system at Bergen Point is expected to be operational within the next two years, and is estimated to save 20 million gallons of water per year on irrigation alone. Internal plant reuse can save up to two million gallons per day. Legislators Tom Donnelly (D-Deer Park) and Ann Welker (D-Southampton) joined Romaine to endorse the decision, as well as demonstrate the bipartisanship of the idea in tandem with Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) and Deputy Presiding Officer Steve Flotteron (R-Brightwaters).
CreditMatt Meduri
President Trump gestures at his crowd at Nassau Coliseum in September 2024 (Credit - Matt Meduri)
Continued from front cover
Brookhaven Matters
Town to Investigation Abuse at Holtsville Ecology Site
Honey lived at the site for over twenty-five years, passing away on November 22 at the age of 27, a rare feat as black bears typically live into their early twenties.
However, despite Honey’s relatively long life, many are now alleging that she and other animals have faced abuse and neglect at the hands of the park. Sarah Winter, an animal caretaker at the facility until just before Honey’s euthanization, said that Honey had suffered for years without pain medication for arthritis, treatment for urinary tract infections, and rotten teeth.
“To say Honey deserved better is an understatement. Even as an icon of the ‘preserve,’ she was severely neglected — her pain went ignored, she was harassed by her caretakers, and she exhibited the stereotypic behaviors of a miserable captive animal with no enrichment in their life,” said Cayleigh Kunnmann, a former assistant at the center, which has been corroborated by some members of the public.
A Facebook commenter on the Holtsville Ecology’s Site Facebook eulogy post of Honey wrote that she had “had a feeling” that Honey “was not doing so well.” The commenter writes that about a month prior to Honey’s passing, the bear had walked up to the fence and was “rocking side to side.”
She wrote that she told her children that that was not normal behavior, as bears typically like to keep their distance.
The “rocking back and forth” is attributable to “zoochosis,” and is a way for the animal to deal with captivity and lack of stimulation. It is generally seen as a sign of distress of discomfort.
“We urged Holtsville to do the right thing just weeks before her death: to let Honey see a proper vet and send her to an accredited animal sanctuary, but they refused,” said Katheen Conelly, a former employee. “Brookhaven must send the other animals to another sanctuary now before it is too late.”
“There is going to be a lot more oversight now,” Panico said. “The care of animals in our custody is of paramount importance. And that’s what ultimately matters more than anything to me and my colleagues. My staff reached out to district attorney representatives and the response was positive. And it’s my understanding that they will investigate.”
However, the investigation will likely not be relegated to Honey, as other employees allege the bear’s treatment was standard operating procedure as far as the other animal residents were concerned. The site’s Eurasian lynx, arctic foxes, rabbits turtles, goats, and roosters received the same type of treatment, often in filthy, unstimulating enclosures with medical problems allegedly ignored for weeks or even months. Former employees also allege that surgical procedures were performed without anesthetics by staff who did not have proper veterinary training.
Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro (R-Shoreham) says the zoo is a “really incredible facility that thousands and thousands of people visit every year.”
Those who are opposed to the existence of zoos and are committed to their closure should be honest and make that philosophical argument instead of resorting to slander and defamation,”
said Losquadro.
“If there is an opportunity to place animals in locations that would be better for the animal, I would be open to that,” stated Panico.
Former employees also mention the pig, Wilbur, who was “extremely lame” due to deep abscesses in his feet and puncture wounds from his enclosure; a Pekin duck, Nessy, who was unable to stand due to infected feet, a “mangled” wing that did not heal correctly from a fracture, a bone infection, and lead poisoning; and Stefan, a rooster, who had several, large necrotic pressure sores on his feet, which were caked in feces from his concrete pen.
John DiLeonardo of Humane Long Island, one of the most vocal advocates in shutting down Sloth Encounters of Hauppauge last year, echoes the concerns found by the employees and Supervisor Panico.
“Alleging that you had non veterinary staff performing surgeries on animals. You’re giving animals expired medication that’s meant for other animals. That you’re literally cutting staff infection off of animals instead of giving them antibiotics,” said DiLeonardo. “Humane Long Island applauds Supervisor Panico for calling on investigators and stands ready to assist authorities with placing these animals at reputable sanctuaries where they can live more natural lives.”
The office of District Attorney Ray Tierney (R) has not commented on whether or not they will investigate, but all signs currently indicate the office will probe the ecology site.
The Holtsville Ecology Site is located at 249 Buckley Road in Holtsville.
Photo Credit - Matt Meduri
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
County News
SCPD Officer Clinging to Life After Horrific Crash
By Hank Russell
A Suffolk County police officer is fighting for his life, and a suspect is under arrest after a horrific crash that sent the officer’s vehicle off the road.
On January 5, Highway Patrol Officer Brendon Gallagher was conducting a traffic stop on westbound Long Island Expressway, near exit 55, when Cody Fisher, who was driving a 2021 Ford Mustang, sped past the officer. Gallagher, who is a member of the recently created Street Takeover Task Force, activated his lights and sirens in an attempt to pull Fisher over, when Fisher lost control of his vehicle and sideswiped Gallagher’s SUV. The SUV left the roadway and overturned at approximately 6:10p.m.
The Mustang also went off the road and struck a light post. Two off-duty Nassau County police officers, Timothy Deegan and Matthew Walling – both of whom recently graduated from the academy — happened to be at the scene. One assisted in arresting Fisher, while the other helped get Gallagher out of the vehicle.
Fisher, 29, of Brentwood, was transported to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. He was released and charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, second-degree assault, second-degree unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle and second-degree reckless driving. He was arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on January 6.
At a press conference held on January 6 at Stony Brook University Hospital — where Gallagher was admitted after the crash and is still there — Acting Police Commissioner Robert Waring said Fisher was driving “at 95 to 100 miles per hour” when he struck Gallagher’s vehicle. Waring said it took emergency personnel on the scene “over 30 minutes to extricate [him] from the vehicle.”
Dr. James Vosswinkel, chief of the hospital’s Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care Center, said that, when Gallagher came in, he had “a belly full of blood” and a
tear in his abdominal wall that “I have never seen in my 23 years as a doctor.” He also said that Gallagher is currently on life support, so “the next 24 to 48 hours are very critical.”
Because Fisher hit the officer’s car, and not the officer himself, the offense was not baileligible, which did not sit well with those at the press conference.
“New York State failed this officer and now he is fighting for his life,” Suffolk PBA President Lou Civello, who called Gallagher “an absolute hero.”
“You shouldn’t almost have to kill a police officer to hold you on bail. These laws have no teeth. I’m telling the state Assembly and the state Senate: do your job!”
Civello called these vehicles like what Fisher drove “instruments of terror,” adding, “We should be taking these [vehicles] off the road and crushing them.”
County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) called it “a sad day” to have an officer like Gallagher on life support due to someone else’s recklessness. “[Someone like Fisher] endangers everyone’s life on the road and endangered the life of a police officer.”
This is not the first time Gallagher was injured on the job. In 2022, he was stabbed by a suspect in Medford. Waring said, when he returned to the job, he was offered “a desk job” until he was fully healed, but, instead, wanted to go back on patrol.
Gallagher has been on the force for three years, Waring said. He received numerous honors, including two department recognitions, a Purple Heart medal, a Combat Gold medal, and was named Cop of the Year. Waring also noted that Gallagher had “a great attitude, a great personality, and he made everybody laugh.”
Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) added. “As the dad of a police officer, my heart is sick. “[Gallagher] is the type of police officer we need.”
This article originally appeared in Long Island Life and Politics. For more from LILP, visit them online at lilifepolitics.com.
Officer Gallagher’s car the night of the crash (Credit - SCPD)
Three Village Students Give Back with Stuff-A-Bus Initiative
The Murphy Junior High School student government carried out its annual Stuff-A-Bus campaign on December 17, collecting hundreds of toy donations from students across the district. Murphy students rode in a school bus to Mount, Minnesauke, and Arrowhead Elementary Schools, collecting donations the elementary students received during their respective toy drives. They loaded up the bus with toys, puzzles, books, and games, which were brought to the Gerald J. Ryan Outreach Center in Wyandanch.
Academy Street Elementary Hosts Festive, Friendly Competitions
On December 20, Academy Street Elementary School in the Bayport-Blue Point School District kicked off their winter break with a festive assembly filled with friendly competitions for kindergarten through fifth graders.
In the spirit of the season, students gathered in the school gymnasium for the exciting “reindeer relays” competition. Divided into two teams, staff members raced on their makeshift “sleighs,” created from scooters and mats with hula hoops for reins, as they made their way toward the “North Pole” to grab toys and bring them back to their home base. Students loudly cheered over the fierce and fun-filled competition.
The holiday fun continued with a lighthearted “ugly sweater contest” where faculty and staff members’ sweaters were judged by the students on who wore the most festive or creative holiday getup.
The celebration culminated with a joyful singalong led by the school’s fourth and fifth graders. Students jingled bells and sang along to classic holiday tunes like “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Jingle Bell Rock.”
Regeneron Applicants Represent ShorehamWading River’s Science Research Program
Shoreham-Wading River High School students
Anna Minetti, Julianna O’Neill, Sasha Seletskaya and Katelyn Schaefer were recently honored by the Shoreham-Wading River Board of Education and Superintendent of Schools Gerard Poole. The four scholars are the second cohort of students to each submit a Regeneron Science Talent Search application on behalf of the research they have conducted.
Anna Minetti studied lichens as bioindicators of microplastic pollution on Long Island. Julianna O’Neill investigated microplastic contamination in marine
snail tissue in Long Island salt marshes. Sasha Seletskaya performed chemical characterization of the Northwest Africa 12748 meteorite, comparing it to the Murchison meteorite. Katelyn Schaefer conducted a comparative analysis of pet food plans, examining protein sources, bacterial content and ingredient quality.
The students, who worked with support and encouragement from science eesearch teacher Dana Schaefer, follow last year’s applicants and 2024 graduates Derek Blanco and Dongkai (Alex) Zhang, who made Shoreham-Wading River history with their entries.
Centereach H.S. National Technical Honor Society Collects 95 Pairs of Pajamas
The National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) at Centereach High School reinforced its commitment to community service by collecting an impressive 95 pairs of pajamas for the annual EJ’s PJ’s Pajama Drive. This year’s donation effort aimed to bring warmth and comfort to children in need, and thanks to the generosity of students, staff, and the local community, the drive was a resounding success.
EJ’s PJ’s Pajama Drive is an initiative that provides new pajamas to children who may not otherwise have access to such essential items. The NTHS students worked diligently throughout the month to gather the pajamas, which will be distributed to children in local hospitals, shelters, and care facilities. The generosity of Centereach High School’s students and their families ensured that even more children experienced the comfort of a new pair of pajamas this holiday season.
The NTHS members organized the pajama collection, encouraging students and faculty to donate pairs of new pajamas for children of all ages. With the support of the school community, the drive exceeded expectations, with a 95 pairs collection goal of 75.
For more information regarding the Middle Country Central School District and its students’ many achievements, please visit the District’s website: https:// www.mccsd.net/.
WFHS Senior Earns Full Scholarship to the University of Chicago
William Floyd High School senior Milton Calderon-Suriel will be attending the University of Chicago next fall on a full four-year scholarship through the QuestBridge National College Match program. Milton is one of just 2,627 students selected and matched with a school in a field with more than 25,500 talented applicants nationwide. Milton plans on majoring in computer science in the fall.
QuestBridge connects the nation’s highest-achieving seniors to top colleges and universities and access to the QuestBridge Scholars Network, a thriving community that offers transformative educational, career, and life opportunities that help propel students in the next chapters of the lives and beyond.
“Milton is bright, determined and intuitive. Success is a part of who he is, and I know that will continue with him throughout his college education,” said his guidance counselor, Arianna Scanlon. “I truly believe that he can be successful in anything he pursues, and he will do so with a smile and while helping others.”
Milton has been an outstanding high school student, achieving a 99.5 grade point average while enrolled in numerous honors and Advanced Placement classes. His success has made him a role model for his peers and younger siblings. This upcoming June, Milton will proudly become a first-generation high school graduate and then a first-generation college student in the fall.
In the time he has between academic and family responsibilities, Milton has been a member of the William Floyd High School track and field team. Being able to successfully balance his responsibilities is a testament to his dedication, determination and maturity.
Ms. Scanlon added, “Milton has been my student for the last three years, and I have seen him exemplify his independent, adaptable, and resilient personality on every occasion. He puts forth his best effort consistently, no matter what challenge stands in his way.”
National College Match program recipients are admitted early to any of the 52 college partners that work with QuestBridge. These partners use their own funds as well as
state and federal aid to fund the Match Scholarship, which is made up of a generous financial aid package that covers the full cost of attendance, including tuition, housing, food, books, supplies, and travel expenses.
“We are delighted to welcome this record-breaking number of QuestBridge Scholars,” said Ana Rowena Mallari, Co-Founder and CEO of QuestBridge, in the nationwide announcement. “These Scholars will contribute a rich diversity of perspectives and experiences to our college partners, enhancing the vibrancy of their campus communities.”
This year’s Match Scholarship Recipients come from all fifty states and the District of Columbia, as well as the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These outstanding high school seniors have an average unweighted grade point average of 3.94, and 92% are in the top 10% of their graduating class. The majority of this year’s Match Scholarship Recipients – 83% –are among the first generation in their families to attend a four-year college in the United States.
All finalists who join QuestBridge college partners become part of the QuestBridge Scholars Network, which connects students to a community of peers from a similar background. QuestBridge also provides enriching programs for its alumni, including the opportunity to apply for full-tuition scholarships to top business schools through the Graduate School Match: MBA. There are more than 30,000 current college students and graduates worldwide that belong to the QuestBridge Scholars Network and Alumni Association.
Congratulations to Milton for being chosen to receive this prestigious and welldeserved scholarship!
Thursday, January 9, 2025
The Necessary Standard for American Education
The Electoral College Vote Count
By Matt Meduri
Making the results of the presidential election official is a quadrennial process that is rooted in the U.S. Constitution. The process culminates in Congress’ certification of the vote count, making it the last obligation before a new President is sworn in.
Background
Donald Trump (R-FL) was elected as the Forty-Seventh President in November, capturing 312 electoral votes from thirty-one states (and one congressional district in Maine) to Vice President Kamala Harris’ 226 from twenty-nine states (and one congressional district in Nebraska, as well as the District of Columbia).
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.
Contrary to popular belief, the public does not directly elect their presidential candidates; rather, they vote for a slate of electors who pledge to vote for their party’s candidate should the public instruct them to. Each state’s political parties produce their own slates of electors, which consist of elected officials, party leaders, dignitaries, or close friends of the candidates. The party who wins a state will see their respective slate of electors vote to certify the results in their candidate’s favor.
For example, New York produced two slates of electors, one in the event of Harris win (which is what occurred) and one for a Trump win. Had Trump won New York, an entirely different slate of electors would have voted to certify his win.
The electors meet in their respective state capitals to produce two documents to be sent to Congress, a Certificate of Ascertainment and a Certificate of Vote. The former certificate is an official document that identifies the state’s appointed electors to the Electoral College, usually by writing the tally of popular votes each slate of electors received, denoting which one was the victorious slate. The Certificate of Ascertainment is signed by the governor and is then sent to the Archivist of the United States. The certificate must bear the state seal, but the states have the liberty to decide the physical layout and other details of the document.
The Certificate of Vote is the document signed by each of the electors. The document must also bear the state seal.
The Office of the Federal Register inspects the documents to ensure all necessary information is present. Each state is required to produce seven original certificates with two certified copies, for a total of nine originals. Both the House and the Senate receive one of the copies that are sent to the Archivist.
One pair of the documents is sent to the President of the Senate - the U.S. Vice President - two pairs are sent to the Archivist, two are sent to each state’s secretary of state, and one pair is sent to the chief judge of the closest U.S. District Court. One of each of the two pairs sent to the Archivist and the secretaries of state are used for public display and inspection. The other copies are “held subject to order of the President of the United States Senate.”
The Counting Procedure
The Electoral Count Act of 1887 sets the rules of procedure. Once the electoral results are finalized and certificates are produced and sent to the Archivist, the final step in the process is for the sitting vice president,
that is, not the vice presidential nominee just elected, must receive and open each envelope of certificates, read them aloud to a joint session of Congress, and open the floor to objections in each state.
Under Section 4 (3 U.S.C. §15), Congress is required to be in session on January 6 following the election. Under the Twentieth Amendment, the joint session is conducted by the newly elected Congress, rather than the outgoing Congress, for the purpose of certifying the new president and vice president under the most representative Congress. A lame-duck Congress might be of different partisan composition, or majority parties might have changed during the concurrent presidential election. Not only does this change the power dynamic when it comes to possibly objecting to presidential results in each state, but a lame-duck House would also have the power to choose the president, the lame-duck Senate would chose the vice president, in the event that no candidate received 270 electoral votes, a majority of the 538 available.
This creates extra pressure for the House and Senate to elect leaders, primarily a House Speaker. This year, Republicans entered the new Congress with a razor-thin 220-seat majority. Speaker Mike Johnson (R, LA-04) won on the first round of voting, a stark departure from the 2023 reorganization, where Kevin McCarthy (R, CA-20) was elected on the fifteenth ballot. Without a House Speaker, the rules are suspended, no legislation moves the floor, and the Clerk of the House acts as presiding officer until a Speaker is selected.
Since the House chose a Speaker, Congress was able to convene in a joint session to certify the results. Had they not, a Speaker pro tempore could have been selected to continue the count, with the House returning to the Speaker election afterward. Even without a congressional certification, the Twelfth and Twentieth amendments stipulate that Biden’s and Harris’ terms would have expired at noon on January 20. Constitutional language is sufficient to supply Trump and Vance with a transition of power, even if Congress hadn’t determined the winner of the election.
However, some commentators argue that under the Twentieth Amendment and the Presidential Succession Act would mean that if no president and vice president are selected under the Electoral Count Act, the Speaker of the House would serve as acting president. Without a House Speaker, the line of succession falls on the President pro tempore of the Senate, a position elected by the entire body and one that is usually reserved for the most senior Senator of the majority party. It is a
constitutionally mandated position, but without formal specifications on who can serve. The president pro tempore cannot cast tie-breaking votes in an evenly-divided Senate, as opposed to the vice president.
Under this theory, had Congress not certified the presidential results, and had the House not elected a Speaker, President pro tempore of the Senate Chuck Grassley (R-IA) would have served as acting president.
Two “tellers” - vote readers - must be “previously appointed” by the Senate, and two by the House. The vice president then opens all certificates of the electoral votes in alphabetical state order. The contents are then handed to the four tellers.
The vocal counting allows for members of Congress to object to a state’s results. Objections must be resolved before counting continues. For objections to be considered and voted on, it must be made in writing and made by at least one member of the House and one member of the Senate. Notable objections include those of Democrats to Ohio’s results in 2004 - the state had backed President Bush (R-TX) - as well as those in ten states won by Trump in 2016. Republicans attempted objections in six states flipped by Joe Biden (D-DE), while two - Arizona and Pennsylvania - were defeated.
The 2024 election results saw no objections on Monday, and Kamala Harris became the first sitting vice president to preside over his/her own loss since Al Gore (D-TN) read aloud the results in 2001.
With the House and Senate now sworn in and with elected leadership, and with the results certified and heard, Trump and Vance are now set to be sworn in on January 20.
What Happens During Objections?
Should at least one member of the House and at least one member of the Senate provide their objections to a state’s results in writing, the chambers meet separately to deliberate. Each objecting member may speak on the matter for five minutes individually. After two hours of debate, the presiding officer of each chamber must “put the main question without further debate,” with Section 7 stating that the joint session of Congress cannot be dissolved “until the count of electoral votes shall be completed and the result declared.”
The two chambers then reconvene to vote by a simple majority to concur with the objection. If both chambers affirm the objection, and if such an objection(s) results in neither candidate receiving at least 270 votes, the Twelfth Amendment dictates that the House select the president in voting bloc fashion. Members would cast one vote per state based on the partisan makeup of their delegation. This is a reason why winning a majority of House seats within a state can be a valuable insurance of a party, should their candidate be in the historically rare position of a contested election.
This was almost a reality in 2004, when thirty-two Democrats voted to throw out Ohio’s twenty electoral votes, which would have brought President Bush under 270 electoral votes, all other states’ votes intact. Senators, on the other hand, pick the vice president, one vote per Senator.
Town to Hold Battery Energy Storage System Community Forum
On Tuesday, January 21, Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches) will coordinate a forum for residents to learn about Battery Energy Storage Systems and their impact on our community. During the forum, qualified expert panelists will address community questions and concerns. The event will run from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at the Shea Theater, Suffolk County Community College Ammerman Campus, 533 College Road in Selden.
There will be no live questions at the Forum. Residents must RSVP and submit their questions online by visiting www.BrookhavenNY.gov/Battery no later than January 20.
Caracappa Honors Middle Country Varsity Girls Gymnastics Team
The final 2024 General Meeting of the Suffolk County Legislature was a memorable and festive event, featuring a variety of special recognitions and performances from the Fourth Legislative District. Legislator Nick Caracappa (C-Selden) hosted the General Meeting and took the time to highlight the accomplishments of some of the district’s talented students and community leaders.
The Select Vocal Ensemble from Centereach High School opened the meeting with a moving performance of the National Anthem, followed by a selection of Christmas carols. A standout was the choir’s rendition of ‘Mary, Did You Know?’ in celebration of the holiday season. The ensemble was directed by Mr. Brian Hough and accompanied by Ms. Diana Cook, Director of Music and Fine Arts, bringing a festive atmosphere to the meeting.
Before proceeding with legislative matters, Legislator Caracappa honored the Middle Country Varsity Girls Gymnastics Team for their outstanding 2024 season with proclamations and certificates. Accompanied by Head Coach Melissa Valentino, Assistant Coaches Kristen Hutchinson and Mikayla Hutchinson, Athletic Director Joseph Mercado, and Principal Tom Bell, the team was recognized for their achievements and stellar representation of the Middle Country Central School District and the Fourth Legislative District.
The team’s success this season continues a legacy of excellence, including a recent League I Championship and a strong showing at the Suffolk County Gymnastics Championships. Their hard work and dedication make them a source of pride for the district and community.
Local History
January 9, 2025
Year-End Traditions
By Ellyn Okvist, B.Sc.
“Tradition: the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.”
Tradition stories are not merely entertainment; they are the lifeblood of tradition and can carry the wisdom and values of a community forward. Traditions, both the well-rooted and new, provide a sense of continuity, connecting us to our past, present, and future. They help build a shared understanding of who we are as individuals and as a community. All traditions become history as a family repeats the cycle. These memories include culinary traditions, bringing companionship and ideas together and a personal way of bringing loved ones together as they repeat traditions.
Lake Ronkonkoma families hold diversity which has been apparent for multigenerations. Families established themselves when they chose the historic Lake Ronkonkoma area to place roots and start a family.
Over the past few weeks as we visited with our local friends and their families to share a little cheer and a holiday meal, I realized that the traditions each family was celebrating were the same as years prior, that we have spent together, not just the way our friends set the table or prepared the entertainment for the night. Once accepting them as annual family traditions, we were now realizing they are so much more. The awareness that I now hold their traditions in my heart is overwhelming. Because of this, I decided that sharing the traditions would be interesting to the public.
The following are distinct local families, some here for over 350 years, as told by the continuing member of the family that has become the one to keep the traditions going. Just a few lines, but so full of memories. There are many similarities, such as the 5:00p.m. Christmas Eve Celebrations, Christmas feasts, and the food included in each, and family interaction to the widespread traditions. Very much to be suspected, as the cultures have been in existence and intertwining for thousands of years.
Hallock: “According to Hallock family lore, the making of Christmas eggnog dates to the 1640’s in the new land, and prior to that in Suffolk, England. I remember my brother and sister assisting my father in this tradition. Later my turn came. Now it’s Jace David’s turn to help his Papa make the Hallock eggnog.” – Richard Hallock
Okvist: “Motala, Ostergotland Sweden was the origin of the Oquist family preparing glögg, and went back prior as recorded to the 1400’s. Ivar Okvist would begin the preparations, assisted by his brothers, Eric and William. They would cook and store the product, and Elsie, Ivar’s wife, would use the strained fruit for pies. No one was safe, and as the years went by, more friends would look forward to their bottle. Some joke that it should have been banned in Lake Ronkonkoma! Ivar’s death led to his sister Cecil calling the ‘shots’, and those of us who were taught still prepare the glögg in his house today.” – Ellyn Okvist
Embro: “My family follows the tradition with a Christmas Eve celebration of a hearty meal consisting of ham, fresh vegetables, and bread. After exchanging gifts, we would all go out to see the holiday decorations and lights and listen to caroling in the neighborhood. My grandparents would tell stories of the past, and my parents would instill our tradition year after year.” – Eric Embro Davis (James): “Traditions were brought from England, Wales and Scotland. Each adult woman would bake cookies and would bring them to the Christmas Eve celebration. All the food would land on Grandmas 24-foot table, and it was ‘choose-what-you-wish.’ The coal heated house was warm and decorated. Grandpa James E. Davis, a devout Christian, gave thanks for the food. As gifts were unwrapped, colorful wrapping paper would become a mound in the center of the room.”
– Barbara Cook
Winters: “Growing up Catholic, Christmas was always a very holy time for my family. My parents were into ceramics and even had their own kiln. When we were young, my parents made a beautiful nativity set with a manager. (pictured right) Each Christmas it was put out and on Christmas Day we looked forward to placing the baby Jesus in the manger to celebrate His birthday. My parents made me a nativity set when I got engaged and have since gifted it to our daughter, who now puts it out each Christmas, carrying on the same tradition.” - Margaret Winters Bonhote
Paqua: “My Mom and Grandma would cook our wonderful Christmas menu, and like every year they would sip and get tipsy on Uncle Joe’s homemade wine. My Dad would always try to lob a meatball into someone’s wine glass. The day was not complete until I gave my piano recital for the holiday, which many would sing along.” - Suzanna Paqua Carr
Guida: “My mother and aunts were at their best for the holidays, preparing Italian specialties, including my favorites, such as manicotti, zeppole’s, and meatballs. With four of them working together, the bounties were huge. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years were always delicious and full of food. My father is from the Guida Dairy establishment in Italy. He was taught at an early age to make dairy products, and his handmade mozzarella was perfect. The craft was handed down through the ages.” - John Guida
Hethy: “The Hethy family would gather all the dolls in the home, either on display or packed away, and carefully remove all clothing and accessories. My grandmother, mother, and the girls would wash each piece of clothing with a light soap. They would air dry and then be carefully ironed and ready to redress the dolls. Each doll was washed up like new, being careful to maintain its delicate structure. The house was always full of the beautiful dolls.” - Helen Hethy Mulvihill
Mulvihill: “There has always been a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas Day at our home. First and foremost, we give thanks and celebrate the birth of Jesus.” -Irene Mulvihill Congdon
Brandi: “Vincenza “Jennie” Brandi (pictured right) lived until 106 years old, and Cleveland St. in Patchogue was named for her. Her kitchen is still exactly the same, and her picture shows her making zeppole’s. She baked cakes, Italian pastries, and authentic Italian food. She could also be found making wedding gowns and dresses for many local brides. She was a proud Italian, but prouder to be an American Citizen. Her family has maintained the traditions and are still introducing them to the newest generation.” - Jessica Brandi Hickey Kentner: “As a young girl, our mother was given an angel topper for the Christmas tree. This year, it was showing its age, and my brother engaged a seamstress to do an overhaul on the piece. The completed angel topper is ready to provide a century or more of joy. While the repairs were being done, it was discovered that it may be significantly older than originally thought.” - Robert Kentner.
Hawkins Vollgraff: “As kids we always went to my grandparents’ house on Hawkins Ave. My grandparents had 26 grandchildren. This went on for me until I was 18, the others I guess kept going but I went into the Navy on December 8, so when I got out, Christmas was spent with my parents and siblings. Then year by year, we, the siblings, got married and we would do the typical every-otherholiday with the spouses’ families. As for eggnog, my Aunt Margaret had the best I have ever had. My tradition for Christmas now that my parents are gone, we no longer go to Florida as we always host my son, his wife, and our two grandchildren and up until this year, we also had my daughter, her husband and other two grandchildren from them. This year they had moved to Iowa, so we saw them on Christmas Day at the in-laws’ house as we do every Christmas Day since my parents are gone.” - Samuel Hawkins Vollgraff Establish new traditions for the future. Make it happen with family, friends, a group or club. The traditions we follow are now our history. Share them with everyone.
L.I. Limo Association Advises Against Unlicensed Chauffeurs
By Matt Meduri
Transportation isn’t nearly the headache it once was. Rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft, as well as the ease of finding freelance drivers on Facebook Marketplace have made finding a ride in a pinch or ahead of a celebratory night much simpler.
However, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, warns the Long Island Limousine Association (LILA), particularly ahead of New Year’s Eve, one of the busiest nights of the year for drivers. Whether it be airport pickups for holiday travelers, or designated drivers for those who wish to bring in 2025 with a bit of indulgence, LILA warns that for-hire drivers who use their own personal vehicles with no other bona fides. This is opposed to the rideshare apps, where drivers are commercially insured for medical and other expenses up to $1 million. Free agent drivers, who are often simply looking to earn extra income and possibly take an intoxicated driver off the road, are doing so without understanding the risks of operating as an unlicensed chauffeur.
Members of the LILA executive board held a press conference on Friday afternoon ahead of New Year’s Eve at All-Star Limousine in North Amityville to address these specific concerns. Despite the holiday-centric theme of the message, it still resonates even after the New Year.
“We have over one hundred members and over one thousand vehicles on the road,” said LILA Board President Tom Gouldsbury. “Our association is very beneficial to the Island and our industry,” he added, referencing LILA’s foundation. The group was chartered in 1976 to address the “never ending insurance problem” with a charter group of twenty-four owners to “provide a media for owners of limousines to unite for a common cause and promote goodwill and understanding amongst all,” according to their website.
“Unlicensed operators are the drivers who do not follow the rules, are not properly licensed, do not have background checks, and do not have the proper insurance,” said Gouldsbury (pictured left). “People are unaware of what is going on.”
Gouldsbury advised against finding drivers for hire on social media, particularly “mom’ groups,” on Facebook, a common type of community page, usually inclusive of a particular hamlet or village, where residents can exchange information, ask questions, and raise awareness to certain issues, public hearings, and public projects. While the intentions of those in the “mom’s groups” are often altruistic, accuracy of information from such groups is also frequently scrutinized.
“God forbid there’s an accident, these drivers are not covered. Plus, even if the person driving has their own personal insurance, it won’t cover for-hire vehicles,” said Gouldsbury.
To legally transport passengers in the State of New York, the operator must have a TLC Driver’s license from the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to operate large or heavy vehicles, such as buses, vans, or stretch limos, pass background checks, and submit the vehicle for inspections every six months. The NYS Department of Transportation website shows such requirements, such as those to complete taxi school, complete a wheelchair-accessible class, complete a defensive driving course, and submit a medical history (Form B) signed by a doctor, attesting to medical fitness to drive a taxi or passenger vehicle.
Gouldsbury also says that emergency training is a crucial component that shows the stark contrast between licensed operators and unlicensed, for-hire drivers.
“Drivers have specific rules to protect their passengers. They’re trained to use a first-aid kit, a fire extinguisher, and an emergency hammer (a glass-break tool),” said Gouldsbury. “But licensed drivers are also required to have livery insurance, and providers carry $1 million in coverage at minimum.”
But perhaps worst of all, passengers harmed or even killed while using the services of an unlicensed driver will have no recourse through the driver’s or even their own insurance.
“Any insurance company a driver might have will deny the claim,” said Gouldsbury.
“And unfortunately, whoever is in the car might have incurred liability. They’re basically all on their own.”
Gouldsbury offered some tips for riders to identify a legitimate driver: proper licensure, which can be produced upon request, a license plate labeled “Livery” or “Commercial,” an absence of which Gouldsbury says is a “dead giveaway,” and no visible endorsements from TLC, NYSDOT, or Nassau or Suffolk counties.
Gouldsbury recounted a recent call of an illegal operator found at John F. Kennedy Airport.
“He was caught at JFK, reportedly illegal[ly operating], they put his Mercedes Sprinter out of service, which had numerous violations, and unfortunately, the people he was picking up, had to find another way home,” said Gouldsbury, adding that simply writing the driver a ticket and allowing him to take the passengers home could have resulted in an accident where the passengers were not covered by the driver’s insurance.
“We call New Year’s Eve ‘amateur hour,’” said Gouldsbury, referring to the larger numbers of unlicensed drivers operating illegally, adding that LILA’s pre-employment measures help alleviate a gap in the market on the industry’s biggest night of the year. “We’re not a taxi service; we work very hard to deliver a higher standard than other people,” adding that all drivers of LILA’s members abide by drug testing, in addition to background checks pursuant to Megan’s Law, a 1994 federal law that requires law enforcement to publicize information about registered sex offenders.
“The brokers’ responsibility is to monitor the track record of each driver on a quarterly basis, and if that driver has issues, whether it be a DWI or a bad driving record, we’ll pull the driver off the road instantly,” said Joe Marotta, a LILA Executive Board member and insurance broker (pictured left) who represents several companies that insure this industry.
Marotta shared how he conducts quarterly driver training, which entails safety training with emergency supplies and tools, but also the mint-on-the-pillow aspects of a legitimate transportation service.
“How to take the luggage out of a vehicle so the passenger doesn’t have to do it, how to disembark a passenger at an airport so he doesn’t open the door in the traffic; it’s a lot of different things,” said Marotta. “I had a situation where a driver opened the door, the passenger stepped out, and he was clipped by another vehicle. This training is all in the best interest in the customer, because there’s a lot more than just driving the vehicle.”
LILA has a hotline set up to report suspected unlicensed drivers: 631-944-8448, or by contacting lilalongisland@gmail.com
Additionally, the site of the press conference, All-Star Limousine, provides licensed transportation, ranging from weddings, celebrations, wine tours, airport services, and corporate engagement, with a large fleet of vehicles from which to choose, including party buses, classic limos, sprinter vans, nondescript and sleek corporate vehicles, and classic automobiles.
All-Star Limousine is located at 380 New Highway in North Amityville.
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
AMAC
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Mark Zuckerberg Is Having an Elon Musk Moment
By Shane Harris | AMAC Outside Contributor
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg appears to be undergoing a political awakening, which may pose an existential threat to the left-wing censorship regime.
In a five-minute video posted online this week, Zuckerberg announced sweeping changes to so-called “content moderation” policies across the suite of apps owned by Facebook’s parent company Meta, including photo-sharing giant Instagram. In the clip, Zuckerberg, who has faced criticism for enabling censorship of right-of-center views on his platforms, effectively acknowledges that conservatives have been right all along about biased “fact-checkers” and the suppression of free speech – and outlines steps he is taking to address those concerns, including working closely with President-elect Donald Trump.
“It’s time to get back to our roots around free expression on Facebook and Instagram,” Zuckerberg says in the video. “A lot has happened over the last several years. There’s been widespread debate about potential harms from online content, governments and legacy media have pushed to censor more and more.”
Zuckerberg goes on to acknowledge that the “complex systems” Meta built to filter out “harmful content” have now reached a point where there are “too many mistakes and too much censorship.” Moreover, he says “the recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing free speech.”
In perhaps one of the most shocking admissions ever made by a Big Tech executive, Zuckerberg acknowledges that “fact checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created” – specifically as it relates to the narrative that Donald Trump is a “threat to democracy.” As a result, Meta is “going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X.”
In another astonishing display of self-awareness, Zuckerberg also announced his intent to “simplify our content policies and get rid of a bunch of restrictions on topics like immigration and gender” because “what started as a movement to be more inclusive has increasingly been used to shut down opinions and shut out people with different ideas, and it’s gone too far.” To guard against the left-wing monoculture that pervades Silicon Valley, Meta will also be moving its content moderation team from California to Texas.
“Finally,” Zuckerberg concludes, “we’re going to work with President Trump to push back on governments around the world” that are “going after American companies and pushing to censor more.” In a not-sosubtle shot at the Biden administration, he notes that this has been “so difficult over the past four years when even the U.S. government has pushed for censorship.”
If Zuckerberg and Meta faithfully execute these changes – an outcome that is by no means guaranteed – it is difficult to overstate how significant of a victory it would be for conservatives and upholding the right to free speech generally, particularly within the context of Elon Musk’s overhaul of Twitter/X.
Social media is now the place where most Americans communicate with one another and obtain their information. Since their rise in popularity in the early 2000s, but especially since 2016, these platforms have become increasingly captive to left-wing ideology, and by extension Democrats’ partisan political agenda.
The 2020 election and COVID-19 pandemic represented the culmination of this trend. Zuckerberg himself played a key role in a conspiracy that spanned Big Tech, the corporate media, the intelligence community, and the Democrat Party establishment to falsely label the Hunter Biden laptop scandal “Russian disinformation.” After the election, the Biden administration then worked in coordination with Facebook and other Big Tech companies to censor opposition to their pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates.
Zuckerberg, once a strident backer of liberal causes, later acknowledged that Facebook was wrong to censor the laptop story and go along with the government’s COVID censorship – a moment that perhaps marked the beginning of his disillusionment with the left. Following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania last year, Zuckerberg also called the president-elect’s response to the shooting “badass,” another indication of a potential political realignment.
Conservatives should not now suddenly view Zuckerberg as a great “MAGA” champion – after all, he still declined to endorse Trump last year and has a long history of boosting Democrats. But what has become clear is that Zuckerberg wants to be an ally to the conservative cause of protecting free speech against leftwing censorship.
The changes Zuckerberg announced for Meta
make Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter back in 2022 all the more significant. At the time, tech industry “experts” predicted Musk would drive Twitter into the ground. Democrats and the Biden administration weaponized the government against him, while liberal governments around the world buried X in a pile of lawsuits and fines for daring to allow free speech on the platform.
Despite all of that, Meta is now changing its fact-check operations to model X’s “community notes” system – vindicating Musk’s heroic stand for free speech. With more than three billion monthly active users, Meta’s Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world, and it has now committed to better preserving the right of those users to speak their minds without fear of reprisal. Elon Musk’s courage is contagious, and the leftwing censorship regime is now clearly in decline.
The fact that these changes come just days before Trump is set to take office for the second time also highlights once again just how significant his victory was last November – not just for
Overview - AMAC -
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the economy or the border, but for the survival of the very principles this country was founded on. As Zuckerberg himself says, the U.S. government under Biden actively hampered Meta’s efforts to protect free speech. Should Kamala Harris have won last year, there is no doubt that it would have been more of the same for the next four years.
Democrats and the corporate media will undoubtedly portray Zuckerberg’s announcement as a political move from a CEO kowtowing to an incoming administration. But the more liberals lose their minds over social media companies protecting free speech, the more they acknowledge what conservatives have been saying all along – that in a free and open marketplace of ideas, the left will always lose.
Given the long history of Big Tech censorship, conservatives have plenty of reason for a “trust but verify” approach when it comes to promises of reform. But there is nonetheless now have real reason for optimism that free speech might yet prevail in the online public square.
JUL 10 THROUGH AUG 24 2025 MAR 13 THROUGH APR 27 2025 MAY 15 THROUGH JUN 29 2025 NOV 14– DEC 29
WORD OF THE Week
Etymology: early 17th century: from Latin esculentus, from esca ‘food’, from esse ‘eat’.
Synonyms: edible, comestible
ESCULENT
Adjective / Noun
Pronounced: eh·skyoo·lint
Definition:
(adjective) edible, fit to be eaten; (noun) something fit to be eaten, typically referring to a vegetablecharacterized by strong winds.
Example: “The plant was found to not only be esculent, but highly nutritious.”
Antonyms: inedible, indigestible
Source: Oxford Languages
WORD WHEEL
I N O T A L
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
January 10, 1958: Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” reaches #1 on the U.K. pop charts.
January 13, 1888: The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C., for “the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge.”
January 11, 1922:
January 12, 1966: “Batman”, starring Adam West as Batman, Burt Ward as Robin, and Cesar Romero as The Joker, debuts on ABC.
Insulin first used on humans to treat diabetes, Frederick Banting (left) injects fellow Canadian Leonard Thompson, aged 14. (right)
January 14, 1784: U.S. Congress of the Confederation ratifies the Treaty of Paris, signed September 3, 1783, ending the Revolutionary War, and forwards it to Great Britain.
January 9, 1954: Lance Hoppen, American rock bassist (Orleans - “Still the One”; “Dance With Me”), born in Bay Shore.
January 15, 2001: Wikipedia, a free Wiki or content encyclopedia, is launched by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger.
By PJ Balzer
The Real Cost of the Extra Room
In the past few years, native New Yorkers have been fleeing to the Southern states. I know around a dozen families that have quickly sold their homes here and purchased an even bigger prized possession down south or in the Midwest. A few have had the luxury of moving down with their both immediate and extended families, but most have left extended family along with some close friends behind in the pursuit of comfort at half the price.
Initially, that sounds like a dream come true.
Who wouldn’t want to sell their home and buy a larger one for half the price, some purchased newly constructed homes in gated communities for what you’d barely buy a fixer upper for here? Yet as time ticks away, I’ve personally seen and felt the real cost of gaining more concrete, wood, and grass while leaving loved ones behind, hours away. What seemed sound financially ended up costing heavily in the currency of the heart. Distance doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder. Sometimes, it actually creates strangers.
While there certainly isn’t anything inherently wrong with making a move that increases your personal comfort and gives your immediate family some extra space, there are unseen costs that most don’t factor in and the real estate agent never mentions. You’re moving hours away from people whom you may need the support of in one season of life or another.
My wife and myself both have had family make the move with the major selling point being, “the extra room.” They gained a beautiful spare bedroom many hours away, a large playroom with a ton of toys, and even an extended garage for an extra car.
But because of the distance, all the “extra room,” has been mostly empty of loved ones. I’ve never slept in that spare bedroom, spent quality time playing in the toy room, or parked my car in the empty, extra parking space. Family members and their children have aged and grown up right before us, yet only on a screen. I’m sad to say that if I passed by them in a grocery store, they wouldn’t recognize me, because I’m a stranger who lives nearly half of a country away.
On the contrary, both of my siblings live about thirty minutes away from me. A few weeks ago, my wife and I were invited by my nephew to his classroom for their Christmas party. He was so excited when we walked into the classroom; excited we were able to show up, excited for his family life to merge with his school life. He was excited to walk us through the hallways he travels in each day while pointing out to us his displayed artwork. Their children know us, not through a FaceTime screen, but in real life. By God’s Grace, we’ve been privileged to be a part of their childhood and their upbringings.
More recently, they have both been mentioning moving even closer to us, close enough that we’d be able to take a quick ride to their bus stops in the morning and to the baseball or soccer field in the evening. Even a half hour away has a little bit of a distance limitation to what we’re able to attend and be a part of. How much more does a ten-hour drive down to South Carolina or a few days’ journey to Texas?
The more I live and experience, the more I’m convinced that the extended family unit was meant to be closely knit in heart and somewhat close in proximity. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins were meant to be a vital part of their family members’ everyday lives. God created it that way and for a good purpose. The children in our family need older family members that they trust involved in their lives, daily, weekly, practically, and tenderly of course. Adolescents, teenagers, and young adults need family members they can run to when things are a little rough at home. Distance, despite possibly giving us an extra room in our home, quenches all that extra love and care the children need, especially in this time and generation, and using a screen to do so just isn’t the same. Humans were created to be embraced by a familiar hand on their shoulder both when times are good and not so much.
This certainly isn’t a suggestion not to enjoy everything you’ve worked so hard for. It’s only a reminder to make the family unit a main priority again, like our society has in decades long past. We’ve all so easily strayed away from many things that make life truly rich and fulfilling, in the pursuit of the extras. If you’ve been planning your great escape to your personal promise land, I only encourage you not to forget to factor in the hidden costs of the extra room you’ll gain in your home.
Images by Freepik
Having a ‘Ball’ in 2025
Students at Dogwood, Mount Pleasant and Mills Pond elementary schools celebrated the new year on January 3, with food, music, dancing .and fun. Each school had its own “New Year’s Ball” with refreshments provided by the school PTA groups. Many students have also worked with teachers to set goals for the second half of the school year and a plan to achieve those goals.
Culture and Cuisine for Smithtown High School West Students
Students in Mrs. Sallie Culloton’s German IV and V classes at Smithtown West High School, embarked on an artistic and cultural adventure at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on December 16.
The students participated in a “Selfie Scavenger Hunt” to take pictures with the German and Austrian Masterpieces located throughout the MET, sending Mrs. Culloton selfies with the various masterpieces. Afterward, students had lunch and enjoyed some NYC Holiday Culture with a visit to the Columbus Circle Holiday Market, inspired by the Christkindlmarkt in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
Mrs. Culloton said, “Despite the deluge of rain, a wonderful time was had by all!”
By Cait Crudden
Congressmen Garbarino and LaLota Vote to Prevent Government Shutdown
Congressmen Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) and Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) joined a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in voting for the American Relief Act, a measure that ensures federal government operations remain funded through March 14, 2025. The vote, which averts a looming government shutdown, highlights a commitment to fiscal responsibility while prioritizing essential services for Americans.
After passing the bill, Congressman LaLota expressed his support for the legislation and its importance to both national and local priorities.
“Yesterday, I joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in passing the American Relief Act, which keeps the government open while providing critical support for our troops, safeguarding Social Security, and ensuring millions of Americans have access to essential healthcare. The bill also delivers much-needed aid to our nation’s farmers and disaster-stricken states,” said LaLota. “Looking ahead, Congress must address the nation’s growing debt and deficit, while prioritizing key New York spending needs, including securing supplemental funding for the World Trade Center Health Program to prevent an expected shortfall in October 2027.”
The legislation allocates funding for a wide range of programs and initiatives critical to Americans, including national defense, which ensures military readiness and providing resources for troops. It also addressed maintaining funding for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid programs to support millions of beneficiaries for now. The bill offers aid to farmers and states recovering from natural disasters and addresses the continuation of the National Flood Insurance Program through March of 2025.
Congressman Garbarino, a staunch advocate for New York interests, joined LaLota in supporting the bill. His voting record underscores his commitment to protecting Long Island’s families and ensuring the federal government remains operational.
“A government shutdown is bad for the American people, plain and simple. While I am frustrated by the absence of 9/11 health funding and other important provisions that were included in the initial CR, I voted for the final package to keep the government open for the next three months, prevent a lapse in government resources, and ensure that our troops, border patrol agents, and tens of thousands of federal employees living on Long Island would not have to go without pay over the holidays. There continues to be widespread bipartisan and bicameral support for preventing impending cuts to the World Trade Center Health Program, and I remain confident in our ability to secure a path forward in the next Congress,” stated Congressman Garbarino.
The American Relief Act’s passage was critical in averting a potential government shutdown, which would have disrupted vital services, furloughed federal employees, and strained essential programs nationwide. The bipartisan nature of the legislation reflects lawmakers’ ability to find common ground despite political divides.
For Suffolk County and the broader New York Community, the bill carries significant implications. The inclusion of disaster relief funds is particularly important as the region continues to face the impacts of climate-related events.
While the American Relief Act offers temporary stability, lawmakers acknowledged the pressing need for comprehensive fiscal reform. Both Garbarino and LaLota emphasized the importance of addressing the national debt and deficit while ensuring that New York’s unique needs, including infrastructure investment and healthcare funding, remain priorities in future budget discussions.
The bipartisan effort to pass the American Relief Act demonstrates a collective commitment to ensuring the federal government continues to function effectively while delivering for the American people. As Congress prepares for future budget negotiations, Representatives Garbarino and LaLota are expected to play key roles in advocating for Suffolk County and New York’s interests.
Congressman LaLota’s Bipartisan Bill to Combat Fentanyl and Xylazine Epidemic Heads to President’s Desk
By Cait Crudden
Congressman Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), a member of the Homeland Security Committee, announced a significant legislative victory as his bipartisan bill, the Detection Equipment and Technology Evaluation to Counter the Threat of (DETECT) Fentanyl and Xylazine Act, cleared both the House and Senate. The groundbreaking legislation is now headed to President Biden’s desk for final approval.
The DETECT Act is designed to combat the escalating crisis of fentanyl and xylazine, a deadly combination that has ravaged communities nationwide. By enhancing law enforcement’s access to research, resources, and advanced detection technologies, the bill aims to curb the flow of these dangerous substances into the United States.
In a statement following the bill’s passage, Congressman LaLota emphasized the urgency of addressing the epidemic.
“The passage of my bipartisan DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act, by both the House and Senate, is a critical step in combating the devastating epidemic of illegal narcotics flooding into our country, tearing apart families and communities,” said Congressman LaLota. “This legislation equips our dedicated Law Enforcement officers with the tools they need to fight these deadly drugs and protect American lives. I’m proud to see this bill advance to the President’s desk and urge its swift enactment into law. Now is the time to act decisively, prioritize public safety, and take bold steps to prevent further tragic and unnecessary loss of life.”
The bill comes at a crucial time as the nation grapples with a surge in drug overdoses linked to fentanyl and xylazine. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is fifty times more potent than heroin and has become
a leading cause of overdose deaths in the U.S. When mixed with xylazine, a veterinary sedative not approved for human use, the combination becomes even deadlier, often rendering life-saving interventions like naloxone ineffective.
According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fentanyl-related deaths have surged in recent years, contributing to more than 100,000 overdose fatalities annually. The presence of xylazine in drug supplies has further compounded the crisis, creating new challenges for first responders and healthcare providers.
The DETECT Act focuses on empowering law enforcement agencies by advancing Research which will facilitate studies to understand the evolving composition and impact of synthetic drugs like fentanyl and xylazine. Developing detection tools is crucial and this legislation provides funding for cutting-edge detection technologies that can identify these substances more effectively at points of entry and in local communities. There is also an emphasis on enhancing collaboration and promoting information sharing between federal, state, and local agencies to ensure a coordinated response to the epidemic.
The bill’s bipartisan nature underscores the shared urgency across party lines to address the crisis. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have praised the DETECT Act as a meaningful step toward safeguarding communities and saving lives.
As the bill awaits the President’s signature, Congressman LaLota remains committed to combating the opioid epidemic and ensuring public safety. The swift enactment of the DETECT Act could mark a pivotal moment in the fight against the deadly scourge of fentanyl and xylazine.
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