Thursday, November 5, 2026 ~ Volume 71 ~ Issue Number 49 ~ $1.00
SUFFOLK SURVIV ES BLUE WAVE Story on page 10
LOSQUADRO ELECTED COMPTROLLER (Left to right) Suffolk GOP Chairman Garcia and (R) Comptroller-elect Dan Losquadro (Credit - Alicia F. Palifka)
LaLOTA, GARBARINO RE-ELECTED
(Left to right) Congressman Garbarino, Congressman LaLota (Credit - Matt Meduri)
Story on page 10
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AUTUMN EVENTS Port Jefferson Farmers Market: Every Sunday until November, 9:00a.m. to 2:00p.m. Introduction to Wilderness Survival (Adult Program): Saturday, November 7, 9:45a.m. to 12:00p.m. at Caumsett State Park. Reservations required: 631-423-1770 Hometown Heroes Veterans Appreciation Ceremony Middle Country Athletic Complex Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m. All Welcome Sunken Meadow State Park Tiny Tots Nature Discoveries, Thursdays Nov 5, 12, Dec 3, 10th 10:30 a.m. -11:30 a.m.
Caumsett State Historic Park Intro to Wilderness Survival - Sunday, Nov. 7th 9:45 a.m. – 12 p.m. Scandinavian Bazaar Norway Hall in St. James Saturday, November 14th 10am - 3pm 2026 Moriches Veterans Parade Saturday Nov. 8th 2pm. Starts at Montauk Hwy and Ends at East Moriches, Fire Dept. Wildwood State Park Citizen Science Beach Hike - Wed., Nov. 25th 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 6th 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. Town of Brookhaven Polar Plunge - Saturday., Nov. 21st at Cedar Beach in Mt. Sinai
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Thursday, November 5, 2026
Blue Tsunami: Dems Flip House, Senate, Majority of Governorships
By Matt Meduri
Last week, our forecast showed Democrats taking the House with 230 seats, Republicans holding the Senate in a 50-50 tie, and Democrats flipping three governorships. That forecast turned out to be wrong, and as we said, regardless of our accuracy, we’ll dig into the autopsy. Part of our assumption was that while the midterm energy against Trump was palpable, we couldn’t see a true wave election, as many have been predicted over the last several cycles but never materialized. Instead, those cycles delivered more “predictable” results with some surprises here and there. Polarization, we thought, precluded either party from seriously making massive gains more in line with historical norms. The 2026 midterms broke that model, which has been mostly suspended in the Trump Era. Tuesday’s elections not only delivered the “predictable” outcomes, but dozens of surprises, each one more startling than the last. Republicans drowned in counties and congressional districts that had gone for Trump by 20, 30, 40, and even 50 points just two years ago. The maps above are color-coded. The darkest reds and blues show the respective parties holding seats they had going into Tuesday. The mediumred and blue states/seats show flips for the respective parties, and the lightest reds and blues show state/seats where the respective party is leading as of press time but the races have not been formally called.
is counting on ME-02, a rural, upstate Maine seat, although that state counts excruciatingly slowly. The Democrats could very well hold that seat that’s eluded the GOP since 2018. The South: Democrats surged across the Deep South. Instead of flipping just one North Carolina seat as we predicted, Democrats have flipped five, with one more likely on the way. In the four seats the GOP has held in the Tar Heel State, they do so by razor-thin margins. The mid-decade gerrymander the GOP attempted did not pan out and instead made their safer incumbents somewhat vulnerable in a wave environment. Democrats picked up a seat in South Carolina, while the GOP went 0-for-4 in the seats they gerrymandered in Florida. Democrats also appear to have won a seat in Tennessee, one that was not even on the radar and had been redrawn to be a Trump +24 seat. The Midwest: In Ohio, the Democrats flipped three seats, one in Indiana, and appear set to flip three in Michigan. Three seats flipped blue in Iowa, one in Missouri, one in Nebraska, two in Wisconsin, and likely one in Minnesota. The Rockies: Republicans might be totally wiped out in Colorado, with just one GOP congressman hanging on by a thread with many more votes to count. Democrats flipped a seat in Montana, one in Utah, and two in Arizona. More
seats might well be on the way for them. Texas: The biggest story of the night, Republicans only flipped one seat they expected to gain from the gerrymander that started the entire middecade redistricting “arms race.” South Texas snapped back to the Democrats en masse, and they even got TX-23, a sprawling El Paso-to-San Antonio seat that had eluded Democrats since 2016. The West: Democrats picked up the five seats they were expected to win in California, and swiped the one seat the GOP had in Nevada. Our Forecast: All of our “Usual Suspects” seats flipped, as well as all but one of our Upset Alert seats. Only one Republican, Anna Paulina Luna (R, FL-13) managed to survive in that category. We particularly whiffed on the total House numbers, however, as Democrats sailed past expectations of this paper and of other prognosticators. We’re seeing 15 seats go blue or stay blue that we had neither predicted nor put in the Upset Alert column. At this point, if all the races go as the current results stand, Democrats would have 260 seats in the House to the GOP’s 175. This would eclipse Democrats’ 257seat majority in 2008, and would be the largest House majority for either party since the Democrats took 269 seats in the 1982 midterms.
The Senate - 54D-44R This is where we were the least confident in our forecasts. The numbers certainly showed the possibility of a Democratic sweep, but were also close enough to bet on fundamentals precluding the Party of Jackson from making inroads in some of the reddest states in the country. That Democrats swept the Senate battlegrounds isn’t a huge surprise, but the margins certainly are. In Texas, James Talarico (D) defeated Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), who was widely regarded as the worst-quality candidate of the cycle. In a Trump +14 state that hadn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1988, Talarico prevailed by a whopping 12 points, owing to surging turnout in the Texas Triangle and a snapback of Hispanic voters in the Rio Grande Valley. In Kansas, Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton (D) defeated the embattled one-term Senator Roger Marshall (R). Hamilton, who won by 5 points, is the first Democrat to win a Senate race in Kansas since George McGill (D) in 1932, making it perhaps the most stunning result of the night. A much wider upset, however, that was not predicted by major forecasters was pediatrician Annie Andrews’ (D) triumph over Darlene Graham (R) in South Carolina. Graham was appointed to the
The House - 249D As of press time, Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) has called 248 districts for the Democrats and 156 for the Republicans. The GOP won 220 seats last cycle, with 218 required for a majority. We’ll break down the results by region. The Northeast: Democrats swept virtually every seat that was up for grabs from Virginia to Maine. We had correctly predicted three Democratic seats in Pennsylvania, one in Virginia, and one in New Jersey. The Democrats ousted the mavericky Brian Fitzpatrick (R, PA01), after years of trying, and sprung an upset in South Jersey and Virginia’s Hampton Roads. Congressman Mike Lawler (R-Pearl River) lags behind Cait Conley (D) in his Westchester-based seat, but it seems unlikely there are enough ballots remaining to save him. The GOP
The House - 249D
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Blue Tsunami: Dems Flip House, Senate, Majority of Governorships
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By Matt Meduri
gubernatorial level. They prevailed in Florida by just 1 point, deep-red Tennessee - which was hardly on the radar - by 2 points, South Carolina and Alabama both by 4 points, Oklahoma by 6, and Nebraska by 8. Keep in mind, these are some of the reddest states in the country, and while we viewed these seats as competitive, we did not estimate the results would be this close. J.D. Vance Responds
The Senate - 54D-44R seat to succeed her late brother, Senator Lindsey Graham (R), after his death in July. Andrews won by about 4 points, flipping counties that went to Trump by over 30 points in 2024. She is the first Democrat to represent the Palmetto State in the Senate since 1998. The notable maverick Susan Collins (R) couldn’t overperform the polls as she has for decades in Maine, going down to Troy Jackson (D) by about 6 points as of press time. Democrats hadn’t won a Senate race in Maine since 1988. Sherrod Brown (D) will return to the Senate after defeating Senator Jon Husted (R) in Ohio, and Josh Turek (D) defeated Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R) in Iowa. In the latter, no Democrat has won a Senate race since 2008. Democrats held the battleground of Michigan by 7 points, Jon Ossoff (D) prevailed in Georgia by a whopping 19 points, and Roy Cooper (D) became the first Democrat to represent North Carolina in the Senate since 2008. Cooper won by a staggering 19 points himself. Meanwhile, Republicans barely held onto deep-red Louisiana, Nebraska, Alabama, and Tennessee, and saw underwhelming margins in Arkansas and Kentucky. Even in West Virginia, one of the reddest states in the country, the GOP failed to capture 60% of the vote. The vote is out in Alaska, where Mary Peltola (D) seems likely to become the first Democrat to represent the Last Frontier in the Senate since 2008, while Democrats appear to be narrowly ahead in Mississippi, where no Democrat has won a Senate race since 1982. Democrats will have at least 54 seats in the chamber, 56 if Alaska and Mississippi do flip to them.
We correctly predicted North Carolina, Ohio, and, if it turns out, Alaska. We disagreed with other forecasters on Kansas, Texas, and Maine, and most forecasters did not call Iowa, South Carolina, or Mississippi. The Governors - 28D-20R Democrats took a majority of the nation’s governorships for the first time since 2009, and it doesn’t appear close. Of the 36 states up for grabs on Tuesday, Democrats took 24 of them. We had called flips in Ohio, Iowa, and Alaska, which wasn’t a bold prediction. Democrats flipped Georgia, Nevada, and even Texas. The Lone Star State hadn’t elected a Democratic governor since 1990 that was Ann Richards (D) who in 1994 would be defeated by George W. Bush (R).
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) prevailed in Georgia by 9 points to become the first Democratic governor of the Peach State since 1998. Where all forecasters, including us, thought the GOP would get one flip was Kansas. While the vote is still out, it seems Adam Hamilton’s coattails in the Senate race might have been enough to keep Kansas blue. No party has won three consecutive gubernatorial elections in the Sunflower State since the 1970s. The GOP did, however, get an unsung silver lining to the night. They flipped Guam in the governor’s race. Vicente Ada (R) is the first Republican governor of the South Pacific territory since 2014. Just as the margins were staggering in the Senate races, the GOP had immense trouble holding onto the reddest states at the
In a lengthy social media post, Vice President J.D. Vance (R-OH) said that he had it on good authority that while the GOP might not get blown out of the water, he was “feeling negative” going into Tuesday. According to a pollster whom he called “one of the smartest people” he knows in politics, the referendum came down to four things: the Iran War, cost of living/inflation, putting America First, and changing the U.S. relationship with Israel. “Our voters showed up, and the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats,” said Vance. “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night. If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest. But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there. I remain hopeful about our country. To the people who are pissed off and want to say, ‘I told you so’: you’re right, you did tell us so. Take that energy into electing Republicans who share your worldview. To the people who are just pissed at the results, you should be. Let’s take that anger and get back to the work of saving our country.”
The Governors - 28D-20R
Editorial
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Thursday, November 5, 2026
Suffolk GOP Withstands the Toughest Year It is unquestionable that 2026 was a blue tsunami. It’s being compared to the blue wave of 2006 - which, curiously, was due to an unpopular, unnecessary war that didn’t benefit the U.S. - but it’s bigger than that. Democrats swept virtually every House seat that was on the table, even on the edges of the table, and even a few that weren’t even on the radar. Their path to the Senate was as deep as it was wide. They won in the reddest of states - Kansas, Texas, South Carolina, apparently Mississippi - and by convincing margins. Yet, Suffolk County remains an island of red in a sea of blue. It’s perhaps one of the most impressive feats of the cycle. That NY-01 and NY-02, two medium-red seats that, on paper, should have been swept away in the wave, remained red is enough for the Suffolk GOP to keep its place as the preeminent Republican committee. Those districts were narrower than they have been in years, but every seat similar in partisan composition and political lean flipped blue on Tuesday. It’s also, at least in part, a testament to Congressmen Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and Andrew Garbarion (R-Bayport). Clearly, Suffolk voters saw something in them that millions of voters elsewhere did not see in their Republican counterparts. The Suffolk Republican machine was also able to keep their heads above water and hold the open Comptroller seat and limit their losses in the State Assembly and Senate. Unfortunately, the State trifecta will have more power than ever, courtesy of Donald Trump (R-FL) and his horrible presidency.
Even Bruce Blakeman (R-Atlantic Beach) couldn’t hold Suffolk and Nassau in his landslide gubernatorial loss, just as Republicans were making inroads in one of the bluest states in the country. Blakeman clearly didn’t have the forethought to distance himself from perhaps the most toxic individual in the country - President Trump - and that cost him dearly among voters who saw this election solely as a referendum on Trump. But it also should serve as a warning to voters, Republican, Democratic, or otherwise, who understand the sanctity of local elections. Albany’s even-year election scheme got a beta test on Tuesday night, and they saw firsthand just how local issues and good local candidates and incumbents can be washed away because of one madman. All politics is local, we say and have been saying all year in anticipation of a moment like this. But the Suffolk Republican Committee deserves immense recognition for staying afloat while Republicans elsewhere drowned. Those Republicans might have been rather indifferent to local issues, they might have hugged Trump too tightly - of their own volition or for fear of political retribution - or were liabilities for some other reasons. But by and large, many people who voted for Trump two years ago elected Democrats to represent them in Congress. The Suffolk GOP rightly keeps its place as one of the most important and effective political committees in the country, representing the largest suburban county in the nation, no less.
National GOP Deserved to be Swept Away in a Blue Wave Ten years ago, Donald Trump descended down the escalator with a message that was and remains true: money in politics is the problem, foreign interests capture American interests, and those in power only remain so because they feel entitled to it. Trump defeated over a dozen powerful Republicans primarily on the basis that the Iraq War was a massive mistake predicated on falsehoods that only advanced the interests of other nations and put the U.S. into unsustainable debt. That war destroyed his Republican predecessor’s presidency and made the GOP an electoral minority for close to a decade, until Trump came along with the promise to reform that party into one of populism and “America First” initiatives. On Tuesday, Donald Trump spoke to Fox News as returns were coming in. He said, perhaps jokingly, “...if people ever got tired of me in the U.S., I’ll move to Israel, become prime minister,” adding that his approval rating over there is “99%.” He said this as his party was experiencing a wipeout of epic proportions. The referendum came down to this: money in politics is the problem, foreign interests capture American interests, and those in power only remain so because they feel entitled to it. Trump destroyed his presidency over an unpopular war predicated on falsehoods that only advanced the interests of other nations and put the U.S. further into unsustainable debt. The “America First” initiatives that swept Trump and the GOP into office two years ago were not realized and the American people responded accordingly. And his flippant response appears, to us at least, that he doesn’t care in the slightest about conservative values and governance, nor American sovereignty or “America First.” Moreover, for a guy who’s always needed everyone to adore him, he seems to take comfort in an approval rating in a country on the other side of the globe, while poll numbers among his actual constituents, Americans, are the worst for any president since Harry Truman (D-MO). It appears he has become the very thing he swore to destroy. We’re sensing some parallels in this election based on the results. Michigan This was the marquee race of the cycle. Every issue topical to this cycle could be found in this race, but the reasonable gripes about healthcare take precedence here. Mike Rogers (R), who deservedly lost his bid to Abdul El-Sayed (D) for Senate, is one of the favorite children of Big Pharma and Big Insurance. As a Congressman, he voted over a dozen times to prevent the negotiation of drug prices - you know, the actual free market capitalist thing to do, not the bastardized, crony capitalism-socialism hybrid the U.S. has been practicing for decades. Those “Big” guys compensated Rogers with an endless stream of campaign donations to ensure he remained in power. Rogers took bribes, which are legalized for some reason - another issue the national GOP doesn’t seem interested in tackling as ostensible “small government, affordability”minded politicians - in exchange for Americans to be price-gouged while navigating an increasingly corporate healthcare system, Americans dying or going bankrupt in the process be damned. In other words, Mike Rogers is a criminal. The system, however, doesn’t see it that way. That’s just business as usual in Washington. Kansas This is probably the most painful loss of the night for the GOP. We’ve been saying for years now that Kansas will be a battleground coming up in the next decade, but it seems that day might have arrived sooner than we imagined. Democrats won a Senate race in Kansas for the first time since 1932. Senator-elect Adam Hamilton (D) is only the second popularly-elected Senator from the Sunflower State. The other two were elected by the Kansas Legislature before the 17th Amendment was ratified. Senator Roger Marshall (R) came under serious fire for having sued his patients for lapsed medical bills. The healthcare angle applies here. But the real issue that sank Marshall was his apparent indifference to the Iran War’s effect on farmers. With diesel being the costliest it’s ever been, if it’s even available in some parts of the country, coupled with spikes in fertilizer costs and the foolish Argentinian beef trade Trump tried last month, it’s no wonder farmers across the country revolted.
The diesel and fertilizer problems are directly attributed to the Iran War; Marshall seemed indifferent. American farmers got hurt by Trump striking deals to boost Argentinian beef instead of American beef, and about half of that beef had to be recalled. “America First?” Where? Not in Kansas, apparently. South Carolina Another aspect of Trump’s meteoric rise in 2016 was pointing out the entitlement coming from the Hillary Clinton (D-NY) campaign and Democratic and Republican politicians of her ilk. It wasn’t that she wasn’t necessarily “qualified” for office; it’s that she merely expected it to be a coronation. She didn’t try as hard as Trump, she notably wrote off Wisconsin after the primaries, and she spoke with the elitist tone in her voice that paled in comparison to Trump’s every-man, devil-may-care, trash-talking persona. In South Carolina, Trump hand-picked Darline Graham (R), the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham (R), a despicable American who never saw a war he didn’t like and never once recoiled at the idea of sending American men and women to die in foreign quagmires the U.S. had no business in waging. They continue to edify him as some champion of progress, but all he really was was a sick warmonger who couldn’t point to one notable accomplishment for his residents. Darline Graham then goes on stage and says that her objectives, if elected, were to carry on her brother’s legacy, but also admitted she didn’t know much about foreign policy on a debate stage. Interestingly, foreign policy was the late Graham’s bread and butter, unfortunately for a generation of Americans. Luckily, Darline Graham wasn’t elected, and she didn’t deserve to be elected. Why would the GOP, reformed under Trump at least partially on the basis of the entitlement of the ruling class, stick up a candidate solely on sentimental value who can’t even answer the most basic questions? That debate performance screamed, “I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m just going to do what the Washington elites tell me.” Texas We’ve saved the best for last, and many Republicans are treating 2026 like a funeral. Democrats finally turned Texas blue, and not just in the Senate race, but the governor’s race and a number of statewide positions. In just one night, Senator Ted Cruz (R) became the sole statewide Republican in Texas. Ken Paxton (R) should squirrel himself away from politics for the rest of his life, and he deservedly will go down as perhaps one of the worst candidates this cycle. His race was emblematic in a straightforward way: corruption. Felony securities fraud, a 2023 impeachment by the GOP-led Texas House, insider whistleblowers, and a substantial increase in his personal net worth during his time as Texas Attorney General, Paxton entered this race with more baggage than an international airline. That parallels the fact that Trump has made more in the last two years of his return to Washington than he has in his entire life. Paxton also earned criticism for a “sweetheart deal” involving a pedophile who got a 60-day jail sentence in a deal brokered by Paxton’s office. While the intricacies of the case have been defended on procedural grounds, Paxton couldn’t seem bothered to substantively answer tough questions. That parallels the swirling questions on the Epstein Files, something Trump has actively covered up and even called his own supporters “stupid” for rightly wanting transparency that may very likely be compromising many federal officials. Overall, this newspaper finds the national GOP deserved to lose this election. Americans were not addressed these last two years and the party seemed to get high on their own supply in the cult-like mentality of worshipping Trump as a political god. That’s exactly the hubris that took down George W. Bush, and it’s the identical egotism that took down Hillary Clinton. And in the end, it took down Trump, deservedly so.
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Thursday, November 5, 2026
The Link Between Public Spending, People Leaving NY By Steve Levy | Long Island Life & Politics Two unrelated articles published in New York papers last week are very much related when it comes to why so many people are leaving New York. The first article centered on the continued exodus of New York taxpayers, who are fleeing the Empire State to less expensive parts of the country. The second relates to the huge public sector salaries that are common in New York. For over a decade, New York has been in the top two on the list of states losing residents. California is the only other state in New York’s league. The reason for this connection is quite obvious. These are two of the most highly taxed states in the union. They also have among the strongest municipal unions in the nation. It’s those municipal unions that come into play with the second article last week referenced above. That’s the one that talked about some local law enforcement officers earning over $300,000 in salaries, benefits, and other perks. One may ask, “How could it be possible that we’ve gotten to the point where law enforcement officers on Long Island could make such salaries?”
Once again, the answer comes back to the extraordinary strength of the public sector unions on Long Island and in New York. Many state and local leaders for years have been doing the bidding of these powerful collective bargaining units. It goes back to the 1960s, when the state imposed the Taylor Law, which introduced mandatory arbitration for settling police contracts in many counties, including Nassau and Suffolk. It took away management’s power to control the process and eroded any incentives for the unions to provide givebacks. Time and time again, we saw how officials eagerly sent impasses to the arbitrators who would provide huge wages and benefit increases to the union. Then the leapfrogging effect came about when Suffolk County’s negotiators would use Nassau‘s highest wage settlement agreement as the new base. When Suffolk’s deal was completed, Nassau would then use that higher settlement as the new base. While the hard-working men and women on the front lines deserve our support and praise, it is the elected officials
who have been failing in their job to create some checks and balances. We can’t blame the workers for taking what is offered to them, nor can we even blame the union for fighting for as much as possible for their members. Undoubtedly, the blame lies at the door of our elected class who allowed themselves to be pawns for the unions who provided them with very generous donations at election time. These salaries and benefits place tremendous burdens on local budgets. Extraordinary giveaways are also often seen placed in some other sectors of public employment, and this is why taxes on Long Island are among the highest in the nation, as they are in most of New York State. It’s the high-tax states such as New York, California, and Illinois that are losing the most people. Folks are leaving for cheaper states with no income taxes, such as Texas, Tennessee, and Florida. Both former president Franklin Roosevelt (D-NY), known as one of the strongest pro-union presidents ever, and Samuel Gompers, one of the founding fathers of unionization in the United States,
believed that while private sector unions must be supported, the concept of a public sector union is counterintuitive and should not be legally permissible. It basically creates a situation where the government is negotiating against itself. In the private sector, the idea of the managers taking donations from the unions they are negotiating against is illegal, but not so in the public sector. And that’s one of the biggest reasons why taxes are so high in New York, and why so many people are fleeing. This op-ed originally ran in Long Island Life & Politics. For more from LILP, visit them online at lilifepolitics.com.
The Voters Have Spoken. What Did They Say About Taxes? By Jason Mercier | Mountain States Policy Center Though ballots are still being counted in several states, enough votes are in to project the outcome for several tax proposals that were considered across the country this election. It appears that when it came to electing candidates, voters were focused on sending a national message. As for tax policy, local policy preferences were more pronounced state by state. Realizing that the vote margins are still in flux, here is where things currently stand on the various tax proposals that were on the ballot. Supermajority for Taxes Requiring a higher threshold to raise taxes was very popular with voters, with one exception. Iowans approved a constitutional amendment to require a 2/3 legislative vote to increase income taxes. Local voters in Snohomish (Prop 5) and Clark counties (Amendment 25) in Washington state are currently approving supermajority requirements for county tax increases. One failure was in Utah, where a proposed constitutional amendment requiring a 60% vote for ballot measures increasing or creating new taxes was rejected.
Income/Wealth Taxes Perhaps the most nationally watched tax proposal was Prop 40 in California. This first attempt to bring a “Wealth Tax” to the United States is being rejected by Californians. Several European countries have already repealed their wealth taxes due to the economic problems they create. While many states are moving toward a flat income tax, Colorado appears to be taking a step in the wrong direction with a proposed constitutional amendment allowing a graduated income tax narrowly passing. North Carolina, meanwhile, adopted a constitutional amendment capping income taxes at 3.5%. Perhaps not a surprise based on the government-imposed propaganda ballot title, Washington voters rejected a repeal of the state’s first income tax. Because the Washington Supreme Court for nearly 100 years has consistently ruled that a graduated income tax is unconstitutional, this new tax still faces a legal challenge with oral arguments currently scheduled for February 5, 2027. Property Taxes In Wyoming, voters rejected a flawed
proposal that attempted to address property taxes without going after the spending that drives the collections. Tennessee voters adopted a constitutional amendment prohibiting a state property tax. Voters in North Carolina also adopted a constitutional amendment restricting the amount local governments can increase property taxes. Florida voters gave approval to a controversial constitutional amendment that expanded the state’s property tax homestead exemption. Other Notable Tax Votes Arizona voters are narrowly approving a constitutional amendment to prohibit mileage-based taxes for cars. Missouri voters rejected a constitutional amendment creating a public endowment fund with the goal of phasing out state taxes. What to Learn from Texas? While voters in our region may be looking in shock and awe at the results of the candidate elections in Texas, there is an important lesson for our states to learn. It is highly unlikely that state leaders in Idaho, Montana, or Wyoming will be proposing tax increases next year.
That statement was also true for Texas before the election results. Thankfully for Texas taxpayers, voters proactively protected themselves from an income tax in 2019 by adopting a constitutional ban. This is why it is so important for policymakers in our region to institutionalize good tax policy when they can so that citizens and businesses aren’t subject to wild swings in tax policy (looking at you, Washington State) from election to election. The first step next session should be to follow the lead of Iowa this year and send voters a constitutional amendment to require a supermajority legislative vote before taxes can be increased. Jason Mercier is Vice President and Director of Research of Mountain States Policy Center, an independent research organization based in Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming. Online at mountainstatespolicy.org.
Election Results
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Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, November 5, 2026
Hochul Defeats Blakeman, Dems Make Gains in Legislature By The Editorial Board
Credit -Matt Meduri Credit - Office of New York Attorney General
Hochul’s win carried two other statewide officials to re-election, Attorney General Letitia James (D-Clinton Hill) and Comptroller Tom DiNapoli (D-Great Neck Plaza). James, who won a third term on Tuesday, trounced first-time candidate Saritha Komatireddy (R-Upper East Side) with 60.1% of the vote to Komatireddy’s 39.9% - 3.4 million votes to 2.3 million for a 20-point margin. “We’ve fought for every New Yorker without fear or favor and tonight New Yorkers have told us loud and clear they want Tish James to finish the job,” said James (pictured above right) at the Midtown Manhattan watch party. Komatireddy conceded defeat. “I am deeply grateful to the thousands of volunteers, supporters, and everyday New Yorkers who believed in our campaign and our vision for a safer and stronger New York. I’m proud of the campaign we ran. Ultimately, that’s what public office is about – public service means serving people, not celebrity or personal gain. Whatever I do moving forward will be about exactly that – serving others and making New York safer.”
Credit -Matt Meduri
Democrats Re-Elected in A.G., Comptroller Races
In the Comptroller’s race, DiNapoli (pictured below), the about 10 points. In District 39, which has parts of Dutchess, Orange, second-longest served Comptroller in state history, won a fifth and Putnam counties, Senator Rob Rolison (R-Poughkeepsie) lost by full term. His margin was the largest of three statewide races. about 12 points. Finally, in District 44 - Saratoga County and parts of He defeated Joe Hernandez (R-Upper Schenectady County - Senator James Tedisco West Side) by 31 points - 64.5% (R-Glenville) lost by a narrow 4-point margin. to 35.4% or 3.7 million votes to The GOP did not flip any Senate seats, 2 million. giving Democrats a net gain of six seats. They Suffolk County surprisingly went will have 47 seats to the GOP’s 16, restoring for all three statewide Democrats. their supermajority in the chamber. Hochul’s margin was the thinnest, In the State Assembly, Republicans 50.3% to 49.6% - a margin of 0.7. lost five seats. In southern Brookhaven, Hochul defeated Blakeman by about Assemblyman Joe DeStefano (R-Medford) 4,000 votes out of over 500,000 ballots lost to Josh Slaughter (D-Shirley) by 3 points. cast. James defeated Komatirredy by In southern Brooklyn, Assemblyman Michael a 1-point margin - 5,000 votes - and Novakhov (R-Manhattan Beach) lost by DiNapoli defeated Hernandez by 9 a whopping 23-point margin, and fellow points - a 49,000 vote margin. southern Brooklyn member, Assemblyman In next-door Nassau, where Alec Brook-Krasny (R-Coney Island) lost Blakeman was expected to win and by 11 points. Also in southern Brooklyn, provide coattails, Hochul won by a Assemblyman Lester Chang (R-Midwood) razor-thin margin of 0.1 - a 216-vote lost by 5 points. margin of victory out of over 520,000 Finally, in the 107th Assembly District ballots cast. James prevailed over parts of Albany, Rensselaer, Columbia, and Komatirredy by a margin of 0.8 - a Washington counties, Assemblyman Scott 4,000 vote difference - and DiNapoli Bendett (R-Averill Park) lost by 3 points. won Nassau by 11 points - a difference Democrats also net two open seats. In of about 55,000. the Huntington-based Twelfth Assembly District, Craig Herskowitz (D-Northport) Democrats Flip State defeated Village Trustee Dave Weber Legislature Seats (R-Northport) by 3 points. This is the first time a Democrat has ever won this In the State Senate, Democrats Assembly seat. flipped the First District - Suffolk’s East Assemblyman Daniel Norber (R-Great End and Northern Brookhaven, making Neck) retired and Democrats flipped this for the first time a Democrat has won northwestern Nassau seat by a narrow that seat in over fifty years - and margin. Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick The only flip Republicans saw was in (R-Malverne) lost by 3 points in her the Utica-Rome area. The 119th District southeast-Nassau district. was vacated by Assemblywoman Marianne In southern Brooklyn-based Buttenschon (D-Marcy), and was flipped by District 17, freshman Senator Steve Michael Gentile (R) by about 6 points. Chan (R-Bensonhurst) lost by a Democrats expanded their alreadywhopping 15-point margin. In the large Assembly majority from 103 seats Rockland County-based District 39, to 110 seats, well within supermajority Senator Bill Weber (R-Nyack) lost by territory. Credit -Matt Meduri
The New York gubernatorial election ended with a clear win for Governor Kathy Hochul (D-Hamburg), who trounced Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R-Atlantic Beach) to win a second term. Hochul (pictured right) defeated Blakeman with 59.7% of the vote to Blakeman’s 40.3% - a margin of victory of just under 20 points. It’s a significant upswing from her 6-point win over Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) four years ago. Hochul received 3.5 million votes to Blakeman’s 2.3 million. “Thank you for once again putting your trust in me,” Hochul said in her victory speech. “Serving as your governor has been the privilege of a lifetime, and I will never, ever, ever take your faith in me for granted.” Hochul’s victory cemented Adrienne Adams’ (D-Hollis) win as Lieutenant Governor. The executive branch of New York’s government will continue with Hochul hailing from Upstate, but with the Lieutenant hailing from New York City. It’s the first all-woman gubernatorial ticket in New York’s history. “Tonight wasn’t the result that we all wanted,” Blakeman said in his concession speech. “But I just got off the phone with Governor Hochul. I told her that she ran a great race and now the race is over, the election’s over, so we all have to unify and work together and make for a better state of New York.” Blakeman (pictured right) had vied to become New York’s first Republican governor since George Pataki (R-Elmira) won a third and final term in 2002. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D-Astoria), speaking at Hochul’s victory party, credited the governor with successfully navigating the gradual metamorphosis within the party in the Empire State. “The conventional wisdom for so long was that as long as there was a governor in Albany and a mayor in New York City, they would be mired in ego struggles and petty feuds,” said Mamdani. “Governor Hochul and I are working together to rewrite what that convention looks like.”
This Week Today Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
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Thursday, November 5, 2026
National, State, and Local Temperature Checks By Matt Meduri National
(D-Prospect Heights) said her endorsement was a “terrible decision” that “blindsided everyone and isolated herself from the House Democratic Caucus.” Jeffries added that a “discussion about appropriate next steps” would be held upon Congress’ return to Washington after the elections. The most comparable, highprofile election crossendorsement was that of Senator Joe Lieberman’s (D-CT) endorsement of Senator John McCain (R-AZ) in the latter’s run for president. However, Lieberman’s stump for McCain was more predictable and less blindsiding as Stevens’ was for Rogers, and Lieberman endorsed McCain early in the primary. Senate Democrats allowed Lieberman to keep his chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee despite the outraged reaction. State
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney (R) (pictured above) announced this week that Michelle Chronick Tyson, 59, of Virginia, was indicted on two counts of Murder in the Second Degree for causing the death of her newborn baby in November 1996, when Tyson was 29 years old. The defendant was arrested in Hampton, Virginia, and was extradited in Suffolk County. “As alleged, this defendant made a choice back in 1996 to take her newborn child’s life before he ever had the chance to experience the world beyond his first few breaths,” said Tierney in a press release. “The alleged circumstances of this infant’s death are deeply disturbing, and the fact that nearly three decades have passed does not diminish the gravity of this crime. Every child deserves the chance to live, to grow and to thrive. This infant was robbed of that chance, and we are committed to pursuing justice for a life that was tragically and selfishly cut short.” According to the investigation, on November 18, 1996, at approximately 12:30a.m., the deceased infant was discovered inside a toilet in the woman’s bathroom of the Commack Multiplex. The autopsy conducted by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office found that the infant was a live-born and fullterm newborn baby boy. They determined the cause of death was asphyxia with submersion in water, with the manner of death determined as homicide. In 2024, the Cold Case Task Force began developing a DNA profile. On August 26, 2026, the task force obtained a search warrant to seize a buccal swab from Tyson. Justice Steven Pilewski ordered Tyson to be remanded during the pendency of the case. She is due back in court on November 20, and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted on the top count. Credit - U.S. Congress
Credit - Wikimedia Commons
New York saw its first measles-related child death in more than 30 years. On Monday, a Lewis County child died in connection with the ongoing outbreak that has resulted in 178 cases this year. Reports indicate Lewis County - northeast of Syracuse - has had 15 cases this year. “I am heartbroken to learn that a child in Lewis County has died after contracting measles,” said Governor Kathy Hochul (D-Hamburg) in a press release. “As a mother and grandmother, I cannot imagine what this family is going through. My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved this child.” According to the State’s Health Department, 25 counties have reported cases. Seneca County, in the heart of the Finger Lakes region, has reported 30 cases, the most of any county thus far. Otsego County, halfway between Albany and Syracuse, has reported 21 cases, followed by Steuben County, just west of Elmira, with 19 cases. Nassau County has reported 2 cases; Suffolk has reported none. “Measles is highly contagious, and vaccination remains our best protection against this dangerous disease,” Hochul continued in the press release. “This is New York’s first measles-related death in 30 years, a devastating reminder of what’s at stake when Washington deliberately erodes decades of progress in protecting Americans from preventable illnesses.” The particular cluster of western and northern Upstate counties have much lower vaccination rates than the rest of the states.
The rural communities are seeing the Amish and Mennonite populations be disproportionately affected by the outbreak. Pennsylvania is seeing their largest outbreak in decades as well, with almost 1,400 cases reported, and most of their cases come from heavily-Amish Lancaster County. Lewis County’s 15 cases, including the one fatality, are all occurring unvaccinated individuals. “In New York, we will continue to stand by proven public health measures and do everything we can to keep New Yorkers safe and healthy,” said Hochul. Local Credit - Matt Meduri
Credit - Facebook
The nation was shaken over the weekend as a private plane carrying a family from Texas to the Bahamas crashed into a Palm Beach, Florida, neighborhood. The Learjet 60 was seen from multiple vehicle dashcam angles barreling into the ground, where the aircraft was vaporized instantly upon impact. The final minute of the flight’s correspondence with air traffic control (ATC) has gone viral. The co-pilot, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20 (pictured right), has been largely praised online for maintaining communications with ATC until the flight’s final moments. Her last words, “we’re out of time,” have caused thousands of users online to discourage others from listening to the harrowing tape. There were 8 other fatalities, including 55-year-old pilot Jeff Gregory. Some online have been quick to call it a conspiracy, and that the plane was actually a missile, although all evidence incontrovertibly points to a worst-case-scenario for a notoriously difficult aircraft for pilots. Filgueiras is heard describing icing conditions to ATC while heading into a weather system and the plane immediately begins losing altitude. The Learjet 60 is known for having much less resistance to typical icing aircrafts at experience at cruising altitude. Any icing on the exterior of the plane erases the Learjet’s already-thin margin for error. The plane’s nosedive very likely saw further deterioration of the aircraft’s external controls that made the crash inevitable. In economic news, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, lost about $500 billion in market value in a single day on October 29. It’s the worst stock market drop in the company’s history. The drop was caused by investor panic over heavy capital expenditures ($51.4 billion) for AI infrastructure that largely outpaced the operating revenue. Alphabet also recorded an $8.7 billion accounting loss on its equity stake in Space X. In political news, apart from the elections, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) (pictured above) suffered a stroke on Saturday after feeling arm numbness at his son’s hockey game. Latest reports show that Murphy, recovering at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, is alert and doctors are optimistic. Murphy, just a day prior to the stroke, had made comments about the latest Iran War plans he’s claimed to have seen. “This plan is insane,” said Murphy on Friday. He added that President Donald Trump (R-FL) is “reportedly planning to restart war with Iran after the election,” and that he “cannot disclose
any details.” “It [the plan] will not achieve any objectives and will set off a new cycle of escalation.” Prediction-market traders have been speculating the same scenario. Polymarket’s trading on that outcome closed at midnight on November 3. The odds had been holding steady at 96% that the ceasefire would continue until the day of the elections, but tapered off significantly for estimates later into November. Prediction “shareholders” said that by November 8, there was a 75% chance, and by November 22, just a 39% chance. On the warfront, the U.S. carried out a limited strike on Qeshm Island, which belongs to Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz. The Washington Post reports the strike was a resumption of major operations, although sources commented anonymously. Qeshm Island is the largest island in the Persian Gulf and sits just off Iran’s southwestern coast. The island offers a vital strategic position to its occupier and serves as a chokepoint within a chokepoint in Hormuz. It’s reported that Iran has built underground “missile cities” beneath Qeshm’s terrain. The Monday strikes by the U.S. sought to neutralize imminent threats to U.S. air and maritime assets in the region by destroying active weapon launchers and mitigate threats against commercial shipping. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that Iran retaliated by sending out ballistic missile and drone swarms against U.S. installations in Bahrain and Kuwait, both of which CENTCOM reported were defeated. The final hours of the 2026 midterm campaign saw a massive political shakeup and one that will likely set the tenor for the Democratic Party going forward in Trump’s final two years in office. Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) (pictured right) made perhaps one of the most stunning moves of the campaign - endorsing Mike Rogers (R-MI) for Senate against Abdul El-Sayed, now Senator-elect from Michigan as of Tuesday’s results, for the open seat. Stevens was defeated by ElSayed in the August primary in a race that made the Michigan Senate race the marquee election of the cycle. Conventional wisdom was challenged on military defense, the U.S. relationship with Israel, and insider-versusoutsider politics. Stevens’ endorsements of Rogers came as a stinger at the last minute as the GOP desperately hoped to wrangle support in a state within a cycle that had gotten entirely derailed for the party since the summer. It resulted in Stevens’ excommunication from the Michigan Democratic Party within an hour of her endorsement of Rogers. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries
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Election Results Thursday, November 5, 2026
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Losquadro Elected Comptroller, Puleo Re-Elected Clerk Credit - Matt Meduri
By Matt Meduri Suffolk County’s elections saw Republicans win at the county-wide level amidst a historic blue tsunami. Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro (R-Shoreham) defeated attorney and firsttime candidate Jon Estreich (D-Dix Hills) by a margin of 1.25 points. Losquadro earned 265,160 votes to Estreich’s 258,612. Losquadro will fill the open seat that has been occupied by Comptroller John Kennedy (R-Nesconset), who is term limited after first winning the seat in 2014. In the County Clerk’s race, Clerk Vincent Puleo (R-Nesconset) won a second fouryear term with 88.54% of the vote. He earned 334,978 votes to Abigail Field’s (D-Cutchogue) 43,343 votes, who ran as a write-in candidate. The results cement the GOP’s hold in Suffolk County government. Democrats hold just one county-wide seat, that of the Sheriff’s seat, which they have held since 2017. Suffolk County Republican Chairman Jesse Garcia (R-Ridge) (pictured right) projected victories that “held back the blue wave.” “To have this type of result countywide in this environment where obviously the national trend was very much against us - national politics really took center stage - is one of the reasons why I think moving local elections to even years will be so detrimental,” Losquadro told The Messenger after he was projected to have prevailed. “Unfortunately, local issues get lost
when you’re dealing with a midterm year like this, with gas over $4 a gallon, diesel over $6.50 a gallon. It’s very hard to get people to listen to local issues.” Nonetheless, Losquadro said, he and many other Suffolk Republicans were successful. “We talked about what good governance looks like. We talked about what Suffolk County and Brookhaven Town have been able to accomplish.” He credited Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) with obtaining five bond rating upgrades since he took office in 2024. “Once I get in there, we’re getting to the next level. We’re getting our bond rating back to AAA. We’re going to have a positive outlook financially. It takes good decision-making; you can’t make political decisions when it comes to County finances.” Losquadro criticized State-level fiscal decisions that have brought economic havoc down to the municipalities that have been based more on political decisions rather than fiscally sound ones. Losquadro added he’s looking forward to taking a bit of a rest and “being a dad” for a bit after a long campaign and a brutal election night. He’s looking
forward to starting the transition process with Comptroller Kennedy and is eager to get back to working in tandem with Romaine, a role he played for nearly a dozen years in Brookhaven when Romaine was Town Supervisor. County Clerk Puleo (pictured left) thanked his campaign for hitting the ground running in February to obtain ballot access for him by collecting signatures. “Thank you for all your hard work and support,” said Puleo. Elsewhere in Suffolk, Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin (D-Riverhead) defeated Town Councilman Ken Rothwell (R-Wading River) by just under 5 points - 52.40% to 47.55% - in his bid for a second two-year term. In the Town of East Hampton, Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez (D-Springs) won a second two-year term with 72% of the vote. Nearly 28% of the vote were write-ins. Burke-Gonzalez had defeated East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen in the June primary. The East Hampton race was shifted to 2026 to comply with New York’s even-year election law. In the Town of Shelter Island, Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams (R) won a third term, also moved to 2026 to comply with even-year elections, unopposed. She earned 1,040 votes to 34 write-in votes. In Southampton, Supervisor Maria Moore (D-Westhampton Beach) defeated Richard Carozza (R-Speonk) with 63% of the vote. Democrats retained all five of their trustee seats in Southampton Town as well.
Credit - Matt Meduri
LaLota, Garbarino Survive Blue Wave, Will Return to Congress By Matt Meduri
While dozens of Republicans went down in the historic blue wave that swept the country on Tuesday, New York’s First Congressional District (NY-01) and Second Congressional District (NY-02) bucked that trend and opted to send Congressmen Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) back to Congress. LaLota defeated former Black Hawk pilot and air traffic controller Chris Gallant (D-Amity Harbor) by about 3 points, LaLota’s closest margin compared to his previous two runs. Garbarino defeated former Suffolk County Executive Pat Halpin (D-Oak Beach) by about 3 points, also his closest margin since he won his first term in 2020. In his victory speech in Patchogue, joined by his family, LaLota called the Suffolk GOP Committee the “best [political] committee in the nation,” and that victories like his and others on Tuesday night despite the environment are “only possible” because of that leadership. “In the Navy, I learned that a ship is never as strong as its crew. And in this arena, I’ve never served with a better crew,” said LaLota. “To every Long Islander who voted for me, thank you for your trust. I will work hard every day to keep that trust, and for those who didn’t vote for me, I am your congressman too. My door is open. We don’t have to agree on everything, but we can work together, and I will always fight for your family, regardless of your political affiliation.” LaLota addressed the overwhelming national sentiment against the GOP, saying that Americans sent a message that “all in public office need to hear.” “They’re frustrated. They’re worried about affordability. Their children’s future and whether Washington is truly listening, and they expect more from their elected leaders. We would make a mistake if we didn’t listen. I’ve always believed that public service isn’t about winning arguments or scoring political points. It’s
about delivering results for the people who are charged to serve. That’s how I’ve approached this job, and that’s how I’ll approach the next two years.” LaLota reaffirmed his vows to lower taxes, secure the nation’s borders, support the police and Veterans, and bring back federal resources to Suffolk. He also reaffirmed his belief in the “American Dream, opportunity, hard work, and the freedom to build a better life” for the nation’s children. “Whether our party is winning elections or not, because our principles are not supposed to change with the political winds, we must always be willing to listen, learn, and do better,” said LaLota. He quoted a Biblical verse from 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith.” Garbarino won a fourth term in the closest election of his career. He said it was due to a “winning message” between the Suffolk and Nassau Republicans that was received positively by the counties’ voters. “This was a hell of a race, but we got out there, we delivered the right message, and we won,” Garbarino told supporters in Patchogue. Garbarino’s House profile was of significant importance this cycle. Last summer, he took up the gavel of one of the Hill’s most powerful committees, Homeland Security.
Small Business Spotlight
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Thursday, November 5, 2026
Angels of Long Island: New Location! By Diane Caudullo New location, same mission! Angels of Long Island, led by their fearless leader Debbie Loesch, who has been highlighted a time or two here in The Messenger, has moved locations. They are now happily doing their good works, helping so many, from within the Bellport Outlets at 10 Farber Drive, Bellport. Under Debbie’s wise guidance, her board members knew it was time to make a very difficult decision. It was time to move - a smart decision, yet an unbelievably daunting task. Imagine a mostly volunteer-run organization that has been the home of the 5600-square-foot thrift store on Main Street in Patchogue for 10 years, and as you glance around at the thousands and thousands of items, you think, “Yeah, let’s move.” Where do you even start? Debbie and her main sidekicks, her mom, Marie Loesch, 86, Patricia Peterson, and Debbie’s daughter Brittany, form the powerhouse team that, in the end, sells all that stuff to serve a much greater good. The Messenger, having been a supporter of Angels for many, many years, has referred to it as “the thrift that keeps on giving.” Simply put, it gives a second chance for a useful life for many items that could otherwise end up in a landfill - perfectly good stuff just in need of a new home. The items are donated, so Angels gets them for free and then sell those things at very reasonable prices. For people who need to stretch a dollar or just like a great bargain, Angels is a not-for-profit and their main mission is to help those in need leaving a crisis situation. They assist those leaving domestic violence situations, those who are moving from a homeless shelter to an apartment, or victims of house fires, to the more common needs of winter coats, school supplies, and food pantries for the many community members struggling to make ends meet. They help people in a few different ways, upon going through an application process those people can come in and shop and get what they need for free. True to form, Angels has built up an amazing army of supporters. Having witnessed so much good work over the years people just offer to help, one major
supporter for many years and who helps in such big ways is Global Restoration owned by Ken and Amanda Calderone, a company that comes in after the fires and floods to help homeowners get back on their feet. As Debbie was pondering how to move a warehouse worth of individual items, Ken and Amanda stepped in, again, without hesitation, and said, “We will use our trucks.” Global has quite a few very large trucks and the Calderones paid their team of workers to help out with the move. He even found extra people who needed work and paid them to help out. Other family members, Jeanie, Bruce, and Paul Loesch of Outback Portable Toilets, showed up with their commercial flatbeds and put the many clothing racks - clothes still hanging on them - and drove them over to Bellport. The people over at the Lucille Bronson Foundation played a large part in their continued support of Angels, as well as Michelle Cavalieri of South Shore Counseling. An entire month of moving, just people helping people. Debbie is very grateful for the 10 years at the Patchogue location. So many people joined their cause and supported them over the years by donating items and shopping there. So many people received help. Debbie is hoping that the support continues at the Bellport location. It’s easy to drop off donations in the back and a great shopping experience in the store. Oftentimes, you will be greeted by the always smiling Patricia and Marie at the register. Worth mentioning is that this retail location does not allow for the food pantry, so C4 Church located at 1563 Montauk Highway in Bellport right next to Lighthouse Mission stepped up to house that. Join a great cause - help others by allowing your no longer wanted items to move on to their next chapter while helping a neighbor in their moment of need do the same. The Messenger would like to add a suggestion as to how we can all help. Donate your stuff, yes, but also shop there in a way that does double duty. Want to bless kids with school supplies and winter coats? Purchase those coats and backpacks from Angels, then donate them to their collections. It becomes the thrift that keeps on giving!
Credit - Angels of Long Island
Debbie Loesch, Angels of Long Island
Patricia Peterson, Angels of Long Island
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School Highlights Thursday, November 5, 2026
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Port Jefferson Students Learn About Sports Careers at MetLife Stadium Earl L. Vandermeulen High School sport event management students recently engaged in an immersive field trip to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. “Our students learned about various professional sports organization careers from New York Jets staff,” Port Jefferson School District 6–12 Associate Principal Adam Sherrard said. “The class also had the opportunity to tour the remarkable facility.” MetLife Stadium opened in 2010 and is home to the New York Giants and New York Jets football teams. With a capacity of 82,500, it is the largest venue in the National Football League. According to the stadium’s website, the venue has hosted over 600 major events and 3,000 special events. These include Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014; matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and 2016 Copa América Centenario; WrestleManias 29 and 35 and numerous college football games, international soccer matches and concerts. For more information regarding the Port Jefferson School District and its students’ many achievements, please visit the District’s website at https://www.portjeffschools. org and follow its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PortJeffSchools.
Miller Place H.S. Caps Homecoming Celebration with a Hard-Fought Victory
The Miller Place community came together to celebrate Homecoming with a lively parade and an exciting win on the field, as the Miller Place Panthers defeated the Kings Park Kingsmen 36-20. Festivities began with a fun, spirited parade filled with creative floats, energetic marching, and plenty of Panther pride. Students, clubs, families, and staff all played a part in making the parade a highlight of the day, and supportive community members lined the route to cheer them on. The Panthers then ended the celebration with a victory over Kings Park. The win gave players, coaches, and fans a memorable finish to a day that brought the entire community together.
“This year’s Homecoming was truly a day to remember,” said Dr. Marc Ferris, Superintendent of Schools. “The parade was so much fun, and it was wonderful to see so many families out cheering along the route. Thank you to our students, clubs, families, and staff for all of their hard work in making it happen. And we’re so proud of our Panthers, who fought hard on the field and came away with a great win.” For more information about the Miller Place School District, please visit the District’s website at www.millerplace.k12.ny.us. To read more about the great things happening in Miller Place schools, visit www.millerplaceinthemedia.com and ‘like’ our Facebook page.
Bayport-Blue Point Welcomes Local Heroes for First Responders Day
The Bayport-Blue Point School District marked National First Responders Day on October 28 with its third annual celebration, welcoming local emergency personnel into schools across the district. Representatives from the Suffolk County Police Department’s Fifth Precinct, Bayport Fire Department, Blue Point Fire Department, and Community Ambulance visited with students and staff throughout the day. The visits gave
students an opportunity to meet the individuals who serve their community and learn more about the roles they play in keeping residents safe. Students personally showed their appreciation by presenting first responders with handmade cards and messages of thanks during their visits. The district also recognized its school security personnel for their continued commitment to maintaining a safe environment for students and staff.
School Highlights Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, November 5, 2026
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Costumes, Creativity, and Classroom Fun in Shoreham-Wading River
Miller Avenue School students got into the Halloween spirit with a festive day of costumes, creativity and hands-on activities on October 30. Students dressed up in their Halloween costumes and proudly marched outside the building during the school’s annual Halloween parade.
ghost frames, students enjoyed opportunities to learn and create through seasonal activities. Students also decorated gold pumpkins to help raise awareness for pediatric cancer, adding a meaningful touch to the day’s celebrations.
Following the parade, students in Ms. Burke’s class continued the fun with a variety of Halloween-themed activity centers. From a candy corn science experiment and Halloween math station to Halloween bingo and egg carton
Earlier this month, students in Ms. Burke’s class put their creativity on display by transforming pumpkins into characters from their favorite books, combining a love of reading with Halloween fun.
Rocky Point Senior Receives Gina Pellettiere Award of Recognition Rocky Point High School senior Jeremy Moriarty was honored with the Gina Pelletiere Award of Recognition during the closing ceremony of the Newsday Marching Band Festival on October 21. Moriarty is the first student from outside the Farmingdale School District to receive the award, making the recognition a historic milestone for the Rocky Point music program. The award was established in 2024 to honor the memory and legacy of Gina Pelletiere, the longtime director of the Farmingdale High School band. It recognizes a music student who demonstrates dedication to the musical arts, musical achievement, peer support, and a commitment to a future in music. Moriarty exemplifies these qualities through his extensive involvement in Rocky Point’s music programs and his commitment to supporting fellow musicians. He performs with the marching band, concert band, high school and middle school jazz bands, high school pit orchestra and brass choir. As a brass section leader in the marching band, he has played an important role in welcoming and mentoring incoming ninth grade students, leading sectional rehearsals and helping fellow musicians strengthen their skills. Additionally, Jeremy was named a 2025 NYSCAME/Suffolk All-County and NYSSMA All-State first horn. He has also been selected to play first horn in this year’s All-County Symphonic Band and All-State Symphonic Orchestra. Outside of
school, Moriarty performs with the Stony Brook University Orchestra and the MYO Principal Orchestra and has participated in summer music programs at the Eastman School of Music, Adelphi University and the Usdan Center. He plans to pursue a degree in music performance next year. Moriarty is known for his generosity and dedication to his school and community. He regularly performs at local events, volunteers his time to support district music programs, assists with the middle school jazz band and tutors beginning middle school musicians. Through his talent, leadership, kindness and commitment to helping others grow, Moriarty embodies the qualities celebrated by the Gina Pelletiere Award of Recognition. His selection brings special pride to the Rocky Point School District and highlights the lasting impact of music education, mentorship and service to others.
Center Moriches Students Inducted into National Honor Societies Center Moriches School District celebrated academic achievement and character this fall as students at both the high school and middle school were inducted into their schools’ honor societies. Center Moriches High School welcomed 41 students into its chapter of the National Honor Society, while Center Moriches Middle School welcomed 35 eighth graders into its chapter of the National Junior Honor Society. At the high school, the new members were recognized for their dedication to the National Honor Society’s four pillars: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. The inductees show a strong commitment to their studies and to making a difference in their school and community. Their selection reflects both their achievements in the classroom and the example they set for their classmates. The high school ceremony featured a keynote address by Katie Ross, who spoke to the inductees about the responsibilities and opportunities that come with membership. The chapter is guided by advisor Maggie Romaine, who organized the ceremony and supports members throughout the year. At the middle school, the National Junior Honor Society ceremony was an evening dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of the eighth-grade inductees. National Junior Honor Society chapters in middle schools across the country work to give practical meaning to the society’s five goals: scholarship, leadership, service, character, and citizenship. Membership is never based on grades alone, and the organization seeks to recognize the whole student, one who excels in every one of these areas. To be selected, Center Moriches Middle
School students needed a cumulative average of 90 percent or higher, along with demonstrated leadership, service, character, and citizenship, as shown through their activities and written recommendations. “Membership in the National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society is a reflection of hard work, integrity, and a genuine commitment to serving others,” said Dr. Ricardo Soto, Superintendent of Schools. “I congratulate our inductees and thank the families, teachers, and staff who have supported them along the way. These students make our entire community proud.” For more information on the Center Moriches Union Free School District, visit the district’s website at cmschools.org. Happenings in the district can also be found on the district’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cmschools.org/. #CMSchools
Civics 101
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Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, November 5, 2026
The Necessary Standard for American Education
What Happens in Congress When a Race Isn’t Called?
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.
By Matt Meduri
What Constitutes a Close Race?
Notable Examples
The 1974 New Hampshire Senate race is perhaps one of the most notorious examples of a down-to-the-wire election and a contentious recount period. The open seat held by Republicans came down to Louis Wyman (R) (pictured left) leading John Durkin (D) by just 355 votes out of over 220,000 ballots cast, despite having been projected to win handily. Durkin immediately demanded a recount, which was completed by the end of November. He was then declared to have won by just 10 votes. Governor Meldrim Thomas, Jr. (R) issued a provisional certificate of election. Wyman then appealed the recount to the New Hampshire State Ballot Law Commission, eventually involving all levels of New Hampshire’s courts. The commission then conducted its own recount, showing that Wyman had won by just 2 votes - a margin of 0.001%. Governor Thomson rescinded Durkin’s certificate and awarded a new one to Wyman. The outgoing Senator resigned his seat a few days early on December 31, and Governor Thomson appointed Wyman to fill the remainder of the term, which expired on January 3, 1975. Durkin (pictured left) then petitioned the Senate to review the case, appealing to Article I, Section 5. The Senate Rules Committee, just one day before the new Congress convened, found themselves deadlocked on a proposal to seat Wyman pending review. The Senate took up the full case and Wyman and Durkin were both seated, but the Senate Rules Committee assembled a panel to examine 3,500 questionable ballots. That report consisted of 35 points of contention, but the Senate could only resolve one of those points. The case dragged on into the summer, and both candidates agreed to a special election. The Senate voted to declare the seat vacant. On September 16, 1975, the special election saw Durkin defeat Wyman by just over 10 points. The 1974 Senate race in New Hampshire is the closest Senate race in U.S. history and the dispute thereafter is the longest contested congressional election in U.S. history. A more recent example came from Iowa in 2020. In IA-02, Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) (pictured left) defeated Rita Hart (D) by a margin of 6 votes out of nearly 400,000 ballots cast for a margin of 0.002%. Miller-Meeks was certified as the winner on November 30, causing Hart to contest the election with the House Administration Committee under the Federal Contested Elections Act. On December 30, thenSpeaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced Miller-Meeks would be seated provisionally on January 3. Republicans claimed Pelosi and the Democrats were attempting to steal the election, while Democrats said it was hypocritical to overturn that election as Trump and the GOP were contesting the concurrent presidential race. It wasn’t until March 31, 2021, that Hart withdrew the challenge. The House race in IA-02 was the closest of the 2020 cycle and one of the closest House races in a century. After the 2026 elections, close elections include the Mississippi Senate race, the Kansas Governor race, and several House seats that are likely to go down to recounts. Credit - House Creative Services
Since Congress’ new session begins on January 3 each year, it’s imperative that all or as many elections are certified and uninvolved in litigation. But there are contingency plans. Each state is responsible for certifying its own elections and sending that certificate to Congress. Article I, Section 5, of the Constitution makes each chamber of Congress the “judge of the elections, returns, and qualifications of its own members.” That is, the new (incoming) members of the House and Seat make those calls, not the ones who were defeated or did not run for re-election. In the House, the Clerk makes the provisional roll of the members-elect using the certificates of election from the states. Anyone without a valid certificate is not placed on the initial Clerk’s roll and is not sworn in on opening day. A losing candidate can still file a formal contest under the Federal Contested Elections Act of 1969 within 30 days of the state’s declaration of the result, if such a declaration occurs. The Committee on House Administration can investigate and the full House can decide what step to take next. The House can seat a candidate provisionally while the dispute continues, leave the seat vacant indefinitely, conduct its own investigation or recount, or seat the candidate later certified by the state or whom the House determines is the winner. On the other hand, the Senate has no equivalent to the Federal Contested Elections Act, which applies only to House races. The Senate Rules and Administration Committee handles petitions. Like in the House, if a senator-elect is not certified by the state to have won the election, the candidate is not sworn in and the seat remains vacant. The Senate’s options are similar to those of the House: seating “without prejudice,” leaving the seat vacant, or eventually seating the certified winner. While a dispute plays out in a certain seat or state, it might only be within that environment, but can have larger impacts on congressional business, especially if multiple seats are under scrutiny or if one seat comes down to deciding a majority. A vacant seat does not count towards a party’s majority control. In a narrowlydivided House or a tied Senate, this can substantially delay establishing rules for the session and electing a Speaker, Majority Leader, and other floor leaders. Committee assignments and makeup are also delayed while the ability to pass legislation can certainly hang in the balance. These vacancies, however, differ from vacancies that arise mid-session, such as due to a member’s death or resignation. In those cases, the governor of the state from which the vacancy arose has appointment powers or a special election is triggered. In the case of an unresolved election dispute, the seat must remain empty until it is resolved.
Credit - U.S. Senate
Each state has different rules on when a race is “close” enough that a recount is triggered. Over half the states have thresholds on the margins to trigger an automatic, publicly funded recount. In Arizona, Florida, and Pennsylvania, the margin is 0.5 - that is, Candidate A is ahead with 49.5% of the vote and Candidate B is behind at 49% of the vote. In other states, like New Mexico, the margin is 0.25, and in Oregon, the margin is 0.2. Michigan tightened their margin to just 0.1, but has used fixed vote counts before. In both Michigan and Connecticut, the margin must fall below 0.5 but the raw vote margin is capped at 2,000 votes. That is, any margin less than 2,000 votes is enough to trigger a recount. In Hawaii, the rule is less than 100 votes or a 0.5 margin. In Alaska, Maine, Montana, South Dakota, Texas, and Utah, only ties can constitute recounts. In nearly half the states, there are no automatic recount rules. In these states, a candidate must request one or contest the election in court. Most states allow a candidate, voters, and political parties to request recounts. Candidates cannot request recounts in seven states, including New York. Those seven states only see recounts if they’re automatically triggered or if mandated by a court. Only three states - Illinois, Mississippi, and Tennessee - allow for recounts in special cases or under court contest. All states allow election results to be taken to court, but the windows vary. The typical range is 20 to 40 days after certification, the canvass, or the official declaration of results. Most states measure the window from the certification of the election; very few measure from Election Day. Some states, like Louisiana impose “must revolve by” deadline for the courts, although these tight resolution timelines are uncommon. Overall, most states have a short window for litigation. Connecticut and Iowa, for example, have seen cases where the deadline is days or just two weeks after certification to formally begin litigation. For congressional races, a window is effectively already in place: January 3, the first day the new session convenes. However, some recounts aren’t necessarily about reversing the result, but gathering evidence. In Illinois, a candidate who received at least 95% of the winner’s vote total can file a “discovery recount” within, typically, five days after the canvass. This allows for ballots to be examined in up to 25% of the precincts requested by the candidate and at the requesting candidate’s expense. To challenge the outcome, that must be filed in court. The courts, as in any case, can order a recount or declare a winner. In Mississippi, the only remedy is to file an election contest in court within 20 days after the election. If the court finds irregularities sufficient to place doubt in the results - especially if those doubts can conceivably reverse the outcome - the court can order a recount of the disputed ballots or the entire election.
What Happens When Congress Can’t Seat a Winner?
Credit - U.S. Senate
This week, we’re posing a question that doesn’t happen often, but often enough where it’s appropriate to ask. We’ve seen several notable, razor-thin races affect House and Senate quorums going into a new Congress after a federal election, and we’re seeing quite a few as of press time. The margins for Democrats in both chambers, however, are so large that business will not be impacted. But what happens to a Senate or House seat - and the contestants - when the race is so close, or the results dubious enough, that it affects the formal business of Congress, and what are the remedies for such a scenario?
Brookhaven Matters Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
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Thursday, November 5, 2026
GOP Re-Elects State Incumbents, Dems Flip Two Seats By Matt Meduri The Town of Brookhaven contains six State Assembly districts and two Senate districts. Republicans sent back two Assembly incumbents, one representing Riverhead and eastern Brookhaven, the other representing a half-Brookhaven, half-Islip seat, while they held an open South Shore seat. They also held one Senate seat that spans the southern half of Brookhaven. Democrats flipped two seats, a Senate seat that contains the five East End towns and the North Shore of Brookhaven, and an Assembly seat that runs from Medford to Mastic-Shirley. Democrats also held one Assembly seat. Assembly District Two - Republican Hold Communities: the entire Town of Riverhead, Northampton, Riverside, and parts of Speonk in the Town of Southampton, and Calverton, East Shoreham, Manorville, Miller Place, Mount Sinai, Rocky Point, Shoreham, Sound Beach, Wading River, and parts of Eastport, Middle Island, Moriches, Port Jefferson Station, Ridge, and Upton. Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R-Baiting Hollow) (pictured top left) defeated Michael Szika (D-Manorville), who was not actively campaigning. Giglio earned 58% of the vote to Szika’s 40%. Giglio also defeated a progressive, third-party candidate on the Voter Options line, Kimberly Wilder, of Riverhead. Wilder received just over 1% of the vote. “$175 billion to $277 billion in seven years,” Giglio said of the State’s ballooning budget. “Oneparty rule has failed many families here. I will be fighting for you with all of my colleagues who I’ve worked with over the last six years.” Assembly District Three - Democratic Flip Communities: Bellport, Brookhaven hamlet, Cupsogue Beach, East Yaphank, Mastic, Mastic Beach, North Bellport, Shirley, Smith Point, South Haven, and Yaphank, and parts of East Patchogue, Farmingville, Holtsville, Medford, Middle Island, North Patchogue, Ridge, and Upton. Assemblyman Joe DeStefano (R-Medford) (pictured middle left) lost his bid for a fifth term to labor leader Josh Slaughter (D-Shirley) (pictured bottom left). Slaughter took 51% of the vote to DeStefano’s 49%. Assembly District Four - Democratic Hold Communities: Belle Terre, East Setauket, Gordon Heights, Old Field, Poquott, Port Jefferson, Setauket, Stony Brook, Strongs Neck, and Terryville, and parts of Centereach, Coram, Middle Island, Port Jefferson Station, and Selden. Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay (D-Port Jefferson) (pictured top right) won a second term with 58% of the vote over first-time candidate Will Sussman (R-Port Jefferson) (pictured middle right), who took 42% of the vote. Assembly District Five - Republican Hold Communities: Lake Grove, Holbrook, and parts of Bohemia, Centereach, Coram, Farmingville, Holbrook, Holtsville, Islandia, Lake Ronkonkoma, Medford, North Patchogue, Ronkonkoma, and Selden. Assemblyman Doug Smith (R-Holbrook) (pictured bottom right) defeated Victoria Russell (D-Holbrook), who did not actively campaign. Smith won with almost 57% of the vote to Russell’s 43%.
Assembly District Seven - Republican Hold Communities: Bay Shore, Bayport, Brightwaters, East Islip, Fire Island, Great River, Islip Terrace, North Great River, Oakdale, Ocean Beach, Saltaire, Sayville, West Bay Shore, West Sayville, and parts of Bohemia, Gilgo-Oak BeachCaptree, Islip hamlet, and West Islip. Within the Town of Brookhaven, the district contains Blue Point, Patchogue, and parts of East Patchogue. Assemblyman Jarett Gandolfo (R-Sayville) was victorious in his bid for the Eighth Senate District. Islip Town Councilwoman DawnMarie Kuhn (R-Bohemia) (pictured top right) won the open seat with 54%. She defeated retired teacher and first-time candidate Trish Kopp (D-Oakdale), who took almost 46% of the vote. “Running for New York State Assembly is never a trajectory I imagined for my life, but I am so honored,” Kuhn told supporters in Patchogue. This campaign was personal for Kuhn, who lamented throughout the cycle and on Tuesday night that her brother left New York because of how unsustainable life has become for so many. She reiterated her fight will be to ensure other’s family members don’t have to leave as well. Senate District One - Democratic Flip Communities: All five eastern towns and within Brookhaven, Belle Terre, East Setauket, East Shoreham, Miller Place, Mount Sinai, Old Field, Poquott, Port Jefferson, Port Jefferson Station, Rocky Point, Setauket, Shoreham, Sound Beach, Stony Brook, Strongs Neck, and Terryville, as well as parts of Centereach, Coram, Middle Island, Ridge, Selden, and Wading River. Three-term Senator Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) (pictured left) lost his bid to first-time candidate Chris Murray (D-East Setauket). Murray took over 51% of the vote to Palumbo’s 48%. “I was disappointed at the results last night as many of my colleagues were around the state. Voters clearly sent a message to every Republican regardless of level of government,” Palumbo told The Messenger. “But in the end, it was an incredible honor to represent my community in both the Assembly and Senate over these past 13 years. I will be forever grateful for that unique opportunity.” Palumbo was first elected to the Assembly in 2013 to fill the seat vacated by then-Assemblyman Dan Losquadro (R-Shoreham), who is now County Comptroller-elect. Palumbo then ran for the open First Senate District when its longtime representative, Ken LaValle (R-Port Jefferson), retired after more than 40 years on the job. Murray’s victory cements the first time Democrats have held this seat in 112 years. Thomas O’Keefe (D-Oyster Bay) served one term from 1913 to 1914. Third Senate District - Republican Hold Communities: Bellport, Blue Point, Brookhaven hamlet, Center Moriches, East Moriches, East Patchogue, Farmingville, Gordon Heights, Lake Grove, Manorville, Mastic, Mastic Beach, Medford, Moriches, North Bellport, North Patchogue, Patchogue, Shirley, South Haven, Upton, and Yaphank, as well as parts of Calverton, Centereach, Coram, Eastport, Holbrook, Holtsville, Lake Ronkonkoma, Middle Island, Ridge, and Selden. Senator Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue) (pictured bottom right) won a third term over Antonio Vargas-Ayala (D-Brookhaven), who did not actively campaign. “Yes, it was a tough night, but not here in Suffolk,” Murray told supporters. “Because of you, we were able to fight back. We’ve got the best team here in Suffolk County.”
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Local History Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, November 5, 2026
F. Daniel Moloney, Sr. – Lake Ronkonkoma Legacy By Ellyn Okvist, B.Sc. “There is no higher reward than the trust of the it. He attended one of our meetings and presented the people you serve.” - F. Daniel Moloney, Founder (1937group with a sizeable check, which he wished to put 2001) towards the jackets. Explaining what he did for a living, Dan’s quote became his legacy; every person was many of the children were confused. However, he was treated as family. It was hard to write this column, as their friend and didn’t need an explanation. When it everyone remembers him differently which is a personal recollection that will have him stand out for eternity. Moloney Family Funeral Homes has been owned and operated by the Moloney family since it was founded in active bunch of children ready to wash cars. He 1933 by James P. Moloney. In 1961, his son, F. Daniel, would give his donation to the smallest child Sr., opened another location in Lake Ronkonkoma. he saw, which was always Alyssa Okvist (age 3). Since then, the business has grown to 7 locations. Their She would run to the leader table, and turn it mission, since the beginning, has been built on these over to her grandmother, Fran Okvist, telling core values: trust, honor, and commitment. Today, Dan her the tall man gave her a dollar for his car Jr., along with his daughter Danielle, nephew Nicholas, wash. and a caring staff, are committed to continuing this Let’s get this straight, it was always a $100 legacy. bill! The Ronkonkoma Fire Department (RFD) was Recently, at Dan’s 25th Memorial, I was in recently presented a framed photo of the department’s full memory mode as I sat and listened to the original building groundbreaking by Dan Moloney, Jr. speaker. None of it surprised me, rather gave and the RFD surprised him with Dan Seniors original me the remembrance of a great man and friend. The Moloney Family firefighting helmet from the 1970s. Dan Sr. was an Louis J. Marcoccia (R-East Setauket) made a active RFD Commissioner and had foresight to make statement that he has been the Brookhaven purchase and additions to the Department that added Town Receiver of Taxes for years now, but he to the safety of the community. still can hear and feel Dan’s presence with his Dan Moloney was contemporary with my father, my staff and office. Dan’s picture is still hanging in uncles, and others. But he always respected me as a the office; it can be seen from every angle. I did friend, we held a certain relationship even with the age go there to check on the story we were told, difference. He listened, he respected, and many times and sure enough, he was dead center on the offered solutions. My first adult situation was when the wall with lovely sunshine surrounding it. town lost our friend Gary Keating in an accident. School Once again, our memories may be varied mates, past and present, friends, and family gathered at and yet they are so clear. We all have a Dan the Funeral Home to leave our respects. Needless to say, story, and it is argumentative as to whose it was a difficult time, with many not being able to hold it story tops whose, but the deep caring and love together. I clearly remember Dan offering his shoulder was refreshment time, the snack committee prepared for his community was obvious. We have all and experience and lastly offering the comfort and kind the table. It consisted of cold water and a small bag of benefited from our time with Dan Moloney, words we all needed. At that time, he was in the role cookies, which they shared. and his family prior and, to date, with the of a loving father, looking over all of us and helping us Oddly enough, our next meeting held a surprise youngest, four-day old Romilly Anna Hassett. through the situation. as I approached the church door to unlock the For those of you who did not have the St. Mary’s Episcopal Church reintroduced their Young entrance. We found 2 or 3 brown King Kullen bags, pleasure of knowing Dan Moloney personally, I Peoples Fellowship (YPF) and started out like many other which contained “top brand” cookies (Oreos) and 4 will send you to visit his Historic Landmark. The groups - with nothing. Father Ed Wisbauer approved containers of “good” cold juice. It was not hard for us simple pleasure of seeing his Memorial Rock, the of the children earning rather than being given. After to find the Good Samaritan - his business was across beautiful plantings continued and maintained earning points from good deeds and church attendance, the street from the King Kullen! This extreme act of by his family, and the glorious American Flag many of the members were ready for the LL Bean humanitarianism was what Dan Moloney was made of. that flies at the base of Ronkonkoma Lake jackets which we had bargained down the costs with Being a father of eight, he made sure the YPF children will fill you with joy. The Moloney Family also the company. We fell short, and Dan had heard about had a decent snack, and his generosity went on for a maintains the NYS Historical Landmark Marker few months until we got on our feet. just to the left, representing the Newton Family. Another kind story was about our Car Washes, The special historic home that has been meticulously The love. The laughs. It’s every moment. which we held at the Ronkonkoma Fire Department. maintained by the Moloney family, now used Childrenyou fromplan age 3aparticipated, and the as want the Moloney Funeral Home of Lake When service with us,receipts we don’t you Family to think about just a from the day were always astronomical. Dan, an RFD Ronkonkoma, will be proclaimed as a NYS funeral or cremation. We want to create a priceless memory for your family. Commissioner, would drive in, and get in line for a very Historic Landmark in spring 2027.
Celebrate the memories
(631) 450-3913 Serving all of Long Island with locations in: Bohemia, Central Islip, Holbrook, Lake Ronkonkoma, Center Moriches, Port Jefferson Station, and Hauppauge.
Technology News Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
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Thursday, November 5, 2026
What Happens When AI Changes the Rules of Being Found? By Mollie Barnett | Founder & Decision Architect™, State & Signal For years, Long Island businesses have been told how to get found. Build a website, optimize for Google, buy advertising, pay for directory listings, enter a few “Best Of” competitions, and put the badge on your homepage. Now, we’re being told to optimize for AI -another acronym, another expense, another reason to wonder whether yesterday’s marketing investment is already obsolete. But we’re asking the wrong question. AI isn’t simply changing how people search. It’s changing how they compare businesses, decide whom to trust, and ultimately choose where to spend their money. And the companies controlling that journey are competing to change it again. The Business of Being Found For decades, businesses have competed for Google’s first-page rankings, paying SEO specialists and advertisers to help them get there. But here’s something many owners don’t realize: Even when someone searches for your company by name, a competitor can pay to appear in those results. Google permits advertisers to bid on competitors’ trademarked names as keywords, subject to restrictions on how those names are used in advertisements. Think about that. You’ve spent years building recognition, and someone who specifically wants your business can encounter a competitor’s advertisement before reaching you. You may find yourself paying again to defend access to customers who already know your name. That’s the economics of renting visibility on someone else’s platform. Now, AI is changing the equation. Who Controls the Decision? A July 2025 Pew Research Center study found that people encountering Google’s AI-generated summaries clicked traditional search results in just 8% of visits, compared with 15% when no AI summary appeared. The study doesn’t establish that AI caused every difference, but it demonstrates how differently people interact with search results when AI answers are present. Meanwhile, Google and OpenAI are expanding their shopping and decision-support capabilities. Google’s October 2026 Universal Cart launch is one example of how discovery and purchasing are moving closer together. The competition isn’t simply about who provides the best answer. It’s increasingly about who controls the journey from search to decision to action. Imagine someone looking for an estate attorney in Smithtown or a contractor in Huntington. Instead of visiting several websites, they ask AI to compare qualifications, explain differences, and suggest whom to contact. That customer may form an opinion before ever visiting a company’s website. Google is competing aggressively for that decision point, but OpenAI and other frontier AI companies are developing competing experiences. We don’t know
which platform or business model will dominate tomorrow. So, why build an entire marketing strategy around maintaining a position in a system you don’t control? The AI Sameness Problem Here’s where businesses may be making their situation worse. They’re using AI to produce more marketing, faster. Website mills generate similar sites. AI fills them with similar descriptions, blog posts, and promises - trusted professionals, innovative solutions, exceptional customer service. Everybody sounds professional. Nobody sounds different. The problem isn’t AI itself. It’s using AI without first understanding what makes your business valuable and distinctive. AI models can reproduce familiar patterns remarkably well. Without original information and strategic direction, marketing tends toward the same language already saturating an industry. In business strategy, that’s a Red Ocean: a crowded market where competitors fight over the same customers with increasingly similar offerings and claims. Now, imagine hundreds of businesses using the same technology to produce variations of the same marketing. They may create more content while giving customers fewer reasons to choose them, and when businesses become harder to distinguish, they risk competing even more aggressively on advertising and price. You can automate your marketing and still automate yourself into the middle of the competition. AI should help businesses discover opportunities, understand customers, challenge assumptions, and communicate meaningful differences—not simply reproduce what everyone else is saying.
What Recognition Is Worth This is where genuine brand investment and earned media matter - not another purchased listing, not a paid promotional badge masquerading as independent recognition, and not a website makeover that changes the presentation while leaving the business indistinguishable from its competitors. I’m talking about recognition earned through actual expertise, customer experience, legitimate accomplishments, and independent coverage. A reporter cites your knowledge. A professional organization acknowledges your work. A customer recommends you because you’ve earned that recommendation. These create evidence beyond what you say about yourself.
AI systems may retrieve and use that evidence, although no business can guarantee how a particular platform will rank or recommend it, and Google’s own May 2026 guidance on AI search emphasizes original, expert-led, non-commodity content while affirming that traditional SEO fundamentals still matter. The answer isn’t to abandon SEO or advertising; it’s to understand their roles. SEO helps people find you. Advertising buys exposure. Your website helps customers evaluate you. Earned media contributes independent credibility. Your brand gives people a reason to remember your name and choose you. That last investment is of particular importance when there is no way of predicting where tomorrow’s customers will begin their searches. What Can We Control? We can’t control Google’s algorithm, competitors bidding on our names, or which AI platform eventually becomes the customer’s preferred decision-making assistant, but we can control the quality and consistency of the information surrounding our businesses. We can establish meaningful differences, demonstrate expertise, earn legitimate recognition, and make sure that when customers reach us—through Google, ChatGPT, a referral, or another platform—they recognize the company they intended to find. We can measure something beyond rankings and impressions: whether customers increasingly seek us out by name, refer others, and choose us for reasons that competitors cannot easily copy. That is the difference between building a recognizable business and continually paying to be noticed. There will always be another marketing tool, algorithm, or promise to get your business to the top. Some will be worth the investment, but before spending another dollar trying to get found, ask yourself: When someone finds my business, do they understand why they should choose me? Because the rules of being found will continue to change. The reasons customers choose you should be worth preserving. Researched and edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
Mollie W. Barnett - is a writer and decision architect who has worked in communications.
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Messenger Perspectives Thursday, November 5, 2026
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Getting to Know the Judge
By PJ Balzer
A handful of years ago, I was spending time reaching out to and ministering to a specific young man in my community. He was someone I had met while doing street outreach. Almost immediately, there was a God-given urgency in my heart to attempt to reach him, to be a vessel of intervention and redirection in his life. His life was really messy at the time. He was addicted to pain pills, heroin, and any other substance that would help him escape his own thoughts and emotions. This addiction unfortunately caused him to develop a habit of stealing. He stole from neighbors, local businesses, and even his own mother. He was caught trespassing in and stealing from someone else’s house which landed him in County jail, once again. Regardless of his actions clearly driven by addiction, I still believed that the soulsaving and heart-changing power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ could reach him. So, I continued to reach out to him even while he was incarcerated. That’s also what Jesus commands that His followers should do, live lives marked by mercy. One afternoon while sitting in a booth having a conversation with him in the Riverhead Correctional Facility, he asked me if I would attend his upcoming sentencing day. At the sentencing, the judge reviews his history, his file, and current indictment. The judge then makes a final decision afterwards as to how much time he will spend in jail and where. There’s a lot of weight that hangs on this day. The young man said to me, “This specific judge is known to show a little leniency when people have family or friends present before the final gavel hits, especially if they are good people like yourself. If you have the time and wouldn’t mind coming to court to support me, it would be nice not to be alone that day.” While sitting there by myself. I watched at least ten young men given sentences of heavy prison time that morning. Kids as young as 18 years of age were standing before the judge to find out that they were going away until they were thirty. I was surprised to see that the majority of them had no family present. It was only me and another lady sitting in the courtroom in support. She was tearfully supporting her
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teenage son, this young man who I still believed could be saved, changed, and made new. He was right. The young man nodded to me when he walked out shackled both hands and feet. The judge noticed the nod and turned to address me immediately. Asking me who I was and why I was there to support. The young man received a 2–4-year sentence in Greene Correctional Facility, which he served. He unfortunately died from a fentanyl overdose within a few months of returning home. One of the many lessons I took away from this situation in my life is that’s it’s beneficial to get to know the judge before you have to stand before him. You can’t, in contrast, get to know him on the same day that the final decision is handed down. Each judge has things they like and dislike, variations on how they see people, cases, circumstances, and history. This judge was known to look fondly upon the defendant having someone or several people in the room to support them. For whatever reason he had, this one judge delighted in that. If you haven’t noticed yet, this world is on a pretty clear downward spiral. It seems as if the grand Titanic we built is sinking while different people keep trying to throw patches on the holes where the water is getting in. These patches are man-made fixes and temporary Band-Aids. A person, regardless of who they are, won’t be able to completely patch up this vessel. Eventually, it’s going to hit the bottom of the ocean. The final Judge is standing at the door. The first time, He was clearly visible on the earth He created. He was born in a manger and then carried an old wooden cross. This next time, He will sit on His throne with each human that ever existed before him and the Book of Life open. Jesus will judge this world with righteousness, equity, and justice, in the way that He views things, of course. Everything that He delights in will be seen, and the opposite will be cast away. You and I will individually stand in front of this judge for life review and eternal placement. The best news yet is that while we’re still breathing there is still grace and mercy available, you still have time to get to know this Judge now, so you’re well prepared for your day in His court.
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Thursday, November 5, 2026
BREAKING: Fake Wisconsin Protest Groups Backed by Soros, Tides, Arabella Dark Money By Beth Brelje | AMAC Reprint from Restoration News These protesters are not your neighbors. Perhaps children are born Republicans because when you ask them what they want to be when they grow up, they almost never say “professional protester.” And it turns out, protesting is mostly a Democrat thing with lots of money and organization behind it. Soros, Tides, and the mysterious dark money queen, Arabella—these are the names you should think of when you see a motley crew of actors on the side of the road with protest signs you can’t read at full speed. Fake Views What? You thought the smattering of protesters who show up with crummy signs mostly at Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany’s events were local folks with true concerns? No, no, no. It’s theater, and like any thespian, some are paid, and others do it just for the attention. That’s why most of them can’t hold a meaningful conversation about the issue on the sign someone handed them. OK, some make their own signs, but if you have ever been present at the start of a protest, someone always rolls up with a trunk full of signs from the last protest. It explains why one protest can have signs complaining about so many different topics. Others hold professionally printed signs, the hallmark of big financial backing, although people holding homemadelooking signs may also be paid. It’s called astroturfing, perfected by Barack Obama’s former chief political strategist David Axelrod. When grassroots don’t naturally grow around an issue or candidate, bring in the fake stuff: Astroturf. And it’s more than signs. It might be a fake organization, like “People for Ducks with Raincoats.” Just add matching T-shirts and a website. When Hayden Ludwig, the founder and executive editor at Restoration News, discovered Arabella is the biggest dark money network in America, his exclusive report said, “No one on the Right knows exactly how many such astroturf campaigns the network has spawned over the years, but estimates put it at well over 500 groups since 2006—all of them run from Arabella Advisors’ cushy office in downtown Washington, D.C.” Carrying Signs for Billionaires Not long ago, Tiffany publicized his public-appearance schedule. That was the signal to a coalition of Democratic operatives to organize the protest actors. Now they won’t leave Tiffany alone. Protesters try to prime the pump and get real protesters to join them. And no one fact checks signs, so they can say anything. On the side of the road, a catchy sign has a shot at putting basic ideas in the minds of people who otherwise are not paying attention to politics. Who is astroturfing Tiffany to benefit Democrat David Crowley? Think No Kings rallies. A lot of the same groups. Indivisible is a big No Kings promoter. It has member groups, each named “Indivisible [Location]” all across the state. Indivisible Wisconsin lists protest dates on its website, hosted by the local Indivisible group. “Come stand with your sign and let [Tiffany] know we’re paying attention. We’ll be there with huge banners and handmade signs to stand with you. Bring a sign. Bring a neighbor. Wisconsin’s future is on the line.” All the Indivisible events use the same language. Local Indivisible groups can use ActBlue to raise money and get some small grants and reimbursements from national Indivisible. Groups are encouraged to raise their own money. If you attend a local Indivisible meeting and they ask for dues, it feels like a shoestring operation, but they know where to find money when they want it. The Soros family’s Open Society Foundations gave $7.6 million to Indivisible from 2017 to 2023. Indivisible has also picked up fat checks from: • Tides, from 2018 to 2024, $4.4 million. • Fund for a Better Future, $4.2 million from 2020 to 2024. • Wellness Advocacy Fund, $750,000. • Future Forward USA Action, $500,000 in 2022. • Long Ridge Action Fund and Movement Action Fund, $200,000 each. • Sixteen Thirty Fund, part of the Arabella network, about $107,000 in 2022 and 2023. • Indivisible Action, a political action committee, raised nearly $11 million from January 2025 to October 14, 2026, mostly through small gifts. Many protesters like to complain about billionaires. But it turns out billionaires paid someone to mobilize them to hold those signs. Good thing they’re actors.
Astro-Rage An angry woman from Climate Defiance recently ambushed Tiffany at an event in a tavern. She made sure someone recorded video before she got in his face and badgered him about a company spilling natural gas in Wisconsin in August, then dropped the Left’s latest shock words, “You’re actively defending pedophiles in federal government like Donald Trump.” Tiffany remained polite, but she was like a thirsty tick on a sheepdog. The same protester crashed Gov. Tony Evers Wisconsin Association for Justice dinner, shouting him down while he tried to give a speech. She screamed political stuff that she would want us to print here. Blah, blah, blah. Two state police officers had to remove her. She converted no one to her cause. This manufactured rage is a tactic often used by Climate
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Defiance, based in Jersey City, New Jersey, ironically a city mostly sealed in cement, directly across the water from New York City. Climate Emergency Fund gave $243,292 to its charity arm and $250,000 to its advocacy arm, both in 2024. This covered more than 90 percent of Climate Defiance’s first year. Climate Emergency Fund gives seed money to new movements. The fund gets its money from: Adam McKay’s family foundation, $3.2 million in 2022 and 2023. Aileen Getty Foundation, $975,0000 including its seed grant. Nova Vista, $600,000. Eutopia, $550,000. Kaplen Brothers Fund, $250,000-$300,000 a year. Rockefeller Family Fund, $250,000 in 2024. continued on following page
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Bits & Pieces
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WORD OF THE
Week
Etymology:
late 1400s, originally a medical term, from Medieval Latin ephemera (febris) “(fever) lasting a day,” from Greek ephemeros, “daily, for the day,” from epi“on” + hemerai, “day;” sense extended in 1700s to short-lived insects and flowers.
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, November 5, 2026
SUDOKU
EPHEMERAL Adjective Pronounced: /uh-feh-mr-uhl/ Definition:
lasting a very short time.
Example:
“The autumn leaves’ ephemeral colors are a spectacle to be taken in quickly.”
Synonyms: fleeting, short-lived, transitory Antonyms: enduring, lasting, perpetual Sources: Merriam-Webster, Etymonline.com.
See bottom left for the answers (please don’t cheat!)
This Week in History continued from previous page
BREAKING: Fake Wisconsin Protest Groups Backed by Soros, Tides, Arabella Dark Money
Someone from these funds looked at Climate Defiance’s motto and said, yes, pay them. “We do not do petitions. We do direct action. We will defeat fossil fuel fascism. We will defy Trump. There is no other choice,” says the motto. They are professional brats. Debate Protesters Tiffany protesters were even standing outside the venue for the October 21 debate with Crowley. The accomplice media was happy to put them on TV. It was an attempt to rattle Tiffany. It didn’t work. Crowley still got wrecked in the debate. The Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, helped organize members on its mobilize site. “Protest MAGA Tiffany before the Debate,” was the call to action. The union can’t officially engage in politics, so the union promotes political activities, and, in this case, the Wisconsin Working Families Party (WFP) used union members to staff its debate protest. WFP, based in Brooklyn, New York, endorses Crowley. They are basically Socialists, making the same promises as the Democrat Socialists of America (DSA). Their plan is, “Tax the rich and get big money out of politics.” These fakes should start with themselves. WTP had gross receipts of $55.4 million in 2024. That year it donated to numerous causes in many states including $100,000 to Arab Americans for Progress in Dearborn, Michigan; $25,000 to Hmong American Woman’s Association in Milwaukee; $25,000 to Grassroots Organizing Western Wisconsin (GROWW) in River Falls; $25,000 to Pastors United Community Advocacy Inc. in Milwaukee; $25,000 to Southeast Asian Action Waunakee; $25,000 Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance, Milwaukee; $25,000 Wisconsin Public Education Network $25,000. WFP has a sign-up page too, with protests planned at the rest of Tiffany’s stops. Its page says the protests are “hosted by Wisconsin Shows Up.” “Come stand with your sign and let [Tiffany] know we’re paying attention. We’ll be there with huge banners and handmade signs to stand with you. Bring a sign. Bring a neighbor. Wisconsin’s future is on the line.” It’s the same pitch Indivisible uses, right down to the photo of protesters. Different websites, different groups, same words, and photos. It’s an enormous, coordinated effort. That is: it’s totally fake. No one feels strongly enough to protest Tiffany without a lot of organizing, and word on the street is that there were some offers of protester payment, although we were not able to verify that. Even so, only a handful of people show up at each event. The WFP site also has ads to mobilize door knockers in Michigan to promote Radical DSA member Abdule ElSayed for U.S. Senate. When you see some actors on the side of the road waving some signs about Tiffany, remember Crowley and Abdule El-Sayed have the same supporters; they are cut from the same cloth. Think of the $55 million New York “nonprofit” that believes you are gullible enough to buy what their lying activists are selling. Choose a candidate who is not trying to trick you.
November 6, 1865:
November 5, 1956: “The Nat King Cole Show” debuts on NBC, the first variety program to be hosted by an African-American.
CSS Shenandoah is the last Confederate combat unit to surrender in the American Civil War after circumnavigating the globe on a cruise that sinks or captures 38 vessels.
November 9, 1998:
Brokerage houses are ordered to pay $1.03 billion to NASDAQ investors to compensate for price-fixing, the largest civil settlement in US history.
November 7, 1874: First cartoon depicting an elephant as the Republican Party symbol is published by Thomas Nast.
November 10, 1674: Dutch Republic formally cedes New Netherland to England, who rename it New York.
November 8, 1519:
First meeting of Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II and Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés in Tenochtitlan, Mexico.
November 11, 1946:
New York Knicks play their first Basketball Association of America (BAA) home game at Madison Square Garden, losing 78-68 to the Chicago Stags in overtime. Source: Onthisday.com.
Bits & Pieces Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, November 5, 2026
NATIONAL Beloved actor Patrick Stewart, known for portraying Captain Picard in Star Trek, died on Saturday. He was 86. The tenth-largest Powerball jackpot ($835M) was drawn on Wednesday. The lottery went 36 consecutive drawings without a winner. The Department of Justice continues its probe into the possible ballotengineering in the Alaska Senate race. Mary Peltola (D) continues to lead Dan Sullivan (R) with 70% of the vote reported as of press time. A hacking incident exposed the identities of tens of thousands of Department of Homeland Security employees. Hackers stole about $6.3B from Binance in the largest cryptocurrency heist in history. The federal government is expanding its immigration detention capacity by $45B for a daily population of up to 100,000 people or more.
STATE A 24-year-old New York City Marathon participant who was in “perfect health” died on the 24th mile of what was her first marathon. Mayor Mamdani’s high-end second-home tax survived an appeals court ruling. A.G. Letitia James appointed a former federal prosecutor and Cornell alumna to lead the criminal investigation into the 2024 sexual assault allegations at Cornell University. Luigi Mangione’s attorneys filed a brief for dismissal under double jeopardy protections in his case around the 2024 killing of a healthcare CEO.
LOCAL County officials are responding to safety threats that forced the Mastic-Moriches-Shirley Library’s branch on Neighborhood Road to close. A Syosset teen was sentenced to 12 years for the stabbing of a 15-year-old boy. A landscaper died in Hauppauge after falling from a 16-foot ladder after cutting into a power line while trimming trees. The Cornell Cooperative Extension has found high densities of juvenile scallops at rates higher than the previous seasons. Suffolk County successfully sold $196.4M in bonds with competitive interest rates attracting nearly $1.2B in bids to support infrastructure projects. The State invested nearly $13M for Long Island renovation projects, including the Island Harvest Food Bank’s Melville facility.
WORD SEARCH
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Veterans News Thursday, November 5, 2026
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County Celebrates 35 Years of Bald Hill Memorial
By Matt Meduri
Atop Bald Hill, the tallest point in Suffolk County, sits a monument that commemorates the Veterans of the Vietnam War. The 100-foot-tall obelisk proudly cuts through the treeline, its side adorned in the red, white, and blue, its base a large plaza that juts out the side of the hill like the bow of a ship. The park was dedicated in 1996 and is inscribed with 256 names of Suffolk residents who gave the Ultimate Sacrifice in Vietnam. Lawmakers and officials gathered on Monday to pay tribute to those fallen and commemorate 35 years of the monument’s installation. “This day is for all those who served our country in a difficult time in an unpopular war,” said County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) (pictured right). “And although the war was not always popular, their service should never be forgotten to this country. As long as we remember our Veterans, we will survive as a nation.” Romaine thanked legislators of the past who commissioned the construction of the monument, namely the late Suffolk Legislator Rose Caracappa (R-Selden) and former Congressman Rick Lazio (R-Bay Shore). “Today, we remember the Americans who never came home. Behind every name is a family, a life, a future left unfulfilled,” said Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches). “Too many Vietnam veterans returned to a country that failed to give them respect, compassion, and the gratitude they had earned. Whatever disagreements Americans had about the war, those disagreements never justified mistreating the men and women who served.”
Honored by officials on Monday was Stephen Hayduk, founder of Hayduk Engineering (pictured bottom left), a Ronkonkoma-based engineering firm. Hayduk served on active-duty in Vietnam from May 1968 to April 1970, where, as a helicopter crew chief, flew hundreds of missions and logged more than 550 combat assault flight hours. Hayduk returned to Suffolk and founded the firm in 1984. From 1992 to 1997, he served as Suffolk County Commissioner of Public Works under then-County Executive Robert Gaffney (R-Miller Place). Hayduk recounted coming home from Vietnam, landing at JFK Airport, and hailing a cab home to Deer Park. Still in uniform, Hayduk informed the cabbie he had just gotten back from Vietnam. “Oh yeah? So what?” the cabbie replied. “That kind of encapsulates the apathy, at best, and scorn, at worst,” said Hayduk. “Twenty years later, this country started realizing that the men and women who served were no different than the men and women who served in World War II or World War I or the Spanish-American War or the Civil.” Former Congressman Lazio (pictured left top) called the war, “the ultimate investment in democracy by people who were minding their own business and were not looking to start a war, but stood up and performed their duty when called.” Suffolk Legislator Caracappa (pictured left) recalled his childhood years of seeing the planning going into this monument at the direction of his mother, Rose. “Everybody came together because they recognized the importance of honoring our Vietnam Veterans who did not receive that honor,” said Caracappa.
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Bayport-Blue Point Girls’ Field Hockey
Claim Suffolk & Long Island Championships Credit - Instagram @bbp_fieldhockey
By Ashley Pavlakis The Phantoms have made some noise on the field, winning the Suffolk County title on Thursday with a win over Pierson in field hockey. On Tuesday, they beat Carle Place to win the Long Island title. Bayport-Blue Point is now back-toback Suffolk County and Long Island Champions. The Bayport-Blue Point varsity field hockey team is a member of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) and competes in Division II. The girls are led by 17thyear head coach Karen Gick. She’s joined on the sidelines by assistant coach Katie Burbige. The Phantoms finished the regular season with a 143-0 record. The Phantoms are no stranger to winning, having won the Suffolk County title in 2019, 2025, and 2026. BBP also took home the Long Island Championship in 2025. Bayport had a strong season offensively, outscoring their opponents 62 to 7. Their only three losses were 1-0 shutouts. While only being shut out three times, the Phantoms posted 10 shutouts of their own this season. The person behind those shutouts? Goaltender Paige Seaman. The Section XI Suffolk County Championships began last week, and BayportBlue Point entered the post season as the number one seed in Class C. The Phantoms met Pierson in the final, a team they played during the regular season and won 5-0. Katie Bailargeon and Madeline Clark scored for Bayport in the first quarter, and
it was a lead they would never relinquish. Pierson managed to slip one past but fell short of a comeback. Lily LiPuma is tied for sixth in Suffolk County in scoring with 16g-11a-27pts. Madeline Clark also made the list at 15th place with 6g-16a-22pts. Newsday named their Top-50 field hockey players prior to the season, and Camryn Bruckner (F/M), Madeline Clark (D/M), and Lily LiPuma (F) all made the list. The Phantoms have a team trophy they give out after each game called “The Most Extra” Award. It’s typically given to the player who went above and beyond during the game
to help the team win. Bayport Blue-Point is the reigning Long Island Champion with the goal of defending their title versus the Carle Place Frogs. This is a LI title rematch from last season, making it that much more intense. Last season, the Phantoms claimed the title with a 1-0 win. The Long Island Championship took place at Motamed Field on the Campus of Adelphi University. The 5:00p.m. start meant it was a matchup under the lights on a nice 61-degree fall evening. The Phantoms showed up and gave it everything they had against the Frogs. The final score was 2-1 in favor of Bayport Blue Point. The girls repeat as Long Island Champions and will compete for the New York State Championship next! Congratulations on a phenomenal season, Phantoms! Suffolk County is proud of your accomplishments, and we can’t wait to see what you do at States next weekend! The Phantoms will look to be the first Long Island representative to win the NYS title since Northport ‘22.
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Congratulations to our very own PJ BALZER for being chosen as the Grand Marshal. A well deserved honor to be recognized for all he does for his community. PJ is our small business liaison and writes our Messenger Perspectives column found each week on page 18. For more information go to masticshirleychamber.org or follow PJ BALZER on Facebook.