Thursday, October 22, 2026 ~ Volume 71 ~ Issue Number 47 ~ $1.00 Credit: Matt Meduri
Endorsement Alert:
LOSQUADRO FOR COUNTY COMPTROLLER
PULEO
FOR COUNTY CLERK Endorsements on page 4
Senators Urge Pause on
Manorville BESS Facility By Matt Meduri Perhaps one of the most salient topics in Suffolk over the last couple years has been that of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) facilities. These facilities hold lithium batteries capable of harnessing energy and dispersing it to the grid in times of blackouts or grid strain due to high electricity usage, particularly during the summer months. The State has been keen to roll these facilities out, with proponents arguing they’re necessary for sustaining the grid while broader concerns are addressed. Opponents say the technology is too new and firefighting capabilities have not yet evolved to combat lithium fires.
Senator Anthony Palumbo (pictured left) & Senator Dean Murray (pictured right) (Credit - Matt Meduri)
Continued on page 10
FULL STORIES ON:
Suffolks Bond Rating Upgraded Page 5
State Assembly Historic E. Patchogue Senate Endorsements Property Funded Page 12
Page 13
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Messenger Papers Thursday, October 22, 2026
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AUTUMN EVENTS Sayville Farmers Market at the Islip Grange: Every Saturday until November, 9:00a.m. to 2:00p.m.
Nutrition in Nature: Thursday, November 5, 10:30a.m. to 11:30a.m. at Sunken Meadow State Park.
Port Jefferson Farmers Market: Every Sunday until November, 9:00a.m. to 2:00p.m.
Historic Clubhouse and Grist Mill Tours: Sunday, November 1, 1:00p.m. to 3:00p.m. at Connetquot River State Park.
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 Spooky Lantern Walk (Family Program): Saturday, October 24, 6:30p.m. to 7:30p.m. at Caleb Smith State Park.
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Endorsements
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Thursday, October 22, 2026
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Dan Losquadro for Suffolk County Comptroller By The Editorial Board Suffolk’s finances during a time of global economic upheaval. For us, the question is just how bad that will be. While there’s effectively nothing local elected officials can do about the AI bubble, the War in Iran, and other salient topics as of late, their job is to prepare the municipality for the worst and get creative. We think Losquadro’s strategy for budgeting his department in Brookhaven gives him a leg up. But Losquadro has another facet to his candidacy that makes us confident in his ability: his relationship with County Executive Ed Romaine. Losquadro entered Town government shortly after Romaine took over as Supervisor. The two governed together for about a decade until Romaine was elected County Executive in 2023. Losquadro is familiar with Romaine’s leadership style, and vice versa. Moreover, as Romaine is presiding over economic stability in Suffolk - cash reserves are at an all-time high and the bond rating continues to improve and stabilize - we think the transition from a Kennedy-run Comptroller’s Office to a Losquadro-run office will be a seamless one. Losquadro’s opponent is Jon Estriech, an attorney, former prosecutor, judge advocate in the JAG Corps, and a recently-promoted Army Headquarters Commander. Estreich, a Dix Hills Democrat, is sharp, affable, and has a well-rounded background. From doing investigative work for the MTA, to working under Governor Cuomo digging into nonprofit fraud, we don’t doubt he’s up to the task. He
Credit -Matt Meduri
Suffolk County Comptroller John Kennedy is termlimited and a new era of fiscal stewardship in Suffolk will begin in January. Voters have two good candidates for this position: Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro and attorney and first-time candidate Jon Estreich. Losquadro, a Shoreham Republican, knows the ins and outs of government. A former Suffolk County Legislator and former New York State Assemblyman, Losquadro understands who the players are and how to navigate the proper channels of local government. He’s presided over Brookhaven’s Highway Department since 2013, which is no small task. Some voters have characterized Losquadro as merely a “roads guy,” but that underscores his budgetary prowess. Brookhaven is one of the largest townships in the State by area and about half of that budget goes to the roads. To say there’s no budgetary know-how in that role would be an understatement. Losquadro gets credit for having inherited an antiquated and unbalanced department in 2013. He’s championed stockpiling reserves for unpredictable circumstances - in his case, weather and snow. Despite several mild winters, the proof was in the pudding this past winter which saw snow accumulation records shattered across Suffolk. There’s almost no doubt that whoever wins this contest will be in the unenviable position of having to navigate
talks about sniffing out pay-to-play and creating an economic dashboard so Suffolk residents can see where their tax dollars are going in real time. We would have liked more substantive examples of what he alleges could be payto-play, and we’re not sure just how effective such a dashboard would be, but he does rightly point out that despite ostensibly good finances, there are “warning signs” of impending economic trouble. As a side note, both candidates are intensely welltraveled, which we think gives both broadened horizons and plays well into a job as strenuous as that of the Comptroller. But Estreich, in our view, is simply unable to match Losquadro’s experience and the invaluable connection the Highway Superintendent has to the County Executive. However, we do urge Estreich to stay involved and perhaps seek office at the local level first. We’re interested to see where his drive can take him. The Messenger endorses Losquadro.
Vincent Puleo for Suffolk County Clerk By The Editorial Board face a serious backlog. For Puleo, that’s consisted of growing the size of the storage room, adding more servers, and even improving the HVAC to keep the room cool so those machines work without a hitch. In the meantime, he’s looking to secure cloud storage while lobbying Albany for much-needed guidelines to ease at least some of the burden. Puleo’s customer service and community-oriented background also makes him deserving of a second term, we think. He pointed out in our interview that the dayto-day is making processes easier for applicants, which trickles down to development and redevelopment on Main Street. He seeks to prevent as many redundancies in those processes as possible. Puleo’s opponent is Abigail Field, a Cutchogue Democrat who is running a write-in campaign. Field’s core promises are to revamp the website and look into whether satellite Clerk’s offices for the East End are necessary. She gets credit for having lobbied the New Jersey Legislature for identity theft legislation, which is her primary claim to understanding the IT and cybersecurity workings of the Clerk’s office. Field opened her interview with us by saying she’s running a “positive campaign,” but hardly said anything positive. Field seems to think she could be better at many jobs than other people. She not only said that of Puleo, but of her 2025 opponent in Southold Town Clerk Dennis Noncarrow. She called the latter a “lovely human being,” but not one who is good at his job. Field has also lambasted the inner workings of the Clerk’s office, claiming to have insiders talking of bureaucratic backlog and testimonies from real estate agents that Suffolk’s Clerk’s Office is the “worst in the state,” but she can’t back up any of her claims. She’s said the job isn’t “rocket science.” We think she’s underestimating the task ahead of her should she prevail.
For such a “positive campaign,” in her words, she tossed around phrases like “corrupt,” “clueless,” “gullible,” and “grossly inefficient” among others. There’d be more weight to these claims if they could be corroborated and had there been consistent reporting from various sources throughout the last four years. Field spared no expense in digging into Puleo on a Newsday story this summer that claims he is the landlord for a strip mall in which an illegal massage parlor was operating. Puleo didn’t shy away from it; in fact, the tenant up and left at his behest. But Field made the jarring claim that Puleo “profited off of sex trafficking” and that during his time as Smithtown Clerk, was somehow involved in derailing a bill that would have cracked down on those types of businesses. We think she should choose her words more carefully, and we also think that had Puleo been such a “slick dude” - as she described him in our interview - the Town of Smithtown, known for its community values and retail politics - wouldn’t have retained Puleo as their Clerk for over a decade. Field has waged an angry campaign and we see it as nothing more than an avatar for the disaffected Democrats who lost their insurgency against Chairman Rich Schaffer. We think they’re taking their anger out on the wrong guy. The Messenger endorses Puleo.
Credit -Matt Meduri
The Clerk is considered the “cover on the book” of local government. Documents, resources, chains of custody, and storage is all under the purview of the Clerk. And while it’s not exactly the most riveting topic, it’s arguably the most important one. Incumbent County Clerk Vincent Puleo is seeking reelection to a second, four-year term. He was first elected in 2022, just as the County was grappling with the crippling cyber attack that took systems offline for months and left Suffolk with two options: fixing the infrastructure from within or negotiating with the hackers. The County took the former option. Their report showed the hack originated in the Clerk’s office due to the amateur-hour - at best - policies that were more to do with the IT Department than anyone else. Clerk Puleo, a Republican of Nesconset, has made IT services one of his top priorities over the last four years. He puts immense faith in his IT department and they’re not looking to be complacent with the relative safety the County has after the 2022 hack. He’s shopping for new software to replace an outdated contract and is carving a respectable balance between using AI as a tool but not displacing workers. A big task Puleo has had is dealing with the evergrowing storage needs for police bodycam footage, something we view as a necessity, but also something that the State mandates to be preserved. Since the State has not provided specifics and how and for how long those footages need to be held, Puleo has been working to scale their internal storage. This sounds easy on paper, but the terabytes add up quickly. For reference, the average home PC’s hard disk has maybe 500 gigabytes of space to maybe 1 terabyte - and most users won’t take up about half that space. Video files are an easy way to fill up a hard drive, and with footage constantly pouring in, it’s easy for an operation like that to
Suffolk Matters Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
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and preserve the county’s financial future. This is a win for all of Suffolk County, and I commend everyone whose work helped make this possible.” The upgrade reflects the changes the Romaine Administration has made to ensure better cybersecurity in the county. In September 2022 Suffolk County was the target of one of the largest cyberattacks on a municipality in the United States. Under the prior administration the county did not have cyberattack insurance, resulting in the county having to spend tens of millions of dollars to respond. “A county of this size should have never been left vulnerable to such an attack, especially with no insurance to assist in recovery,” said Romaine. “I want to thank the county’s information technology leadership and staff for their dedication to protecting taxpayer services and information.” “Since the (2022 cyberattack) incident, the county has instituted significant improvements in its technology-related infrastructure and oversight, including the hiring of a full-time, onsite Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), helping to mitigate against future attacks,” said
Fitch in its report. The County’s budgeting has also protected its reserve funds, a critical component in Fitch’s decision to once again upgrade Suffolk’s bond rating. “The ‘AA’ ratings also reflect the county’s sustained sound liquidity and overall reserve levels reflective of strong revenue performance and management’s recent conservative budget assumptions,” said Fitch in its report. “Conservative budgeting means preparing for the future, and Suffolk County has done its best to keep the budget steady, even in these difficult financial times,” said Romaine. In his annual State of the County address in September, Romaine announced his 2027 budget will not raise general fund taxes in 2027. “Working with my colleagues in the legislature, I am confident we will continue to strengthen the county’s financial position and protect taxpayer dollars,” said Romaine. “This upgrade represents the work we do on behalf of our residents each and every day, and we are not done yet.”
Credit -Matt Meduri
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) announced this week that Fitch Ratings has upgraded Suffolk County’s rating from ‘AA-’ to ‘AA’ with a stable outlook. This is the fifth bond upgrade the county has received since Romaine took office in January 2024. “This upgrade is a vote of confidence in the way taxpayer dollars are being protected and managed,” said County Executive Romaine (pictured top right). “I want to thank my partners in the Suffolk County Legislature for their work in achieving this upgrade.” A higher credit rating generally lowers the county’s borrowing costs, which means savings for taxpayers on bonding or other borrowing. “Fitch’s decision to upgrade Suffolk County’s bond rating to AA with a stable outlook is a significant achievement for our residents and a strong endorsement of the county’s financial management,” said Presiding Officer Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville) (pictured bottom right). “A strong bond rating helps reinforce confidence in county government and supports our efforts to protect taxpayers
Credit -Matt Meduri
Fitch Ratings Upgrades Suffolk County Bond Rating to ‘AA’ with Stable Outlook
Suffolk County Soil & Water Conservation District Funds School, Community Projects By Matt Meduri
School Funding According to a release from the District, six educational projects have been funded: $50,000 for the Brentwood Freshman Campus. Through the Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grant. The project, “Campus Fresh: Cultivating the Next Generation,” entails converting an underutilized warehouse into a farmto-table lab. Funds will be applied to an aquaponics system and a hydroponics unit for leafy greens. The “Campus Fresh”
project will provide students with skills for the agricultural industry. Produce will also be used to supplement meals at the school. $19,344 for Cold Spring Harbor Jr.Sr. High School. The award will fund equipment for projects with agricultural robotics. Students will assess traditional soil-based versus hydroponic production systems. $5,320 for Half Hollow Hills High School East. The funds will contribute to supplies for experimental research in plant tissue cultures. $12,200 for North Babylon High School. The project will improve their garden’s irrigation system. $3,637 for Babylon Jr.-Sr. High School. “Crocus with the Mostus,” a project to create space for the school’s STEAM: Sustainable Agriculture class. The school will be adding a pollinator garden and raised garden beds, to grow a variety of crops including crocus for saffron, lettuce, and potatoes. $9,500 for Oregon Middle School. The project will add an outdoor classroom space and a native pollinator garden. Students at environmental clubs will be involved with the Patchogue-Medford’s Seed Lending library, to help educate the community about seed harvesting.
Four Projects with Lasting Environmental Impact After a competitive review process, four award recipients were notified of award status in the spring of 2026. The Davis Park Association is being allocated $31,000 to mitigate erosion along the shoreline of the Great South Bay. The project aims to “restore marsh habitat and stabilize the eroding shoreline in Davis Park, Fire Island, by planting native vegetation and using coir fiber logs.” Save the Great South Bay, a previous CAP grant awardee, will receive $30,000 to fund efforts for their Creek Defenders Program. Funds will be used to “expand their ongoing cleanup and restoration of creeks that feed into the Great South Bay.” The Town of Smithtown is being granted $20,000 for the “S.P.R.O.U.T.” project, or the Stormwater Pollution Reduction through Optimized Urban Tree planting project, which will “focus on planting trees in the Long Island Industrial Park in Hauppauge, in efforts to reduce excessive stormwater runoff and urban heat island impacts.” The Bayport-Blue Point Heritage Association will receive $19,000 in grant funds for their habitat restoration project
Credit -Matt Meduri
The Suffolk County Soil and Water Conservation District aims to support the County’s goal to protect and preserve natural resources. The District assists the County’s agricultural community, private landowners, and municipalities through partnerships with local, County, State, and federal government agencies. The District also provides technical assistance, site plan/subdivision reviews, and conservation planning, among other services. The District, chaired by Suffolk County Legislator Dominick Thorne (R-Patchogue) (pictured bottom right), announced this week $100,000 in funding to expand agricultural education in schools, and $100,000 for four community projects.
at the site of the former The Avery Five Mile Look Hotel. Funds will be used to “remove invasive plant species and introduce native plants to the area to improve the resiliency of the ecosystem.” Including this year’s funding, the Agriculture in the Classroom program has applied a total of $398,142.35 towards K-12 school projects since 2017. K-12 public schools in Suffolk County are encouraged to keep an eye out for future grant proposal requests.
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Editorial Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
The Top Local Issues in 2026
Election Day is just two weeks away and candidates are making their final pitches to voters. The 2026 cycle has been chaotic, both nationally and locally, to say the least. Donald Trump’s (R-FL) record unpopularity looms large in the background while the Democratic Party’s metamorphosis continues in earnest with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) ousting notable incumbents across the country. The national upheavals have thrown prices and priorities out of whack, while many voters and social media demagogues are keen to lean into their sophistry to somehow connect Town Hall with the White House in every conceivable instance. We’ve talked to nearly every candidate this cycle across our three towns. Here’s what we think the top issues are based on how they’re campaigning. Affordability Surprise, surprise. Affordability is, yet again, the top issue - as it should be. The problem is, we’ve noticed it has a few times presented itself as a nice cop-out from being substantive on the issues. Moreover, the question isn’t that affordability is a problem; rather, how it’s addressed. Unfortunately, there’s very little the County and the Towns can do when they’re met with massive headwinds from Washington or Albany. They municipalities are constantly in a catch-22: maintain current spending levels or even pierce the tax cap, or cut services and earn the residents’ ire. Republicans have made no bones about the State’s obvious spending problems; only a few Democrats have been forthright in that regard. At the very least, they say it’s a “discipline” problem. We’ll take the wins where we can get them. Many Democrats we’ve interviewed, however, don’t seem keen on addressing that massive liability. The reality is, that brand of the party only knows spending, the last decade or so of Albany governance says. Additionally, many Democrats running in Republican-held seats assert that they would be better equipped to get funds and prioritize the district’s needs better than a Republican would. We firmly disagree. Not only do Democrats not deserve more members in their chamber than they already have, in our view, but any additional seats for the caucus would be more mouths to feed. Another unspoken rule of politics is that freshmen in the state and federal legislatures must “wait their turn” before generating any significant amount of progress for their districts. And at that rate, the only party in New York of whom bipartisanship is rightly required is the Republican Party. Sanctuary Policies This is where we find practically all the Democrats squeamish. Republicans aren’t afraid to call out the Sanctuary State/City policies one bit. Here’s the reality: illegal immigration is illegal. We’ve been pitched many creative arguments as to why it’s a civil offense or a criminal offense, or how the federal government is leveraging their resources, but it’s still an offense. It’s unconscionable to us that state and municipal governments have been allowed to supersede federal laws in this regard. Both parties are correct in saying that the issue ultimately lies at the feet of the federal government. That’s a responsibility both parties have been abdicating for decades, and much to our disappointment, no substantive changes have been made under the Trump Administration. Still, the State can do its part to stem the flow which hurts local demand on housing, jobs, and services. That’s not to say that the immigrants themselves should be blamed. Don’t hate the player, hate the game, we say. Congress is wholly compromised by special interests, corporate donors, and foreign lobbyists, and as a result, is wholly ineffective. The State still has responsibility to its own citizens and to prioritize them first. Democrats, however, find themselves in a catch-22 of their own on this issue. They can’t criticize the machine too much, lest they get cut off from funding that makes them ideal candidates for re-election in their home districts, at best, or they find themselves on the unsatisfactory end of the retribution stick as Mayor Eric Adams (D) did when he bucked his party on the migrant crisis, at worst.
We also think that since the Albany/ Manhattan machine understands that since the Empire State is gradually becoming more competitive, millions have fled, and millions more are expected to flee, counting more citizens towards the Census will help them preserve their political power. There must be a coalition of commonsense Democrats who can break through the orthodoxy, but we expect them to show their faces when the Albany machine inevitably crumbles. Until then, we see the Republicans as better equipped to answer that question. Energy This is the issue where there seems to be the most consensus. Republicans were ultimately proven right that the CLCPA mandates were unrealistic, at least for now, and that an all-of-the-above approach to energy is what the State should endorse. Many Democrats we spoke with were glad to see the brakes pumped on those mandates, although they signalled they would like to get them back online some time in the future. The biggest impediment that we found, however, was that of natural gas. The Marcellus Shale in Western New York can solve a litany of problems, and while it’s in contrast with net-zero goals, it’s far cleaner than burning oil or coal. The modern era of politics is rife with pontification, but no sense of the realities that bind any constituency. That includes writing off any ideology or construct of yesteryear as archaic and regressive - utilizing resources, maintaining borders, genders, to name a few. Resources are meant to be utilized and resources are perhaps the strongest strengths and opportunities at sovereignty any constituency can have. Some Democrats shied away from that, although perhaps offering a tepid approval, perhaps just to tell The Messenger what it wanted to hear. All in all, we’ll take the wins where we can get them, and that includes a more realistic outlook on energy. We intend to hold our representatives to their 2026 pitches. Unfunded Mandates As Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches) has repeatedly said, no matter how “meritorious” an idea or policy might be, it shouldn’t break the backs of the municipalities. This goes into the aforementioned spending problems, and we think there’s a component of handing goodie bags to voters, only to make the opposition party out to be the bad guys when the programs are reduced or clawed back. In many such cases, the municipalities are made out to be the bad guys. We think this is another long-term chess play for the Albany machine to retain their power. They pass unfunded mandates with good intentions - at least ostensibly - force the municipalities to pay into them in ways that many other states do not mandate, and when the banks are broken, the residents descend on Town Hall with pitchforks and torches instead of the State Capital. It’s a classic divide-and-conquer strategy that goes hand-in-hand with the even-year elections. Any attempt to water down local politics to make it more nationalized works for an insipid and ineffective political machine, regardless of party affiliation. Odds and Ends Data centers are a very salient topic this time around. We’re not so sure that some of the older members of politics and government quite see the bigger picture. It seems they think it’s nothing different than the concerns of the Dot-Com Boom, but never before have we seen an obvious threat to greater employment, so much so that the executives are even making that point themselves - rather nonchalantly, we might add. BESS facilities are another item. Neither party is willing to endorse these, rightfully so, but the wait-and-see approach on this plateau of the energy front, we find, should err more on the “wait” side of things. Finally, all the candidates we’ve spoken to speak to bipartisanship and “reaching across the aisle.” Of course, no candidate would want to openly campaign on partisanship, and while a voting scorecard doesn’t give the behindthe-scenes look at legislation, it’s fairly simple to figure who lives up to that universal promise and who doesn’t dare put their toes out of line.
Op-Ed Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
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Thursday, October 22, 2026
Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded Commercials: Illegal and Bad PR By Steve Levy | Long Island Life & Politics I was wondering when Donald Trump was going to start unloading the tens of millions of dollars he has in his PAC to help in the midterm elections. Then, lo and behold, I started seeing some commercials with Trump walking down a corridor giving a speech about communism. My first thought was, “What a waste of money this was,” because it was all about Trump at a time when he’s hovering in the mid-30s on the polls. But then, at the end of the commercial, I fell off my chair when I saw a logo noting that the commercial was paid for with tax dollars. As someone who has been involved in government for 26 years, it was clear to me that such a blazingly political commercial cannot legally be financed with taxpayer dollars. Just days ago, a court agreed. There are a million ways to use public
funds to get a generic message out, but this was way over the line. But just as importantly to me, this was a missed opportunity to send a clear message for Republicans in next month’s election. Where were the commercials’ beforeand-after pictures of Biden’s border assault versus the quiet border after Trump’s election? Where were the commercials touting how waiters, Social Security recipients, and blue-collar workers putting in overtime were saving thousands of dollars annually on their taxes and how the average family saves $2,000 a year with the tax plan? Where were the commercials about how the Democrats’ green policies caused electric bills to increase by 60%? Where were the commercials noting that, once Democrats regain power, the
border will be reopened, sex change operations for children will begin again within our hospitals, men will be allowed back in women’s locker rooms, and taxes on middle-class families will rise by $2,000 when the Trump tax cuts are eradicated? Where were the commercials that noted that the New York City housing czar wants to do away with private property or how candidates promoting Medicare for All will prohibit your private insurance and make seniors wait in line for Medicare along with healthy 25-yearolds? Any of these items would’ve been good messaging. But instead, Trump made these commercials about himself, showing five-second soundbites of him making speeches and walking down a corridor. So, not only were these commercials
illegal, but they were terrible messaging. Meanwhile, Trump himself said that the Republicans have the facts on their side, but poor messaging. Well, on the latter, he could look in the mirror. This op-ed originally ran in Long Island Life & Politics. For more from LILP, visit them online at lilifepolitics. com.
AI Is Changing Medicine. Medical Education Must Change, Too By Dr. James W. Schroeder Artificial Intelligence is poised to revolutionize most industries, and medicine is no exception. Eight in ten doctors already use AI for everything from taking notes to getting up to speed on the latest medical research in order to better diagnose patients. AI promises to deliver enormous benefits to clinicians and patients alike. But like any tool or technology, AI also has limitations. Medical educators need to adjust their curricula in response to the AI age. That means putting less emphasis on memorization -- and more on developing an empathetic bedside manner, communicating well, and handling the many other uniquely human elements of the job. Doctors have the unique privilege and responsibility of being invited into some of the most intimate and vulnerable moments of patients’ lives. Physicians often meet patients and their families when they are confronting anxiety, life-altering diagnoses, even death. In those moments, the relationship between doctor and patient matters. Over half of patients say that they want their doctors to display qualities like compassion and a good bedside manner. Those qualities aren’t merely “nice-to-haves” -they deliver real clinical value. Studies show that
for some conditions, stronger bedside manner and physician empathy are associated with better patient outcomes. No matter how capable AI tools become, they can’t fill physicians’ shoes in these moments. So, in the coming years, it will be even more important for medical educators to create training programs that enhance empathy among aspiring physicians and teach students how to navigate interactions with patients and their families. Medical educators will also need to train students to leverage the benefits of AI -- while recognizing its biases and mitigating its shortcomings. AI systems are trained on human-generated data. So AI models can have the same blind spots and erroneous assumptions as humans. One study found that AI exhibited “significant performance disparities” based on race, gender, and age across nearly 30% of cancer diagnostic tasks. Future physicians need to learn to incorporate AI into their workflows to make them more effective without blindly accepting the outputs AI systems produce. That will require changing how physician trainees are mentored. Traditionally, medical students have gone through clinical rotations -- and later, through residency -- to shadow experienced
physicians, observe cases, and build a mental library of experiences to draw upon throughout their careers. But the entire corpus of medical knowledge will soon be on each and every smartphone. AI models can sift through clinical databases and synthesize decades of research in seconds. Three years ago, ChatGPT began outscoring medical students on the United States Medical Licensing Examination. AI models have grown exponentially more capable since then. Consequently, the trainees of tomorrow should not even try to know more than the machine. Instead, they will need to observe how senior physicians effectively integrate AI into their workflow, identify bias in results, and deliver difficult news to patients. Artificial Intelligence will transform medicine. But it won’t eliminate the need for human judgment, compassion, and trust. That’s why medical schools must redouble their focus on training students in the skills machines can never replace. James W. Schroeder, Jr., MD, MBA, is the Chief Academic Officer at Hospital for Special Surgery. This piece originally ran in Chief Healthcare Executive.
Veterans Affairs
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Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Leathernecks Host 25th Annual Ride to Northport VA Credit - Joe Cuminale
By Joe Cuminale On Sunday, October 18, the Leathernecks M.C. DERNA Chapter held their 25th Annual Ride to the VA Hospital/Residence Center in Northport to visit with our Veterans and bring them a few small gifts of new clothing items to help sustain them through the winter. These items were donated not only by the riders, but by many that don’t ride. The non-riders answered the call for donations. Thank you to the Commandant of the Marine Corps League of Suffolk County, Jaclyn Imperah, Leathernecks Chapter President Loyd Ellis, and Vice President Paul Russell for their efforts in putting together this ride. Thanks to the Marine Corps League of Suffolk County for providing the new start/end location and their hospitality. I have been reporting on and participating in this annual event since their first ride on December 16, 2001, when there were 28 riders in 36-degree weather. This year’s ride had 85 riders. Not only does this ride provide clothing for our Veterans, but the money raised also provides for outings for many Veterans - movie Nights, dinners, and breakfasts, just to name a few trips. It has been an honor for me to be a small part of this great event for all 25 Years, letting our local Veterans know they are not forgotten. Semper Fi!
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This Week Today Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
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Thursday, October 22, 2026
National, State, and Local Temperature Checks By Matt Meduri
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli (D-Great Neck Plaza) reported this week that State tax receipts totaled $68.5 billion - $7.3 billion higher than estimates by the Division of Budget (DOB). Tax receipts were also $8.6 billion higher than those through September 2025. “Higher state tax collections, particularly personal income and business tax receipts, are partially a result of financial market growth,” said DiNapoli. “As noted in my recent report, Wall Street profits have increased significantly in the first half of the year. However, consumer costs keep rising and many families are still struggling. While strong financial market growth bodes well for some, we must ensure the economy works for all New Yorkers.” Personal income tax (PIT) receipts totaled $36.4 billion, coming about $2.5 billion above DOB projections through the second quarter. The State’s General Fund ended September with a balance of $63.9 billion, beating expectations by about 18%. The Comptroller’s report notes that primarily due to higher-than-anticipated tax collections and lower-than-anticipated spending. In other state news, federal, State, and City authorities conducted about a dozen raids on adult care centers in a focus to rein in Medicaid fraud. Allegations stem from fraudulent Medicaid billing for clients who received no services or were dead. Local Suffolk County Democratic Committee Chair Rich Schaffer (D-North Babylon) is being investigated by federal authorities and the New York State Attorney General’s office. The agencies have reportedly interviewed several committee members. They allege that Schaffer offered payments to committee members
to miss work in order to secure their attendance at the convention for his own re-election. Schaffer (pictured bottom right), who also serves as Babylon Town Supervisor, ultimately prevailed over Southold Democratic Committee Chair Kathryn Casey Quigley (D-Southold). Governor Kathy Hochul called the inquiry a “political hit job.” Party tensions continue within the Suffolk Democrats. They’re alleging the chair vote in Brookhaven was tilted due to lastsecond appointments by Schaffer to elect his candidate of choice. Some within the Suffolk Democrats are raising similar alarms regarding upcoming Islip and Huntington votes. In other local news, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) and law enforcement officials announced the Operation Safe Stop program. It’s a regional initiative to increase enforcement and public education to protect schoolchildren who are boarding or disembarking school buses. Penalties for passing a stopped school bus with flashing red lights can
vary, but generally, the first conviction carries a $250-$400 fine, the second conviction within three years carries a $600-$750 fine, while the third or subsequent convictions within three years carry a $750-$1000 fine. Officials note that based on the severity of the infraction, imprisonment can follow. The Suffolk County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency, the Suffolk County School Bus Safety program issued about 83,000 citations for vehicles illegally passing school buses in 2024 and more than 73,000 in 2025. Statewide statistics say that about 50,000 motorists illegally pass school buses every day. “We rely on our dedicated bus drivers and transportation staff to keep them safe, but that responsibility extends to every motorist that we share the road with. No appointment, no meeting, no destination is more important than the life of a child,” said Patchogue-Medford School Superintendent Dr. Patrick Harrigan. Suffolk County Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (R-Centerport) said, “... young children and teenagers are not as developmentally mature to spot dangers and traffic, or to be able to judge distance and speed.” Credit - Matt Meduri
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia (R-CA) was fired after five days on the job, making her the shortest-serving White House Press Secretary in history. Zacharia’s first press conference last week showed her visibly nervous. She’s also been scrutinized for referring to herself as a lawyer, despite having never been a licensed attorney. White House communications aide Daniella Alvarez is reportedly stepping into the role in an acting capacity. Meanwhile, President Trump’s approval rating has hit record lows as found by Reuters/Ipsos, New York Times/Siena, and CNN. His rating has been tracked between 31% to 36% approving. His ratings are among the worst for any post-WWII president heading into a midterm environment, even worse than those of George W. Bush (R-TX) before the 2006 blue wave and about on par with Harry Truman’s (D-MO) before the good Republican year of 1950. Over 10 million ballots have already been cast in the 2026 midterms. Places like Harris County, Texas (Houston), are seeing record turnout, while Trump continues to campaign in deep-red states. At a rally in Park City, Kansas, this week, Trump announced an $8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief Program for farmers’ diesel costs, and said that permanent, year-round ethanol sales hinge on Senator Roger Marshall’s (R-KS) re-election. Trump’s midterm rallies continued to into deep-red territory like Montana and Kentucky, while medium-red and battleground states also saw him visit: Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. Democrats also placed their first ad buy in Mississippi this year. A state of more static and boring politics, Democrats believe they have an outside chance of winning a Senate seat in the Magnolia State for the first time since 1982. A Republican House candidate in Nevada is battling claims of stolen valor. David Flippo (R), running for an open House seat in northern Nevada, has been spotted wearing a hat that included a Bronze Star with two V-shaped emblems, despite having received a standard Bronze Star award for a tour in Iraq. The last-minute shakeup makes the GOP nervous in a Trump +14 seat that includes Reno and Carson City. NV-02 is the only seat held by Republicans in the Silver State’s congressional delegation. Reports are emerging that Elon Musk ordered a slowdown of Starlink and the related Starshield technology that allows Ukrainian drones Internet access. Some reconnaissance and combat drone missions were cancelled due to the greatly reduced Internet speeds. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Ukrainians could die without critical access. The report now spawns a deeper question: should one, unelected person have such control over the battlefields of the world? American teacher Stephen Hubbard was released from Russian custody on Wednesday as part of a deal between the Putin and Trump administrations. He had been detained by Russian forces during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and in 2024, he was sentenced to six years and ten months in prison on charges of acting as a mercenary. Hubbard lived in Japan for 25 years and in Cyprus
for a short time before settling in Ukraine with his partner. Hubbard (pictured left) was not released in a conventional prisoner swap or through reciprocal U.S. concessions. Trump stated that Hubbard was freed on a direct appeal to Vladimir Putin, courtesy of diplomatic talks in St. Petersburg by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. Wiktoff called Putin a “humanitarian” in response. Hubbard is expected to be flown to Texas for medical treatment due to health concerns. Canadians in the province of Alberta overwhelmingly voted to remain part of Canada in a Monday night referendum. Alberta, Canada’s most conservative and oil-rich province, has seen growing interest in a separatist movement since the COVID-19 Pandemic. They’ve generally had negative views on Ottawa policies, but now see President Trump’s remarks about their nation as a reason to remain part of a united Canada. Alberta makes up about 11% of Canada’s parliamentary districts (called ridings). After the 2025 elections, which were largely seen as a snap against Trump’s perceived encroachment on Canadian sovereignty, Albertans gave 34 of their ridings to the Conservative Party, 2 to the Liberal Party, and just 1 to the New Democratic Party. State Credit - Facebook
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10 Continued from front cover
Brookhaven Matters Thursday, October 22, 2026
Senators Urge Pause on Manorville BESS Facility Credit - Google Maps
At present, there is no conventional method of extinguishing these fires. Letting them burn themselves out is the only option, and that process can take days or weeks depending on the size of the fire. A proposed site on Weeks Avenue in Manorville has caused Senators Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) and Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue) to urge Governor Kathy Hochul (D-Hamburg) to pause the plans on this facility. The proposed facility is a 150MW lithium-ion storage facility developed by Key Capture Energy (KCE) on a 4-acre portion of a 13-acre light industrial site. It’s adjacent to a LIPA switchyard. “When it comes to the question of safety at these BESS facilities, there are simply too many important questions that have yet to be answered and I’m not willing to move forward without those answers and gamble with the safety of my constituents,” said Senator Murray in a statement. “God forbid a fire does break out at this massive facility, our firefighters need more of a plan than, “let it burn”, which is the state’s official policy for such fires.” Local officials have even more reason to call for the brakes on BESS facilities after a 5MW facility in Wainscott caught fire in 2023. Contamination of at least three wells has been linked to that fire. The County announced in early October that the developer of that facility, NextEra Energy, has suspended operations at two East End locations. “Following the battery energy storage system (BESS) fire in East Hampton and the subsequent contamination of the area’s drinking water, I believe it is prudent to pause further construction of battery storage facilities in Suffolk County,” said Senator Palumbo in a statement. “That pause should last until a thorough review is completed, and safety measures are strengthened to better protect the region’s drinking water and Long Islanders.” KCE is the same developer that pitched a 79MW facility in Hauppauge, which led to vocal opposition from the community, a Town Council-led ban on large-scale BESS facilities in the Town of Islip, and the ascension of the Hauppauge Fire Department to be a de facto regional leader on the issue. While KCE, based in Houston, Texas, is the developer behind the project, the State is involved in the project through funding and contracting. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) chose the Manorville project, while
By Matt Meduri
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Governor Hochul selected this site as one of eight BESS projects as part of her initiative to deploy 6,000MW of energy storage across the state by 2030. The Town of Brookhaven has no blanket moratorium on BESS facilities. KCE is also behind a 50MW, LIPA-contracted facility in Shoreham on the grounds of the former nuclear site. A large-scale, 110MW plant in Holtsville (Savion Energy) continues to face zoning issues, while a separate, 79MW plant is also proposed in Holtsville (Rhynland). Savion Energy is also exploring large-scale facilities in the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station area. Another 1.9MW facility in Patchogue, developed by Agilitas Energy, is slated to come online by the end of this year or early next year. A 100MW Medford facility has also been proposed by AES. Seven towns - Babylon, Huntington, Islip, Riverhead, Smithtown, Southampton, and Southold - have extended their moratoria on these facilities until large concerns have been addressed.
Historic Shirley Manor Set to Host November March
The 250th celebrations continue throughout 2026, and Suffolk County is prepared to host a reenactment of the November 21 “March for Liberty” at the Manor of St. George in Shirley. The original march in 1780 was led by Benjamin Tallmadge, perhaps George Washington’s most valuable spy and spy ringleader, who landed separatist troops on Cedar Beach in Mt. Sinai and began the march to retake the British-occupied St. George Manor. The land grant for the manor itself was first given in 1693 to Colonel William “Tangier” Smith, one of the earliest settlers of Long Island. He purchased land that now makes up most of the Town of Brookhaven from the Unkechaug Nation. The various lands the Smith family owned would be divided amongst the children. Smith’s northeastern parcels, originally named Longswamp, are now known as Longwood. The Longwood Estate in Ridge, maintained by the Town of Brookhaven, is another surviving property of Smith. The acknowledgement to local history continues under Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches), originally a history teacher by trade. He pointed out last Friday at the estate that Suffolk County is one of the oldest counties in the State settled in 1640 - and has a tremendous Revolutionary history. Assemblyman Joe DeStefano (R-Medford) (pictured left) helped secure $50,000 for renovations of the Shirley manor and to electrify parts of the property. “It’s a great thing to preserve the history of this property and what it stands for,” said DeStefano. Suffolk Legislator Jim Mazzarella (R-Moriches) and Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches) claim they will be dressed in dragoon attire to match what Tallmadge’s soldiers donned on their 21-mile march across Suffolk. “When you think about the patriots at the time and what they had to go through to accomplish freedom for us…we should always think about how great this country is because
of the folks who came before us fought tough battles and made those sacrifices,” said Mazzarella. “Brookhaven’s history is U.S. history,” said Panico, saying the history of St. George Manor dates back before the U.S. was formally a country. “A lot of it started right here in the Tri-Hamlet community.” “The history of the manor is not a complete history unless you talk about the history of relations with the Unkechaug Nation and the Poospatuck people,” said Unkechaug Nation Chief Harry Wallace (pictured bottom right), who has led the tribe since 1994. “During the Revolutionary War, there was one militia that was formed on the side of the revolutionaries that was a complete Long Island-Indian militia. We plan to continue being a part of the reestablishment of this village.” One of the upcoming exhibits will be of Native art, history, and culture, Wallace added. The reenactment march on November 21 will allow participants to revisit a 1.5-mile portion of that trail to the manor. Participants can park on the Manor’s grounds and a shuttle will transport them to Havenwood Drive and William Floyd Parch, where the march begins. A harvest and heritage fair will follow on the manor’s grounds. The first 80 participants to register will receive a free t-shirt. Visit suffolk250.org to register or learn more.
Long Island Locavore Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
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Pumpkin Treats Made for Small Hands and Paws By Nancy Val | Long Island Locavore A pumpkin on the porch welcomes fall. A batch of pumpkin treats in the oven brings everyone into the kitchen-little helpers eager to stir and four-legged companions hoping something might come their way. This season, bring home an extra pumpkin from the farm stand and turn it into something worth gathering around. Homemade purée provides the starting point for Chef Paolo Fontana’s baked pumpkin donut holes and a batch of simple dog biscuits. There is measuring for small hands, cinnamon sugar for happy fingers and a little something for the family pup.
Pick Your Pumpkin For carving, choose a classic jack-o’-lantern pumpkin with a broad face and steady base. Mini pumpkins brighten a mantel, while deeply ribbed Cinderella pumpkins make handsome centerpieces. For cooking, look for sugar or pie pumpkins, which offer sweeter flesh and a finer texture. The pale tan Long Island Cheese pumpkin, named for its resemblance to a wheel of cheese, is a local heirloom with smooth, sweet flesh well suited to baking. Plain pumpkin also supplies fiber, potassium and vitamins A and C-a welcome bit of goodness before the cinnamon sugar comes out.
Small Hands, Sweet Memories For local Chef Paolo Fontana, the kitchen has always been more than a workspace. His children grew up alongside the sounds, rhythms and aromas of a working kitchen. “My kids grew up among the clang of pans and the hum of service, and like most children, they wanted to be part of the action. To keep them busy and smiling I relied on easy, delicious recipes like this one.” His baked pumpkin donut holes give little helpers plenty to do: measure flour, stir batter and help fill the mini muffin pan, with a grownup handling the oven. Once the bites have cooled enough to handle, the finishing touch is a tumble through cinnamon sugar “snow.” The result is more than a plate of sweets. It is sugar-coated fingers, flour-dusted counters and an afternoon spent making something together. “Recipes like these don’t just make sweets,” Chef Paolo says. “They make memories.”
Homemade Pumpkin Purée Keep this base plain so it can be used in both the donut holes and dog biscuits. Yield: Approximately 2-3 cups from a 3-pound pie pumpkin Ingredients: 1 sugar or pie pumpkin, about 3 pounds, or a manageable section of Long Island Cheese pumpkin Directions: 1. Heat oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. 2. Scrub the pumpkin under running water and dry. On a stable cutting board, carefully halve it beside the tough stem. Scoop out the seeds and stringy center.
3. Place halves cut-side down on the baking sheet. Roast for 45-60 minutes, or longer for thick pieces, until the flesh is easily pierced with a fork. 4. Cool until comfortable to handle. Scoop the flesh into a food processor and blend until smooth without adding water. If watery, drain in a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl in the refrigerator until thick and spoonable. Storage: Refrigerate promptly in a covered container for 3-4 days, or freeze in measured portions. Thaw in the refrigerator and drain excess liquid before baking.
Pumpkin Biscuits for Furry Paws While the cinnamon sugar treats are for the children and grown-ups, these plain pumpkin biscuits give the family dog something of their own. Little helpers can cut shapes while a grown-up supervises. Ingredients: 1/2 cup plain pumpkin purée 1 large egg 2 Tbs. unsalted peanut butter, free of xylitol About 2 cup whole-wheat flour, plus extra for rolling Directions: 1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. 2. Stir together pumpkin, egg and peanut butter. Gradually add flour until a firm, rollable dough forms. Add a teaspoon of water if dry, or a little flour if sticky. 3. Roll to 1/4-inch thick and cut into small biscuits appropriate for your dog’s size. 4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until firm and lightly browned under neath. Larger biscuits may need additional time. 5. Cool completely before offering a small piece.
Created by Nancy Vallarella, who brings farm-fresh recipes and local food knowledge to Long Island through farmers’ markets, demos, and more. For more recipes or to connect: DM @lilocavore495 on Instagram or email lilocavore495@gmail.com
Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donut Holes (Baked) From Chef Paolo Fontana, makes about 24 mini donut holes
Ingredients (Donut holes): 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1.5 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground ginger 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 large egg 3/4 cup pumpkin purée-not pie filling 1/2 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla extract Suggested cinnamon sugar coating: 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
A note for the pups: Use plain pumpkin and check the peanut butter label. Xylitol, sometimes called birch sugar, is poisonous to dogs. Choose ingredients your dog already Directions: tolerates, skip added spices and sweeteners, 1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a and offer these as occasional treats. 24-cup mini muffin pan. Storage: Refrigerate in a covered container 2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, for up to five days or freeze extras. baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg With little hands at the mixing bowl and and ginger. paws waiting nearby, a pumpkin becomes the 3. In a separate bowl, whisk melted beginning of a family afternoon. Expect a little butter and brown sugar. Add egg, flour on the counter, a little sugar on the floor pumpkin, milk and vanilla; and plenty of volunteers for the next batch. whisk until smooth. 4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined. 5. Divide among the prepared cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake any remaining batter in a second batch. 6. Bake for 10-14 minutes, until the tops spring back lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let rest in the pan for five minutes, then transfer to a rack. 7. Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Once the donut holes are comfortably warm to handle, lightly brush with melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar.
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Endorsements Thursday, October 22, 2026
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Credit - Madison Warren
Palumbo for Senate, District 1 The First Senate District includes the entire townships of East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southampton, and Southold. Within the Town of Brookhaven, the district includes 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, and parts of Centereach, Coram, Middle Island, Ridge, Selden, and Wading River. “First District first,” goes the old saying of this seat’s former Senator, Ken LaValle. Senator Anthony Palumbo, a Republican of New Suffolk, has carried on that legacy well. Palumbo sits in the center of the Venn Diagram when it comes to the political landscape of New York and of Suffolk. The North Shore of Brookhaven is staunchly Republican and the Three Village area is now perennially competitive, while the district also includes the solid-blue South Fork and Shelter Island, and the bluetrending North Fork. This requires any officeholder representing these areas to approach his/her job with balance and forethought. Palumbo has championed his Community Housing Fund, an opt-in program to tax the multi-million dollar estates on the East End to give first-time homebuyers
a leg up. Palumbo rightly says the youth on the East End are boxed out of that prospect, and we think, there more than anywhere else in Suffolk. Palumbo is a much-needed voice in Albany due to his pragmatism and experience as an attorney. He is the Ranking Member on both the Codes and Judiciary committees and was a crucial point in forcing a vote on Hector LaSalle’s nomination to the Court of Appeals in 2023. It seems likely that more high-stakes judicial nominations will unfold within the next gubernatorial term, and we expect Palumbo will be just as tough on transparency and jurisprudence. BESS facilities are on the top concerns right now, and Palumbo has rightly urged on pausing the nascent technology until firefighting capabilities are met. Suffolk’s landmark thermal runway case occurred in Wainscott, in his district, and the facts are still being found. None have been comforting. Since his first election to the Senate in 2020, Palumbo has gotten nearly 100 bills passed, despite being in the minority in a state with a Democratic trifecta. His amicable relationship with the Governor has proven that work can still get done, even from the minority. That’s been especially helpful in paving the way for electrification with the closing on the Lawrence Aviation site in Port Jefferson Station and in working across the aisle to preserve the Setauket-Port Jefferson Greenway. Moreover, Palumbo has been able to fill in the gaps on some quirkier, yet still worthy, initiatives. His bill to ban the slaughter of horses comes to mind. We hope to see his proposal, Carolyn’s Law, earn the Governor’s signature. That bill would effectively serve as a counterweight against legal guardians preventing others from visiting loved ones in hospital/nursing care. It’s a common sense proposal that can go a long way. Palumbo’s opponent is Chris Murray, an East Setauket Democrat who initially accepted The Messenger’s request for an interview, but promptly cancelled earlier this month. We were looking forward to learning about his candidacy. The Messenger endorses Palumbo.
Credit - Matt Meduri
DeStefano for Assembly, District 3 The Third District contains Bellport, Brookhaven hamlet, Mastic, Mastic Beach, North Bellport, Shirley, South Haven, and Yaphank, and parts of East Patchogue, Farmingville, Holtsville, Medford, Middle Island, North Patchogue, Ridge, and Upton. If you’re in the Third Assembly District and have any sort of issue, “go to Joe!” At least, that’s what people in his district say. Assemblyman Joe DeStefano, a Medford Republican, is running for a fifth term in this central-south Brookhaven district. DeStefano comes from a labor and first responder background. A 47-year volunteer with the Medford F.D., he still takes calls today. DeStefano has granular knowledge of the district and is a verifiable presence in the area’s community and civic groups. He’s been able to secure hundreds of thousands in funds for historic preservation - the Avery Homestead in East Patchogue and the Manor of St. George in Shirley come to mind - as well for the area’s school districts, libraries, and nonprofits. He also understands the district’s “unique challenges,” as he put it in our interview. He’s been on top of an initiative to expand Sunrise Highway to three lanes out to the Moriches and has been lobbying the State agencies to address the rail crossings that gridlock the Tri-Hamlet Peninsula. DeStefano says his 2019 vote in favor of the CLCPA, Albany’s overly-ambitious green energy policies whose timelines were rolled back this year, was due to his expectation that it would help Long Island’s drinking water. He says he and other legislators were “misled,” and that he still believes in renewable energy. We appreciate his candidness on a previous miscalculation. DeStefano also turned some heads with his vote against an AI data center moratorium. That vote, he says, was not a blanket endorsement of AI or the data centers; rather, an opportunity for the Upstate localities to find a possible use for them. “One size does not fit all,” DeStefano told us, adding that in addition to
representing the Third District, he also represents the State to a degree, as all legislators do. DeStefano faces labor leader Josh Slaughter, a Shirley Democrat, who certainly knows the ins and outs of government. He worked for former Suffolk Legislator Kate Browning, who was an institution in this part of town, and then ran for her seat in 2017 but came up just short. His lobbying work in Albany not only affords him intimate knowledge of the process, but has also made way for several labor achievements. Securing PLAs for SUNY campuses and expanding the trades’ presence and viability in the public schools are laudable achievements. Slaughter is the Political Director for Laborers Local 66 and also has granular knowledge of the district and their problems. He asserts that DeStefano and local officials aren’t doing enough to address congestion and rail crossings. In fact, he says they’re only jumping on this issue because of Slaughter’s candidacy this year. He says, in the majority, he’ll be more effective in advocating for those issues and getting them across the finish line. That’s where we disagree with Slaughter. While DeStefano has been in the minority, that’s not prevented him from developing working relationships with other legislators for commonsense proposals. We don’t think Slaughter will be any more well-positioned to make progress on these issues. If anything, he’ll be another mouth for the Assembly Majority to feed. He attributes problems with one-party rule as “fear tactics” spread by the GOP. In that case, we assume if every single Assembly seat were held by Democrats, everything would be accomplished. To Slaughter’s credit, he does acknowledge that the Democratic Party needs to get back to representing working-class people, correctly says bail reform rollbacks need to go further, and calls for an all-of-the-above approach to energy. He’s one of the few Democrats we interviewed this year who approved of the Governor getting the NESE Pipeline going. But we think he’s burying the lede on the obvious spending problems in Albany. He says increased taxation on higher earners is what’s needed, but can’t speak to exactly how that would work. We appreciate his willingness to buck his party, and we believe he’s genuine in that regard, but he’ll have to choose between bucking his party and getting those ambitious initiatives through. We can’t blame him for how Albany works, even to the detriment of their own members, but he would be a freshman - members of the Legislature who typically have to wait their turns. Voters have two good, impassioned candidates who both know their districts well. But we think that DeStefano should have the opportunity to finish what he’s started and with navigating internal politics, it seems less complicated this way. The Messenger endorses DeStefano.
Around Town Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
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Historic Avery Homestead Receives Restoration Funds Credit - Suffolk County Legislature
Suffolk County Legislator Dominick Thorne (R-Patchogue) was joined by County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches), New York State Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano (R-Medford), Suffolk County Parks officials, and officials of historical societies for a photo opportunity and announcement of NYS and Suffolk County funds to restore the historic Avery Homestead property, including several buildings in various conditions requiring restoration or repair, including the main house, a large barn, and the original 1820s homestead house. “I’m so pleased that Suffolk County worked with me to obtain this historic property so generations to come will be able to enjoy this beautiful location, its historic structures and artifacts, and to learn about and appreciate the legacy of the Avery family and the lasting impact they have had on our history” said Legislator Thorne. “Suffolk County has appropriated and spent some $2.6 million for the purchase of the property and ongoing preservation efforts. The history of the Avery family, their family home, and the Swan River Nursery they established and ran for many decades, is here to be discovered in impressive and informative displays.” This week, the Legislature approved and accepted $50,000 in funding from New York State through the efforts of Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY). “The Avery Homestead is a remarkable piece of Long Island’s history, and we have a responsibility to preserve it for future generations,” said Assemblyman DeStefano. “My securing the $50,000 in State funding for the restoration of this historic property is an important investment in preserving our community’s heritage. The homestead offers a rare glimpse into Long Island’s past, and we owe it to future generations to protect these irreplaceable treasures. I want to thank the Greater Patchogue Historical Society, County Executive Romaine, Legislator Thorne and everyone else involved in bringing the Avery Estate back to life.” “We must do all we can to preserve the incredible history of Suffolk County, and the Avery property is an important part of our story,” said County Executive Romaine. “Thank you to Assemblyman Joe DeStefano and Legislator Thorne for their continued work to protect this historic site.”
The historic Avery Homestead is an 11.5-acre historic agrarian time capsule featuring an 1893 historic house, a 1930s barn, and four historic structures. Jointly purchased by Suffolk County and the Town of Brookhaven to preserve a landmark site tied deeply to local history, featuring family dates and stone inscriptions dating back to the late 1600s. The officials were also joined by Richard Martin, Suffolk County Parks Department Director of Historic Services, and Steve Lucas, treasurer of the Patchogue Historical Society and President of the Suffolk County Historical Society. The Avery Homestead County Park is located at 29 South Country Road in East Patchogue.
Double the Success for Floyd Tennis By PJ Balzer
No, you’re not seeing double. These are two young ladies from the William Floyd School District and are also both well-known to the high school tennis circuit. They are twins Anabel and Lydia Van Cott. This past week was a busy week on the tennis courts for these young ladies. Earlier this week, they beat rival Westhampton Beach to advance to the quarterfinal round of the Suffolk County doubles tournament. Despite entering the court a step or two behind usual pace, these two competitors did what they’ve been doing their whole varsity career: finding a way to get a win. They came back for the semifinal match with a whole new mindset, renewal of energy, and a determination to win yet again. And win is exactly what the Van Cott twins did. They dominated the match with an incredible 6-0, 6-1 victory against a tough Bayport-Blue Point team. Tuesday afternoon they battled it out with the Ross School for the Suffolk County championship doubles trophy. While the girls fell short of first place, they certainly left it all on the court. They gained a well-deserved second place medal in the Suffolk County finals. The tennis season isn’t finished yet for Anabel and Lydia. This Monday they head into the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens where they will compete in the All–New York State tournament. Best of luck young ladies and cherish every moment of this amazing season and experience!
Civics 101
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Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
The Necessary Standard for American Education What Happens in a Tied Senate?
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 We’re taking a break from the Constitution breakdown this week to address a growing possibility as a result of the midterm elections. The elections are just two weeks away, and while the fate of the House appears to be a foregone conclusion - the question isn’t whether Democrats will win, the question is by how much - the fate of the Senate is a much more dynamic question. Republicans are now playing the toughest defense they’ve played yet, while all but one of their offensive targets haven’t come online. Democrats, meanwhile, have the herculean task of flipping four states (net) to take control. While North Carolina is now being written off the GOP, Maine is proving to be a tougher task than expected. That leaves Democrats highly competitive in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, and Texas - all went to Donald Trump (R-FL) by double-digit margins two years ago. All that unfolds while an Independent candidate is running a strong bid in Nebraska and Democrats have coalesced around two other candidates in some of the nation’s reddest states. There are multiple ways a tied Senate is the outcome of this election. While we’ve discussed this before, we’ll give the “Civics 101” of the possibility, and explore some more unlikely, yet still conceivable, scenarios. What is a Tied Senate? The Senate is considered tied when neither party has an outright majority. The constitutional definition of a “tied Senate” only applies to when any given vote of the Senate is split evenly between the “ayes” and the “nays.” An election outcome of a tied Senate does not necessarily mean every vote comes down to a tie, although the chances do increase, especially with polarization as a factor. Article I, Section 3, Clause 4 of the Constitution empowers the Vice President as the President of the Senate. The Vice President’s most crucial role is casting tie-breaking votes; there have only been 309 tie-breaking votes cast by the Vice President in history. The first was cast by John Adams in 1789 and the most recent was cast by Vice President J.D. Vance (R-OH) earlier this year. Former Vice President Kamala Harris (D-CA) holds the record with 33 tie-breaking votes, followed by John C. Calhoun (1825-1832) with 31. John Adams holds third place with 29 between 1789 and 1797. Only four times in history has the Senate been “tied” by partisan composition, three as a result of elections and one as a result of rotating vacancies. In 1881, Democrats and Republicans each held 37 states; each party had one Independent Senator caucusing with them. Then-Vice President Chester A. Arthur (R-NY) cast 3 tiebreaking votes and presided over what was called the “Great Senate Deadlock.” From 1953 to 1954, the Senate was split nine times due to multiple deaths and one resignation. Then-Vice President Richard Nixon (R-CA) cast 8 tie-breakers. After the 2000 elections, the Senate was divided 50-50 until June, when Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords left the GOP to become an Independent and caucus with the Democrats. It remains the sole instance in history in which an incumbent effectively switching parties flipped control of either the House or Senate. Then-Vice President Dick Cheney (R-WY) cast 8 tie-breaking votes. A power-sharing agreement was negotiated after Jeffords switched parties. The most recent tied Senate was after the 2020 elections. To date, 38 different vice presidents have cast tiebreaking votes; 12 have never cast any. Tie-breaking votes can be especially contentious during Cabinet confirmations. Only two have ever occurred, one for Betsy DeVos (R-MI) as Education Secretary in 2017 and the other for Pete Hegseth (R-TN) as Defense Secretary in 2025. Internal Politics In a tied or closely divided Senate, Independents and party mavericks have more power than ever. It’s what led to former Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), arguably the Senate’s most conservative Democrat at the time, becoming dubbed the “most powerful Joe in America” while Biden was in the White House. For Trump, the most notable mavericks include Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Rand Paul
(R-KY). That said, as Democrats appear favored to gain Senate seats this cycle, what’s more certain is the Trump agenda will face serious, if not impenetrable, hurdles after this election. Even if the GOP limps off with a 50-50 hold on the Senate (Democrats need 51 seats to take nominal control of the chamber due to Vance’s tie-breaking authority), whipping votes will be the most important job on the Hill come January. Likeliest Path to a Tied Senate Assuming Democrats come up short in some of the Republican-held seats and only flip three seats while the GOP flips none, control of the Senate remains with the Republicans. That pathway effectively guarantees North Carolina flipping blue, and the path of least resistance right now appears to be Maine and Ohio. Democrats in the past have been wrong to count Susan Collins out in Maine, where retail politics goes strong and Collins is the last Republican standing in once one of the reddest states in the country. That Collins is performing better in polling now than she was in 2020 - she went on to win by 9 points that year - gives Democrats pause in putting all their eggs in this basket. Assuming Maine is out of the picture, Democrats seem to be poised for an upset in Alaska, while the GOP is preparing for the very real possibility that Texas finally flips blue for the first time in decades. If Democrats only pick up three seats, the most powerful people in the country become Collins (assuming she wins), Murkowski, Paul, and Senator John Fetterman (D-PA). For politicking for 2028, Senators can take advantage of the gridlock to position themselves as the voices of reason either to the parties or to the media and voters, or they can give themselves significant sway in brake-checking legislation. Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA) - who appears likely to win a second term in November - Rand Paul, Ted Cruz (R-TX), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) are indicating or have been speculated to be candidates in 2028 and will likely elevate themselves in the event of a split Senate. The map above shows what we think is currently the likeliest path to a contested Senate. The highlighted stripes show what seats would have to flip in November to make this possible. The Independent Question There are only two Independents in Congress: Vermont’s Bernie Sanders and Maine’s Angus King. Both caucus with the Democrats and don’t present regular surprises in that regard. For 2026, Independents Dan Osborn in Nebraska, Brian Bengs in South Dakota, and Todd Achilles in Idaho are running spirited campaigns in some of the nation’s reddest states. Osborn almost won in 2024, albeit against a milquetoast opponent and with an unexpected surge at the end of the race. The fundamentals of this year appear to be
making it a race, but commentary suggests Osborn’s best chance was in 2024. However, there’s still a realistic chance he wins. The scenario we call the “Nebraska Nightmare” unfolds with Osborn winning that fourth seat Democrats need to take control. We currently see it as highly unlikely Independents flip Idaho and South Dakota, but we’re testing that scenario for the purpose of this column. Independent Senators are not required to caucus with a party, and Osborn has repeatedly claimed he would not caucus with either party. He’s pitching an independent “Fulcrum Caucus,” in hopes other Independents win their races this year or that some partisan incumbents have second thoughts next year. But Independent members of Congress don’t get dutiful committee assignments, seniority, or legislative oversight. The Independent is quickly reminded of requiring a record with which to return to his/her constituents. In that scenario, we assume Osborn would caucus with the Democrats, since they bowed out in 2024 and this year to support his candidacy. Whether he’d be a reliable vote with the Democratic Party is an entirely different question. Osborn already has a significant level of power in this scenario. If he does not caucus, he is still a factor in a powersharing agreement that will be facilitated by all 100 members. When Jim Jeffords became a Democrat-caucusing Independent in 2001, Senate leadership brokered a deal that gave both parties equal membership of committees and shared resources, among other deals. At that point, Osborn effectively becomes the most powerful person in Washington. If Democrats flip three seats, Republicans flip none, and if Osborn wins in Nebraska, he can essentially shut down the Senate by digging in his heels on whatever party deal attempts to be made and he could find unique leverage for the Fulcrum Caucus if the parties don’t budge. The internal politics there, however, says that the institutional relationships and seniority of some members of the Senate would likely see a bypass, but not before some intense negotiations and chess-playing by party leaders. Osborn has much more weight to his prerogatives if two or three other Independents win their elections in November. The hegemony of both parties would likely test this nascent coalition’s loyalty and strategy, but the numbers would present an unexpected headache that could significantly delay progress in the Senate. Since the Constitution says nothing about party organization, only Article I, Section 3, and Article I, Section 5, would apply to how they navigate the disruption: the Vice President casts tie-breaking votes (Section 3), and each chamber of Congress determines the rules of its own proceedings (Section 5). There are no constitutional definitions of party caucuses, a “majority party,” and the process of selecting leaders. And should the unlikeliest scenario occur - Independents sweep three or more contests in November and neither party has a clear majority - it would be unparalleled in American history.
Property Tax Relief for Seniors and Families Safer Streets and Neighborhoods Clean Water and Protecting Our Environment EARLY VOTING: October 24 – November 1 ELECTION DAY: November 3
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NYS SENATOR DEAN MURRAY: Working to cut costs and make Long Island more affordable
Senator Murray’s Affordability Plan: Provide a one-year utility bill tax and surcharge holiday and a two-year green energy tax holiday. Government taxes and fees account for between 25 to 50% of a customer’s utility bill.1
Long Islanders are increasingly concerned about making ends meet. That’s why Senator Murray is focused on cutting taxes for seniors, families, and small businesses, lowering energy costs, and helping residents keep more of their hard-earned money. He is committed to making homeownership a reality for first-time buyers and rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicaid system.
Establish a first-time homebuyer tax credit.2 Establish a task force on housing to work with local governments to incentivize and expand development.3 Strengthen the Medicaid program by creating the Medicaid fraud hotline and fraud tip board, which will administer a system offering monetary rewards for reporting of Medicaid fraud4 and require the Inspector General to compile an annual report on information received through the hotline.5 S.8463, 2S.850, 3S.529, 4S.10680, 5S.10681
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VOTE TO RE-ELECT SENATOR DEAN MURRAY! Paid for by Murray for NY Senate
EARLY VOTING BEGINS: October 24 ELECTION DAY: November 3 www.Murrayfornysenate.com @murrayforsenate
Smithtown Messenger - Brookhaven Messenger - Islip Messenger - Thursday, October 22, 2026
Fighting For a Safer, More Affordable Long Island
RE-ELECT
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Local History Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Got Milk?
By Ellyn Okvist, B.Sc. Milk was readily available to us since the first settlers in the 1600s. Individual families owned their own farms and provided milk with no difficulties based on the fact there was plenty of grazing land available, and others were producing the needed produce adjacent to their farms. It was a tough way to make a living, and as land began to become congested, it became more difficult. As a customer, you could stop at the dairy farm and purchase your milk. Usually, you would bring your milk cans, which were made of many different materials such as wooden churns or shaped metal and then go your way. As time progressed, the dairies began to deliver milk to their customers by horse and wagon. The customer would fill their milk pitcher, or container of their choice from the large container in the back of the wagon either by dunking or ladle. Again, the hard work was mounting, especially with customers on an almost 24-hour round-the-clock schedule. To supply more efficiently and eliminate the large milk container stored in the back of the wagon, the dairies began to use experimental glass jars and bottles, with no patent issued due to the unstable bottles in the early 1870s. The first successful commercial milk bottle was made by Thatcher in 1884. Lake Ronkonkoma had many small dairy farms, and farms that sold “one cow” amounts of milk daily. Local farmer Charles Hawkins (pictured right) sold milk from his farm on Gatelot Avenue. We have historic records of some local dairies: Lake Ronkonkoma: Maier’s Dairy, 19271928; Eklunds Dairy, 1940s Lake Grove: Dellwood Dairy, 1961; Presske’s Dairy, 1930-1958; Wilkinson Egg Farm Centereach: Williams Dairy Farmingville: Edith Calhoun; Carl Enshin; Farmingville Dairy Holbrook: Johnson Dairy; Koppleman; Lyon’s Farm Dairy; John Mullen; Storbel Dairy, 1930s; Weisman Dairy, 1930s; Weseman & Pedersen Dairy, 1930s. Other nearby dairies included Central Islip, Sayville, and St. James. Dr. Hervey Dexter Thatcher was a Potsdam druggist who had witnessed an incident when a little girl’s doll stirred him to devise an invention which has had a profound effect on the lives and health of hundreds of millions of Americans. That invention was the milk bottle. One hot summer day in 1884, Dr. Thatcher, 48, was walking along Market Street when he saw a milkman’s wagon pull up to the curb to make a delivery. On the wagon was the traditional 40-quart dip can and ladle with which the milkman was dispensing his wares and collecting three cents a quart. While the milkman was busy, the little girl dropped her soiled ragged doll into the milk can. When the delivery man noticed it, he calmly fished it out and continued on his rounds. Dr. Thatcher also continued on his way; his brain was stirred by an inspiration. Long an advocate of sanitation in the handling of milk, he had a sanitary milk pail made in the previous year which covered the vessel permitting the milk to be drawn directly from the cow to the pail without contacting any impurities. The doctor’s inspiration, born of that chance scene on Market Street, was the milk bottle. He turned out a wooden form, first on a lathe in his home. Dr. Thatcher realized the value of publicity. He knew that a plain undecorated bottle would have small appeal to the customer. He had an idea of the design he wanted and took his wooden bottle to a local woodcarver, Henry Batchelder. The result was a sketch of his image, the doctor milking a cow and using his own sanitary pail. Above the drawing were the words “Absolutely Pure Milk;” beneath was the slogan, “The Milk Protector” (pictured right). There was no firm in Northern New York then able to produce the bottles, so Dr. Thatcher took his model to the Whitall-Tatum Company in New
Jersey, manufacturers of ink bottles, demijohns, and glass insulators. The first bottles were hand-blown because there were no machines available at that time. While the first bottles were being produced, Dr. Thatcher was looking for a market. He could interest no milk dealer in Potsdam, so he turned to Ogdensburg, the largest community city in the county. With his brother-in-law, Harvey Barnhart, the inventor had $7,000 sunk in his plan. He was desperate for an outlet for his untried invention. Few inhabitants of Ogdensburg owned their own cows and there were three milk dealers who had a virtual monopoly on milk deliveries in that city. They were Wilcox, Hutchunson, and Daniels. Dr. Thatcher first approached Wilcox, who at first objected on the grounds that it would make more work and cost more money. Finally, he agreed to buy 400 bottles at 10 cents each and pay $50 royalty for their use. With this comparatively heavy investment sunk in untried bottles, Wilcox loaded a few bottles in his wagon on August 6, 1884, and set off for the city. They rested on a bed of straw and were capped with makeshift wooden plugs carved by Batchelder. As a result, the bottles jostled and spilled most of the milk before Wilcox completed the 2.5mile journey. Wilcox had to return to his farm that day and start all over with the traditional can and ladle. Indignant, he sat down that night and wrote Dr. Thatcher as follows: “My dear Doctor: You must think a man is a fool to be driving around the streets with milk in glass bottles. It is a failure and will never amount to anything.” Thus did the milk bottle industry made its start in New York, the North Country. Collecting old milk bottles is a popular hobby, and we wonder how many of the original early milk bottles fill those collections (pictured top).
Small Business Spotlight Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
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Gina Lollo – North Shore Properties Realty By Diane Caudullo
Every year, Gina Lollo prepares to host her annual client appreciation event around the holidays. A way to say thanks to every buyer and seller that has trusted her and her boutique real estate brokerage team at North Shore Properties Realty. With 20 years in the real estate business and the last 11 owning her own brokerage, Gina has mastered the art of building real, long-lasting relationships. This is clearly evidenced by all the clients that attend long after the transaction is over and come back year after year. Gina has attended numerous weddings and baptisms as a guest of clients who became friends. At one of the recent appreciation events, a Christmas tree was decorated with an individual ornament of every house they ever sold, and each of the guests were invited to go find their ornament, the house they called home at some point in time or currently. Every home sale is unique because the people are unique. No two situations are ever identical. The needs of every buyer and seller always add to the nuances of the sale. Early on, Gina experienced a challenging task of selling a horse property known as Smoke Run that for some reason wasn’t selling with other brokers. She knew she needed a unique approach and asked the owner to tell her about the history of the house. More than dimensions and bedrooms, she wanted to really know the house. From that moment on, every showing and every advertisement became more of walk through time which led her to attract the buyer that connected with the house’s true story, its personality, and its sense of belonging. It was such a successful campaign it made the pages of Newsday. Gina prides herself on a few things. First off, the reason she went away from corporate real estate-type organizations and into a boutique brokerage was that she knew whatever the unique situation was for each house, she could mold her own approach to it, not be bound by corporate one-size-fitsall sales tactics. She also has a full-service, all-hands-on-deck approach to preparing the home to put its best face forward for sale. She incorporated family members such as her husband, Dominic, who owns a handy man business so she can rely on him when repairs need to be made in the best interest of the buyer.
Her sister-in-law Tina Lollo, also a real estate agent, came on board early on and in addition to selling, manages the 12 agents they have on their team. Gina says it is a team approach; there is no competition amongst them. This allows Gina to oversee her clients with all the extra things that almost always come up, such as cleaning, decluttering, and staging. She believes by addressing more issues early on it allows the house to sell for its highest value, and although many agents may say they all provide similar services, Gina does not sub it out. They handle a lot of it in house, so homeowners aren’t dealing with multiple subcontractors or services and not having payments going everywhere before the sale. Gina is confident that her brokerage delivers the stellar service in the end that they promised in the beginning. Apparently, her clients, both buyers, and sellers agree, as she enjoys repeat business and referrals from more than 70% of her clients. Earlier in her career she was a behavioral therapist for developmentally disabled people and still has a heart for helping this community of people. Gina is also very active in the Port Jefferson Lions Club. The brokerage sponsors and gets involved with many events such as the Dragon Race in Port Jefferson and the 3 Village Electric Parade. Gina’s idea of downtime is finding and taking on the next big project whether it be for a buyer, a seller or the community. You can learn more about Gina and North Shore Properties Realty at https://northshorepropertiesrealty.com. Her office is located at 175 Main Street, Setauket. You can reach her at (631) 625-4500.
Messenger Perspectives
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Thursday, October 22, 2026
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Bringing the Most Expensive Gift By PJ Balzer
This past weekend was my youngest niece’s third birthday. You probably wouldn’t be surprised to hear that she requested Bluey as the theme for her cake, her gifts, and party favors. As we slowly pulled up to my sister’s house for her party, the very first thing my wife and myself could clearly see were four excited children waiting patiently while staring out of the front window. When they saw our car pull up and park, the frantic jumping, giggling, and playful hiding began. They had apparently been anticipating our arrival the whole day and were acting as if the party had finally arrived. My wife and I have never been the family members to show up with the biggest box and most memorable gift. There’s nothing at all wrong with doing that, but for us personally, it just hasn’t been in our budget or capabilities. We bring something and make sure its presentation is appealing to a child’s eye. Glitter, sparkles, colorful tissue paper, and cool gift bags usually assist us with that. But even with all of the glitter, sparkles, colors, and outward presentation, that’s definitely not why the children wait for us and are found jumping in the window when we arrive. There’s another gift that we bring that causes that. The fondest memories I have as a child were specific moments in time. I think back
often to gatherings, sights, smells, sounds, and the warm feeling that they gave to my heart. It was that feeling I felt on the Fourth of July as my uncle lit the barbeque and retrieved his firework box from inside. It was my cousins arriving on Thanksgiving with the traditional desserts and an extra set of clothes to play soccer in. It was the way my grandfather made home fries on a Saturday morning after a Friday-night sleepover. It was sitting around the old antenna radio on Christmas Eve listening to the “Santa Tracker.” It’s these beautiful, nostalgic moments in time that are impressed into my heart and memory forever. Before I blink twice, my nieces and nephews will be where I am now - God willing, of course. While they are young now, that’s also changing a little each day. Time certainly doesn’t wait for anyone. It ticks by even when we wish it would slow down. Before I know it, they’ll be teenagers with sports schedules, work responsibilities, and girlfriends or boyfriends. Shortly after that, they’ll have families of their own and will be busy with their own children. We only have a few short years to make lasting memories with them before “real life” sweeps away their childhood, playfulness, and such innocence. We try to remember this the few times a month, if that, that we get to spend playing with them. Right now is the time and age to create memories that hopefully they’ll remember forever. So, with no hesitation we roll around on the floor with them and let them jump on top of us. We color and paint, play dress-up, and chase them around outside. I play one-versus-one against my nephew in soccer, while my wife gets her own fashion show from my fashionista niece. I usually lay next to him on the couch after our soccer game to watch him play his Nintendo Switch. We eat cookies, do scavenger hunts, play hide-and-seek, listen to their stories about school, and dance with them in the kitchen. My wife and I are willing to look totally foolish and wake up sore and exhausted following day, all for the sake of seeing them jump behind the window each time we arrive at their house. As much as I do remember my brand-new BMX bike with mags on the back or seeing my new He-Man castle sitting under the Christmas tree that morning in 1987, the most unforgettable memories I have were when the irreplaceable gift of time was given. Time is the gift that you can’t replace, earn back, budget in or try to exchange. Time is the gift that costs the giver much, a piece of their own life. Maybe that’s why it’s the gift that’s so impactful for years and generations to come. Time is one of the greatest gifts and assets we’ve all been given. Use it wisely.
(631) 269-6421
AMAC Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Overview - AMAC The Association of Mature American Citizens
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Hollywood Lawyers Perverting Justice By Betsy McCaughey | AMAC Newsline
The civil trial of the seven Cornell University fraternity men is already being turned into a media spectacle with almost no chance of fairness to the accused unless the court shuts down the theatrics pronto. This is a case basically about the actions of eight college kids, but it has an all-star cast of legal titans, with Thomas Giuffra lawyering for the female accuser. Giuffra has raked in millions of dollars representing women accusing Harvey Weinstein and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual assault. Mark Geragos, who has represented Combs, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and Hunter Biden, is acting as what Giuffra calls a “shadow member of the defense,” appearing on TMZ, while his daughter, Teny Geragos, an established lawyer in her own right, represents one of the accused. These big-shot lawyers are on the case because deep-pocket Cornell is also one of the defendants. Civil suits are about money, not sending anyone to jail. Jane Doe, the accuser, is firing off written statements to CNN and other media outlets claiming she was “raped” and “brutalized” in the Chi Phi fraternity house. But New York state law shields her with anonymity. Public officials can’t release her name unless the court orders it. The anonymous Ms. Doe is awash in accolades. Actress Florence Pugh called Doe “so unbelievably powerful” and “so strong-willed.” Nonsense. There’s nothing powerful about hiding your identity instead of standing by your claims. Meanwhile the seven accused young men -- all named in the complaint filed on Sept. 16 -- are being dragged through the mud; one was even gotten fired from his job. Giuffra could have omitted their names, calling them John Doe No. 1 through John Doe No. 7. In fact, Giuffra spared certain Cornell faculty and administrators who are also defendants, calling them John Does. But with the frat men, he went for the jugular. Last week, lawyers for one of the accused male students asked the court to put a stop to the trial by publicity “to ensure that the litigation occurs where it belongs, in the courtroom, rather than through an ongoing public relations campaign.” They warned of “improper influence upon the prospective juror pool.” The request cited examples of Doe and Doe’s attorney asserting that she was incapable of consent and that defendants had engaged in a cover-up and disposed of evidence, facts that should be established in a courtroom with witnesses cross-examined. The defense lawyers requesting the gag order asked that it be applied to both sides, an evenhanded approach. But Friday, Judge Phaedra F. Perry-Bond summarily rejected the request, offering a lot of blather but no real substance. She claimed that the request is a “’side show’ meant to muddy the waters and distract from the merits of the claims.” She added, “there’s nothing stopping defendants from demonstrating through the course of litigation” that the statements made in the press are untrue. That’s like saying “the sky is blue.” The result is that Doe is free to attack the defendants by name, but they are muzzled from naming her. The judge’s ruling leaves Giuffra free to continue playing the press like a fiddle. Even before filing the suit, he had provided information to a Cornell Daily Sun reporter, ensuring she was, in her own words, “really prepared” when the story broke. On Tuesday, Giuffra was at it again. The New York Times ran a front-page story about a letter from Doe, delivered by Giuffra to the Cornell University
Senate, asking the body to condemn the university administration for its inactions. He’s trying to get a judgment against Cornell in the court of public opinion before the trial even starts. This civil case is just beginning. There’s time to right the ship and provide justice. First, look for one of the defendants to request that Doe be identified. Her active engagement with the press should automatically forfeit her right to anonymity. Secondly, pressure is building for the defendants to also face criminal charges and, if convicted, long prison sentences. But the decision should be made based on evidence, not politics. Ithaca District Attorney Matthew Van Houten says
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criminal charges were not brought in 2024 because “(n)othing in Doe’s original statement indicated she was drugged without consent or had sex against her will.” According to Van Houten, Doe’s statement to police in 2024 says that “each time Jane Doe asked to stop the sexual conduct, the sexual conduct stopped.” These facts are omitted from the civil complaint. Doe’s experience at the Chi Phi fraternity house was horrible. But a jury will decide who is responsible for the tragedy that night. That’s the American way -- an impartial jury presented with the facts. Not Hollywood lawyers calling the shots on television.
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By William Goldman Based on the Novel by Stephen King
JAN 14–FEB 28 M
NOV 12–DEC 27 C H I L D R E N’S
SEP 26–OCT 25
T H E A T E R
Frosty NOV 21–DEC 27
Bits & Pieces
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WORD OF THE
Week
Etymology:
1640s, from Greek dēmagōgos “popular leader; leader of the mob,” from dēmos “common people” (originally “district,” da-mo- “division”) + agōgos “leader,” from agein “to lead.” Sources: Merriam-Webster, Etymonline.com.
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
SUDOKU
DEMAGOGUE noun Pronounced: /dem·uh·gahg/ Definition:
a political leader who appeals to popular prejudices and who makes false claims and promises in order to gain power.
Example:
“She presented herself not on core issues, but as a demagogue to criticize the incumbent.”
Synonyms: agitator, firebrand, rabble-rouser Antonyms: reconciler, placater, mediator
See bottom left for the answers (please don’t cheat!)
This Week in History October 24, 2008:
Bloody Friday: Many of the world’s stock exchanges experience the worst decline in their history, with drops of around 10% in most indices.
WORD WHEEL
October 22, 1879:
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Thomas Edison perfects the carbonized cotton filament light bulb.
T See how many words you can create. Must have center letter in word and can use letters more than once. 4 letter word minimum.
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October 23, 1941: Walt Disney’s animated film “Dumbo” is released.
October 25, 1978:
“Halloween”, directed by John Carpenter, starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut, is released.
October 27, 1938:
DuPont announces its new synthetic polyamide fiber is called “nylon.”
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October 26, 1881:
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral: The most famous shootout in the Wild West occurs between lawmen, including Wyatt Earp and the Cowboys, with Tom and Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton killed.
The Volstead Act is passed by Congress, establishing a nationwide ban on alcohol, despite President Woodrow Wilson’s (D-NJ) veto. Source: Onthisday.com.
Bits & Pieces Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
NATIONAL 3 children and 1 teacher were killed in school shooting, Bend, Oregon. A chemical tank exploded in North Toledo, Ohio, and leaked chemicals. 1,000 residents in a 1-mile radius were ordered to evacuate. The Supreme Court blocked President Trump’s order to restrict access to surgeries and “gender-affirming” care for inmates in federal prison. Vivek Ramaswamy (R), who is running for Governor of Ohio, released a controverisal attack on his opponent. The ad featured Amy Acton’s (D) estranged mother calling her daughter a liar. Plans cancelled to livestream the live execution of Nidal Hasan, Fort Hood shooter, after backlash from both parties and evangelical leaders. Meta was ordered to pay New Mexico $25B for deceiving users about privacy and content moderation on Facebook. It is the largest fine against the company. Inflation rose to 3.7%, from 3.4% in September, prices outpace wages. The U.S. and Israel are drafting plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the midterm elections. The FAA has cleared Boeing’s 737 Max 10 aircraft into service after about a decade after its unveiling.
STATE A retired NYPD detective was charged with murder in a road rage incident on the George Washington Bridge. Congressional candidate Brad Lander (D) detained by the IDF in West Bank while volunteering with Palestinian farmers. Later released. Governor Hochul signed a bill to quadruple the State tax credit for volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers. The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) was announced to open November 2 to aid 1.5 million New Yorkers amid escalating fuel prices. The first meeting was held of the exploratory committee to bring the 2042 Winter Olympics to Lake Placid and NYC. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg has spent about $80M towards Democratic House candidates. A Bronx couple are accused of starving their 3-year-old to death. The girl’s brother is also malnourished and hospitalized.
LOCAL The Suffolk County Water Authority received $4.55M in State funds to support three water treatment projects. Construction underway for new live fire-training structure at Suffolk County Fire Academy, Yaphank. $3M capital project will simulate various scenarios from apts and multi-family homes to industrial settings and motels. Officials are expected to announce $5M in State funds for Suffolk’s first Ronald McDonald House in Stony Brook.
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Smithtown Messenger - Brookhaven Messenger - Islip Messenger - Thursday, October 22, 2026
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L.I. Ducks Featured In ‘Best of Long Island’ Voting The Long Island Ducks have been nominated for six different awards in this year’s “Best of Long Island” competition, presented by FourLeaf Federal Credit Union. Fans allowed one vote per person per day for each category through Sunday, December 15th by visiting BestofLongIsland. com/voting, selecting the section and award the Ducks are nominated in and then clicking “VOTE” next to the desired nominee. QuackerJack has been nominated as Best Mascot in the Arts & Entertainment category as well as Best Team Mascot in the Sports & Activities section. QJ has garnered a record 16 Best of Long Island awards and was recently named the Atlantic League’s Mascot of the Year for the fourth time (2015, 2017, 2023, 2026). QuackerJack is an active member of the Long Island community, visiting fans at schools, little leagues, holiday parades, hospitals and many charity events. He also serves as the President of the Ducks Kids Club, presented by FourLeaf Federal Credit Union. Fairfield Properties Ballpark, the home of the Ducks, has been nominated in the Sports & Activities category for Best Family Amusement Place. The ballpark welcomed over 300,000 fans to Ducks games in 2026. Long Island led all MLB Partner Leagues in total attendance for the sixth consecutive season and led the Atlantic League in attendance for a record 20th time. The “Duck Pond” has also now hosted a league record 730 sold out crowds all-time as well. Fans were treated to an exciting season of Ducks baseball, complete with exciting promotions to celebrate America’s 250th Birthday, and was the site of the Ducks clinching victory of the 2026 Atlantic League Championship. For a 19th consecutive year, the Ducks have been given a teamspecific honor in the Sports & Activities section – Best Long Island Duck. Fans can vote for one of 15 members from the 2026 Ducks to receive
this honor. Should it be Manager Lew Ford, who led the Ducks to a league-best 80-46 record during the season? Or could it be Team MVP Jorge Bonifacio, who set franchise records for home runs (30) and RBIs (108). Outfielder River Town earned last year’s title. In the Food category of the contest, Fairfield Properties Ballpark was nominated for Best Hot Dog. Fans enjoyed this ballpark favorite, served in delicious Martin’s Potato Rolls, during all 66 home games and additional events in 2026. Finally, the Ducks have been nominated for Best X (Formerly Known as Twitter) Account from Long Island in the Arts & Entertainment section of the competition. The Ducks account (@LIDucks) provides fans with the most up-to-date information about all things Ducks baseball. Over 15,300 followers receive the latest news, promotions, game highlights and so much more by following the team on X.
Smithtown Messenger - Brookhaven Messenger - Islip Messenger - Thursday, October 22, 2026
U.S. CONGRESS
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E L E C T I O N D AY:
E A R LY V O T I N G
OCT 24 - NOV 1
NOVEMBER 3
E A R LY V O T I N G T I M E S & L O C A T I O N S H E R E :
PAID FOR BY LALOTA FOR CONGRESS