Smithtown Messenger Archive May 8, 2025

Sunday, May 11, 2025

Thursday, May 8, 2025 ~ Volume 137 ~ Issue Number 24 ~ $1.00

28 Alleged Gang Members Indicted in Major Suffolk County Crackdown

By Raheem Soto

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney (R) announced the indictment of 28 individuals in connection with a wide-ranging investigation targeting two organized street gangs— the “Mak Balla Family” and the “9-Trey Bloods.”

The operation, which included local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, culminated in two indictments totaling nearly 200 charges and marks one of the largest gang takedowns in recent Suffolk County history.

A grand jury returned a 168-count indictment against 22 alleged members and associates of the Mak Balla Family, a Bloods-affiliated gang operating primarily in Coram, Shirley, Bellport, and Mastic Beach. The indictment details four years, from 2021 to 2025, during which the defendants are accused of involvement in 17 shootings, three armed robberies, and over 40 drug transactions.

Continued on page 4

Suffolk District Attorney Tierney (Credit - Matt Meduri)

Wehrheim Opens Kings Park Campaign Office for 2025 Race

By Matt Meduri With one election gone, another is always around the corner, and the 2025 Supervisor race in Smithtown is well underway.

Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R-Kings Park) is running for a third four-year term. After successfully primarying then-Supervisor Pat Vecchio (R) in 2017, then-Councilman Wehrheim ascended to the Town’s top spot notching 57% of the vote in a three-way race against Bill Holst (D-Nesconset) and Kristen Slevin (I). Wehrheim easily secured re-election in 2021 in a landslide win against Maria Scheuring (D-Smithtown) with 74% of the vote.

Now, Wehrheim is not only optimistic about his electoral prospects this November, but more importantly, the progress the Town has made in the last eight years.

“We’re feeling very confident,” Wehrheim told The Messenger at his campaign office grand opening on Saturday morning. Of the 54 Main Street, Kings Park, address that will host his office until the election, Wehrheim says it’s not only a change from last campaign, but also a boon to Main Street business.

“Last election cycle, we [our office] were in Smithtown. This election cycle, we wanted to come to Kings Park primarily because we like to spread the business around,” said Wehrheim.

Continued on page 12

Tanner Brandimarte, of the PBA, Sal Formica, Councilman McCarthy, Supervisor Wehrheim, Councilwoman Nowick, PBA President Civello (Credit - Matt Meduri)

FULL STORIES ON:

Legal Insights from Smithtown BOE Free Golf For FULL STORIES ON: Futterman, Lanza, LLP Candidate Spotlights Veterans Pages 3, 14, 15

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Mother’s Day Brunch at Mother's Day Brunch at Long Island Aquarium Bayshore May 11, 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 4:00 PM Long Island Aquarium Memorial Day Parade May 11, 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, Bird and Breakfast at Connetquot State May 26,Park 11:00 AM 2:00 PM, 4:00May PM 11, 8:00 AM to 11 :00 PM Town of Islip Bird and and Breakfast at Fleece Fiber Festival at Hallockville Museum Farm Music Festival May 17, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Connetquot State Park June 1, 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM May 11, 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM Nesconset Spring Fling Riverhead May 18, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Mosaic Street Fleece and Fiber Festival at Painting Festival Hallockville MuseumJones FarmBeach Air Show June 1, 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM May 24-25, May 17, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM 10:00 to 4:00 PM Smithtown Street Fair Nesconset Spring Ronkonkoma Fling Festival Day May 18, 10:00 AM to May 5:0025, PMHawkins Avenue June 1, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Riverhead Mosaic Street Painting Festival Jones Beach Air Show June 1, 12:00 PM to 5:00 PMand Bird Festival at Butterfly May 24-25, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Sweetbriar Nature Center Smithtown Festival Day Smithtown Village CraftJune Fair1, Main Street June 7, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM May 24-25, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Famous Food Truck Festival Butterfly and Bird Festival at Sweetbriar Nature Center Splish Splash Opening Day at Deer Park Outlets June 7, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM May 24 June 6-8, 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM

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Thursday, May 8, 2025

By Matt Meduri

Brandon Solomon Candidate: Brandon Solomon Residence: Nesconset Prior Elected Office: None Prior Campaigns: None Endorsements: Smithtown Teachers Association Brandon Solomon is running to fill the vacancy left by former Board Member John Savoretti’s resignation. If elected, he would fill the remaining year of the term. Brandon Solomon sat down with with The Messenger for an interview for this candidate spotlight.

Q: What is your professional background and how does it equip you for Smithtown CSD Board of Education?

A: I work for a large real estate developer and general contractor that does large projects with communities, residential and commercial, as well as renovations. I deal with jobs that have budgets sometimes in excess of $70M. I do a lot in terms of vetting contractors, design professionals, architects, and engineers. I have a good feel on the construction end, and I think with our aging infrastructure in Smithtown, it is extremely important to have somebody who has experience dealing with construction, architects, subcontractors, vetting contracts, leveling bids, with our limited budget. We need to make sure we stretch the budget as far as humanly possible. Nobody on the board is on it, and it’s definitely needed.

Q: We have watched board meetings where community members bring forward concerns, and the superintendent appears to respond with visible personal disdain or dismissiveness. How would you ensure that members of the public feel respected and heard, especially when they present concerns or information that may differ from the administration’s position or is backed by documented evidence? How do you plan to foster a culture of respectful engagement within the district?

A: I think communication is extremely important. I think making sure that people are heard is extremely important. You are dealing with children, education, and taxpayer dollars. You’re dealing with very serious issues; people are passionate about them, as they should be. I also think that it’s important before items get to a superintendent or BoE that they go through the proper channels. Sometimes, if you don’t like what the teacher says and people are reaching out to the BoE Members, it’s not fair to expect the BOE member to get involved with something that just happened at a classroom level. I think the district did a good job of putting out a brochure with proper contacts and to work your way up the chain of command. At the end of the day, if you’ve done those, it’s imperative that BoE and superintendent hear you and respond to you. Everyone deserves a response, you can’t always promise it’s going to be the response they want to hear, but they deserve a response. I might disagree, but at least I can understand where that decision comes from.

Q: Many families are choosing private schools over public education, leading to a decline in enrollment. As a board member, what steps would you take to address this issue and work towards regaining the trust and confidence of families in the public school system? How do you propose attracting more families back to our district?

A: I think a lot of the enrollment decline has been from the cost of housing, the high taxes. I think the higher interest rates over the past 3-5 years certainly do not help it. It’s not a local issue, it’s a statewide issue. I don’t think that the loss of enrollment is a problem that can be solved by a school board, or even the Town of Smithtown. I think it’s a regional issue that really needs regional leadership to come in and build affordable housing, which is a whole different topic. Our enrollment has certainly leveled off over the last few years.

We’re not seeing the declines we’ve seen over the last ten years. I do think that we’re going to stay around this 7500 student number that we’re at for the foreseeable future.

Every single line-item should be looked at in the budget. I’m somebody who comes from the private sector. I scrutinize every line-item of a budget when we’re building a job. I have bosses who I report to and they scrutinize every line-item. There shouldn’t be a line-item that doesn’t deserve an extra set of eyeballs, to make sure that nothing is being wasted, but that we are getting the most bang for our buck. Sometimes you’ve got low-hanging fruits, and we can save some money. I think the entire budget needs to be gone through and looked at and stretching our dollars.

Q: Community members have expressed frustration regarding delays in receiving responses to their FOIL (Freedom of Information Law) requests. Other districts appear to handle these requests more efficiently. How would you, as a board

member, ensure that FOIL requests are handled in a more timely and transparent manner? How can the district better communicate and prioritize these requests?

A: As someone who’s not currently on the board, I don’t know the process that goes into answering a FOIL request. I could speak for steps that could be processed. I do know when I’ve FOIL’ed items, I got a response in a timely manner. But the most important thing about a FOIL request is twofold: making sure we’re following the law, and anything that by law needs to be redacted is properly redacted. If it is not, it opens up the district and community to a very large lawsuit. I think it is imperative that we follow the law but that we also get it right the first time. The consequences could be very, very expensive.

Q: Mold issues at West have raised concerns among parents and teachers alike, with over 100 teachers signing a document expressing their concerns. Given that the company from Northport was the first to recognize and address the problem, do you believe they, or another third-party specialist, should be hired to ensure all issues are resolved? How would you ensure that the health and safety of students, teachers, and staff are top priorities?

A: My twin girls attend school in the district, my wife is a teacher in the district, my whole world is in this district. I don’t think a second opinion could ever hurt. Two weeks ago, the district had a facilities meeting where the main topic was mold. The third-party engineer was at the public meeting, which I attended. What the third-party experts said was that the district went above and beyond in the testing from what they recommended.

They recommended a certain level of testing, and the district said they wanted more.

I know from my professional background, mold is a very evil word. It certainly is when it’s in clusters for sure, but there’s also mold everywhere around us. I do believe that the district went above and beyond what they had to do but I think with all the apprehension, I do think that spending the money to get another opinion would absolutely be right.

Q: Do you believe that extending a superintendent’s contract well in advance of its expiration is in the best interest of the community, as was done June 13, 2023, before the newly-elected board was seated? What factors should influence this decision, and how would you ensure transparency and community involvement in such critical decisions?

A: I wasn’t on the board, but those talks were in executive session. There was nothing spoken of in regular session, besides voting on the contract. What I do know is that when you compare our superintendent’s compensation package with neighboring schools, who actually have less enrollment and lower budgets, pay their superintendents more than what Dr. Secaur receives. Whether that played into their decision, I can’t speak of it. I think that a personnel decision should be made by the board in executive session. I think the BoE members are elected to make decisions like this.

Q: During a recent meeting, the superintendent stated that the survey results reflected high percentages of satisfaction, but these results were based on a very small number of responses. With only 1,611 completed surveys out of 14,345 invitations, how do you, as a board member, ensure that the survey results truly represent the views of the entire community? What steps would you take to improve participation and feedback?

A: I have taken the surveys every year. I would probably reach out to the survey company to get their input. I’m not an expert in surveys; I’d like to pick their brain. I think the surveys are a little long. I’m curious if it would be possible to extract the same information in a shorter survey. I think that would probably help, since some people know it’s going to take 10-15 minutes, if we can shrink it down to 3-5 minutes. I would pick the brains of experts who deal with surveys like this all the time.

Q: Your wife is a teacher at Smithtown Elementary on Lawrence Avenue, after having previously taught at Nesconset Elementary before it was closed. If you are elected to the board, you would have a say in negotiating contracts that could benefit your wife. Furthermore, you would also have a say in the negotiations of tenure for your wife’s immediate superior, who is currently untenured. Do you think this poses a conflict of interest?

A: If I’m fortunate to be elected to this position, the most important thing is to carry yourself with integrity, especially when you’re dealing with large amounts of student staff, faculty, students, and $350M of taxpayer money. With that, any situation that ever arose that could cause a conflict of interest, or even the appearance of one, I would absolutely recuse myself from that vote. The teacher’s contract is not up until 2028, the seat I’m running for currently is only a one-year term, expiring next year. The teacher’s contract would not come up in front of me. At the end of the day, I’m only one vote. There are seven votes on the board, everything requires a majority. I cannot single-handedly make my wife a millionaire, hire all of her best friends, and give them all tenure. I’m only one vote.

Q: Who paid for the mailers, which happen to endorse your slate, with the return address, Smithtown Teachers, P.O. Box 178, Garden City?

A: We are endorsed by the Smithtown Teachers Association. I’m not aware of who paid for them.

The Messenger thanks Brandon Solomon for his time for this interview.

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4 Continued from front cover

County News Thursday, May 8, 2025

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

28 Alleged Gang Members Indicted in Major Suffolk County Crackdown

Separately, a 23-count indictment was returned against six individuals associated with the 9-Trey Bloods. Prosecutors allege that the defendants, under the direction of an incarcerated gang member, carried out a murder-for-hire plot, coordinated the distribution of firearms, and conspired in multiple shootings between October 2024 and January 2025.

Among the charges are attempted murder, assault, robbery, criminal possession and sale of firearms, narcotics trafficking, and conspiracy to commit murder. Several defendants face sentences of up to 25 years to life if convicted on the top counts.

“This investigation demonstrates the extensive and violent reach of organized street gangs in Suffolk County,” said Tierney. “Our law enforcement partnerships allowed us to methodically identify and remove those responsible for destabilizing neighborhoods through fear, intimidation, and violence.”

The investigation involved over 100 search warrants and extensively used wiretaps, digital surveillance, jail intelligence, and social media analysis. Law enforcement officials say the evidence gathered includes surveillance video of violent incidents, intercepted communications between gang members, and forensic data from seized firearms.

According to the DA’s office, 26 of the 28 indicted individuals have been apprehended. Thirteen Mak Balla Family case defendants were arraigned on May 1, with bail denied for most. The remaining individuals are either in custody in other jurisdictions or awaiting arraignment. All six defendants from the 9-Trey indictment were arrested before the announcement.

At the May 1 press conference, Suffolk County officials displayed over two

dozen illegal firearms allegedly connected to the gangs, including handguns with high-capacity drum magazines. Charts presented by the DA’s office illustrated a significant decline in shootings in Suffolk County, from 280 in 2021 to 90 in 2024. Officials linked this trend to the county’s ongoing effort to dismantle violent criminal networks through long-term investigations.

Tierney formed the Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau in 2022 to investigate and prosecute organized gang activity. This case represents the bureau’s largest operation to date.

The Suffolk County Police Department, Suffolk Sheriff’s Office, Riverhead Town Police Department, New York State Department of Corrections, and the U.S. Marshals Service were all involved in the investigation and arrests. Officials noted jailhouse intelligence was crucial in identifying gang communications and leadership structure.

Sheriff Errol Toulon, Jr. (D) stated that monitoring incarcerated gang members contributed key evidence to the case. U.S. Marshal Vincent DeMarco credited inter-agency coordination for the operation’s success, stating that “the toughest gang around is the one that wears a badge.”

The prosecution of the 28 defendants will proceed in Suffolk County Supreme Court in Riverhead. Court dates for the remaining arraignments will be scheduled over the coming weeks.

Tierney emphasized that this takedown is part of an ongoing effort to reduce violent crime and prevent organized gang operations in Suffolk County. “Let this be a warning to anyone who thinks gang violence will be tolerated here,” he said.

“You will be found, you will be indicted, and you will be removed from our streets.”

Comptroller Kennedy’s Audit Recovers $1.7 Million in Overpaid Medical Expenses

By Cait Crudden Suffolk County Comptroller John M. Kennedy, Jr. (R-Nesconset) has announced the successful recovery of nearly $1.7 million in overpaid medical expenses following the completion of an audit of Anthem BlueCross BlueShield, the former administrator of the County’s self-insured employee medical health plan.

The audit, which focused on medical claims processed during the 2022 calendar year, uncovered widespread billing errors that led to Anthem reimbursing Suffolk County $1,668,138. The audit is the latest in a series of financial reviews spearheaded by the Comptroller’s Office aimed at ensuring fiscal accountability within one of the largest public medical plans in the region.

Covering more than 45,000 individuals including active employees, spouses, dependents, and retirees from both Suffolk County government and Suffolk County Community College; the County’s health plan represents a significant share of local taxpayerfunded healthcare expenses.

“This is yet another example of how rigorous oversight and detailed audits protect taxpayers and ensure that public funds are being spent appropriately,” said Comptroller Kennedy. “Auditing the County’s self-insured employee medical health plan has been a priority of mine since I took office in 2015. These efforts have now returned over $10 million to the people of Suffolk County.”

The audit was conducted by the Segal Group, a leading benefits consulting firm, in partnership with the County’s Labor Management Committee.

Together, they reviewed Anthem’s administration of claims from January 1 through December 31, 2022.

Among the most notable findings were copayment mismanagement, duplicate and incorrect claims, benefit limit overpayments, and Medicare coordination failures. Anthem repeatedly undercharged members for required copayments, and in some cases failed to collect any copayments at all. This resulted in the County absorbing higher-than-necessary costs. Several claims

were processed twice or contained pricing errors that inflated the County’s reimbursement responsibility.

Services such as acupuncture, chiropractic care, and physical therapy were reimbursed beyond established plan limits, and there was systemic failure to properly coordinate with Medicare claims led to the largest category of financial errors, significantly overcharging the County for expenses that should have been covered in part by federal benefits.

In light of these recurring errors and ongoing audit results, the County officially terminated its administrative services contract with Anthem on December 31, 2024, ending a 19-year relationship. In January 2025, Suffolk County transitioned to Aetna as the new administrator of the medical and hospital benefits plan.

Audits of the 2023 and 2024 claim years are currently underway, and Comptroller Kennedy expects that additional recoveries will be identified as part of those reviews. “Our audits send a clear message: Suffolk County will not tolerate mismanagement of public funds, especially when it comes to healthcare,” Kennedy added. “Every dollar we recover is a dollar that goes back into supporting essential services for our residents.”

County officials say the move to Aetna is part of a broader effort to modernize the health plan’s administration and improve accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and service delivery for plan members. The transition also includes enhanced performance monitoring and audit protocols to ensure that similar issues do not arise in the future.

With the health of tens of thousands of County employees and retirees at stake, Comptroller Kennedy reaffirmed his office’s commitment to holding vendors accountable and maintaining transparency in public spending.

“Vigilance and accountability are not just buzzwords in my office; they are the cornerstone of how we serve Suffolk County. The creed we live by is to identify and eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse,” Kennedy concluded.

News Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

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Thursday, May 8, 2025

Two Weeks of Free Golf for Suffolk Veterans Although Wednesday morning was a bit overcast, sunny days are certainly ahead for Suffolk County, especially for those looking to hit the links.

Appropriately, the county with the secondlargest Veterans population in the country is helping those who served enjoy the summer a bit more: Veterans will be able to receive two free weeks of golf at select County courses.

These courses include Timber Point Golf Course in Great River, West Sayville Golf Course in West Sayville, Indian Island Golf Course in Riverhead, and the Bergen Point Golf Course in West Babylon.

The initiative was sponsored by Suffolk County Legislator Trish Bergin (R-East Islip) and co-sponsored by Legislator Chad Lennon (C-Rocky Point), the latter serving as the Vice Chair of the Veterans Committee.

Bergin and Lennon were joined by several Veterans’ advocates and leaders at Timber Point Golf Course in Great River on Wednesday morning to announce the initiative.

“It’s time that we say thank you again, and there’s never enough thank-yous for the sacrifice that our Veterans give to our country for our freedoms,” said Bergin. “So, it’s a nice opportunity for our Veterans to come out and golf. It’s two free weeks, one in May and one in November.”

Lennon, a Marine Corps Veteran himself and current Reservist, was eager to co-sponsor.

“A week during Armed Forces Week, the week of Veterans Day, is the perfect time,” said Lennon. “I know our Veterans are going to go out there and take advantage of this, as well as our service members who are still active-duty.”

Roby Johnson, of the Rusy Bohm American Legion Post #411 (Islip hamlet), is also the Chair of the Town of Islip Veterans Advisory Board. Johnson served in Vietnam from Christmas Day 1966 to Pearl Harbor Day 1967.

“It means a lot to me as a Veteran, and I know as other Veterans, especially

Credit - Matt Meduri

By Matt Meduri

the golfing community of Veterans, they’re really going to appreciate this,” said Johnson. “It shows how much the community, the county, the town, think of our Veterans. Thank you.”

“Recognizing Veterans and the sacrifice that they make leaving behind their families and going and risking their lives for all of us. This is the least that we can do to say thank you in return,” said Bergin.

Timber Point Golf Course is located at 398 Great River Road in Great River.

West Sayville Golf Course is located at 200 Montauk Highway in West Sayville.

Indian Island Golf Course is located at 661 Riverside Drive in Riverhead hamlet.

Bergen Point Golf Course is located at 69 Bergen Avenue in West Babylon.

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Editorial Thursday, May 8, 2025

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

School Board Elections Are Perhaps the Most Important Elections

“Every year is an election year,” we hear every year, ad nauseum.

That’s the funny thing about cliches: they wouldn’t be cliché if they didn’t have at least some degree of truth to them.

In this case, cliché is an overstatement.

Instead of looking at it as another pilgrimage to the polls, or a popularity contest of which team can get more of their guys to the polls, look at this way: This election can dictate where 70% of your property tax dollars go.

In our opinion, that’s enough for us to put school board elections on the top of our personal priorities.

Voting for president can be fun. It feels like you’re part of something.

Especially in divisive times like this, the lame “I Voted” sticker almost seems like a badge of honor won from an ideological battlefield where the ceasefire is held at a local diner for brunch.

Voting in congressional elections can, depending on where you live, be a bit more dynamic. Congressional races around here certainly have been in the last ten years or so. These are direct pipelines to the federal government whom you often have a decent chance of meeting and/or interacting with. In other cases, your vote feels more powerful by checking the most powerful man (or woman) in the world by denying them extra votes in the lower chamber. The moniker “the People’s House” is apropos.

Voting in local county and town elections almost seem like a lost cause when we get so mired in Washington and international politics, despite the fact that many of these people not only make decisions that affect your daily lives and dollars more than Donald Trump (R-FL) or Joe Biden (D-DE). Not only that, the local elected officials are, in our opinion, significantly less likely to sell their own communities down the river.

But voting in a school board election almost seems like something that only true “committed” political junkies can understand, or that you have nothing better to do on a Tuesday evening in May. Those preconceived notions could not be further from the truth, considering

the sheer weight on the wallets these elections can carry.

Let us be clear: casting your ballot on Tuesday, May 20, for your Board of Education, budgets, and/or capital expenditures will not automatically make your tax dollars fly back into your checking account - at least, not necessarily.

While the Board of Education and the superintendents are perhaps the first and foremost stewards of the lion’s share of local tax revenue as far as who’s on the ballot, they’re overshadowed by only one other form of control: the voter.

It seems obvious, but apparently it’s not. School board elections see some of the most abysmal turnout possible. Some argue that holding school board elections concurrently with regular, partisan elections could help boost turnout, but these elections need to exist in a vacuum. Simply packing the ballot to increase turnout dilutes the sanctity of local, nonpartisan - at least nominally elections deserve. No longer would school board elections be about a budget being stretched as much as it can, improving district services, and fostering a clear chain of command through which parents, students, and faculty alike can escalate their problems and concerns. Instead, it would take on the touch-andgo emptiness of partisan politics. No listening, no learning, no tough decision making.

It’s the same argument we’ve had against New York’s even-year election laws. We’ve espoused before that local elections must exist in a vacuum for their own sake, devoid of the top-of-the-ticket energy that would certainly drown out any room for partisans to pitch a softer message to voters and for mavericks to make names for themselves.

In the same way, school board elections are concentrated on the voter for this reason. Yet, they seem unheeded by most of the public.

Tuesday, May 20, is your local school board elections. Flipping a seat on the board or passing a capital expenditure might not solve all of your immediate problems, but better to get some understanding now and cast a vote when it matters than finding yourself swimming upstream when your tax dollars are disappearing and your child’s education is languishing.

Why the Legacy of a Baseball Coach is More Profound Than Meets the Eye In this week’s edition of The Islip Messenger, we covered a long-time baseball coach from Sayville High School. Coach Barry Fitzpatrick was honored not only for his forty-plus years as a coach and teacher at Sayville schools, but also as a Vietnam War Veteran who served from Christmas 1966 until Pearl Harbor Day 1967.

While our readers in the Smithtown and Brookhaven editions won’t see this story in print - it will be available online at messengerpapers.com. - it serves as the basis for some seemingly-obvious, but deeper-than-expected thought.

Fitzpatrick, at face value, was a baseball coach at a school district practically like any other in Suffolk County. He coached likely thousands of kids throughout his time, even producing the “winning-est” record for a coach in the district’s history. He taught physical education, another class for students to make on time that likely meant exercise drills followed by that classic sound of a teammate getting nailed by a red rubber dodgeball.

But, and not to our surprise, dozens of friends, family members, Veterans, and school faculty turned out for the baseball field dedication ceremony in his honor, with the scoreboard bearing his name. The festivities culminated in Fitzpatrick throwing out the first pitch.

Not only was the turnout appropriate for a man of his social stature, but many speakers found themselves emotional at honoring someone who made such a difference in their lives - not just in the daily, but clearly in the long run.

It makes us remember that so many people are fixated on making the biggest splash possible in the largest arenas possible, especially in today’s

world of national politics. While someone with considerable power and clout can certainly make a difference for the better, is it always a necessary means to an end?

For us, it depends on who you ask, but we put great stock in the idea that serving the most immediate community can foster as much change as someone at the top of the ticket.

It’s like the old saying, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”

The quote was said by Admiral William H. McRaven in reference to achieving larger goals by accomplishing the smaller, more innocuous ones.

In that vein, we’d also say that the smaller things really do make someone else’s world, even if those affected don’t go on to do “great things” in the stereotypical sense of the word, like serving as president, inventing a world-changing product, or being commenced for valor or heroism.

The truly great things come from those which we reflect upon. When the years fully pass, and we look upon our days as fondly as those who remember their days with “Coach Fitz” on the diamond, there might be a good argument, not for a world necessarily “changed”, but a world certainly made.

Unless, of course, your entire world is your bed, then you’d fulfill the saying on a technicality.

However you chose to interpret it, or whatever you believe is truly a “great” accomplishment or achievement, the plot twist to Citizen Kane - often argued as the greatest movie ever made - understands that the little things are often, indeed, the greatest.

Op-Ed Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

7

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Hochul and the ‘Free Everything’ Campaign

By Brianne Wakefield Free is defined as, without cost or payment.

I think we all have grown to realize that free is not really free when we are referring to the government and their handouts. There is usually a consequence whether it affects us directly or not.

Governor Kathy Hochul (D) is seeming to run on a campaign I like to call the “Free Everything” campaign. In her extremely late budget, she is calling for free school breakfast/lunches for all, free childcare, and even free community college for certain high demand fields. These highdemand fields would be things such as engineering, nursing, teaching, and technology.

So, with all these free things, the question would be, who exactly is paying for it then?

Is this money coming from her personal bank account? Is it growing off the tree outside for all to grab?

Possibly, is it coming from us taxpayers?

I think only one of these makes sense and we all know which one it is.

Don’t get me wrong, I think there is nothing wrong with generosity and being a giving person is something that we should all strive for; however, this is not what this is about. We know that all this “freeness” and “handouts” isn’t really free at all. Free comes with a price. Does this also cry, “rely on big government to supply your every need!” Because once you rely on the government for your food, childcare, and school, doesn’t it seem almost impossible to get away from that?

The power then gets transferred from you to the government. Sounds like a dream come true for a Democrat Governor. They now have voters in a hook, line, and sinker situation! “Coincidentally” next year is the New York State Governor election so what better time to offer free everything and while we are at it, inflation refund checks too! Does it all sound too good to be true?

Yes, unfortunately that is the case here.

New York is in desperate need of a new Governor. A Governor that truly cares about the condition of the state and the best interest of the people. How do we turn this tide? How do we recover from this? For one, we must be involved! We must speak up!

Secondly, we need to be educated. We need to stay on top of current events/news.

Lastly, don’t lose hope! Don’t give up by thinking New York can never recover, we can!

In summary, it’s important we read between the lines of Governor Kathy Hochul’s “Free Everything” campaign. Be aware of these free handouts that are meant to ensnare you. It may seem giving and thoughtful, but it has consequences for us and our state. Remember to have hope, despite what the current outlook is, and never be afraid to stand up to what’s corrupt. As a fellow New Yorker, my advice would be to stay on top of this very important gubernatorial race because our state, our communities and our future depends on it.

Let’s restore and revive New York back to her original splendor and purpose!

Letters to the Editor Public Intimidation Does Not Belong in Government On the evening of May 7, 2025, I attended the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) meeting on the proposed Raleigh Farms / Beechwood development.

During public comment, Mike Rosato—speaking as president of the Kings Park Civic Association—criticized the project and its developers. However, Rosato did not disclose that he is also a legislative aide to Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta (R–Fort Salonga), nor did he disclose that he recently sold a parcel of land within the very development zone he was criticizing— for a $330,000 profit.

That’s a serious ethical conflict. You cannot profit from a development, then pose as an unbiased civic voice opposing it without telling the public.

Rosato purchased that land for $100,000 and sold it for $430,000, while serving as a County employee. I have the deeds to prove it.

During his remarks, Rosato warned that approving this project would set a precedent for development of the adjacent parcel. What he failed to mention is that his profit came from that exact next-door parcel, which will soon be under review. That omission is not just unethical—it’s misleading.

The Beechwood plan was already reduced from 393 units to 288, decreasing density from six to four units per acre. Rosato’s position was that this project, even reduced, sets a bad precedent. Yet he quietly benefited from that very precedent—while on public payroll.

When it was my turn to speak, I stood up and respectfully asked the board to strike Rosato’s comments from the record unless and until he

fully disclosed his financial interest. I stated clearly that I had filed an ethics complaint and would continue to do so.

Unfortunately, things didn’t end there.

After the hearing, in the parking lot, Rosato confronted me, shouting, threatening to sue me, and calling me a “scumbag”—in front of witnesses.

This was public intimidation, plain and simple. His reaction wasn’t about truth—it was about silencing a voice.

Legislator Trotta, whose staff Rosato is on, arrived late to the meeting. Yet both men lingered outside—waiting. They did not return to the podium to clarify or defend anything. Instead, they resorted to threats.

Let me be clear: public intimidation has no place in government. I didn’t attack anyone personally—I spoke facts that the public has a right to know.

That should not result in threats or harassment.

Government employees and elected officials are held to higher standards because they serve the people—not themselves. What happened outside that hearing was unacceptable.

This is why I’ve submitted a formal ethics complaint, and I invite anyone who has had a similar experience to come forward.

We deserve truth, not retaliation. We deserve transparency, not bullying.

Toby Carlson Kings Park

Don’t forget to write, we’d love to hear from you!

Email us at: editor@messengerpapers.com

Crime

8

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Huntington Station Man Sentenced to 23 Years for Assaulting Toddler

By Raheem Soto In a case that underscored both the limits of trust and the role of accountability, a Huntington Station man was recently sentenced to 23 years in prison for the brutal assault of his girlfriend’s two-year-old daughter. The child, who had been left in his care while the mother went to work, sustained injuries so severe that emergency surgery was required to save her life.

The defendant’s name has been withheld so as to preserve the privacy of the child.

The incident occurred between February 17 and 19, 2024. During that time, the defendant — 33 years old — was babysitting the toddler. When the mother returned home, she noticed visible bruising. By the next day, the child was vomiting, unresponsive, and unable to stand. The mother brought her to Huntington Hospital, where doctors determined the child’s condition was critical. She was then transferred to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where surgeons identified a significant injury to the small intestine caused by blunt force trauma.

On February 28, 2025, after a jury trial, the defendant was found guilty of Assault in the First Degree (a Class B violent felony), two counts of Assault in the Second Degree, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. On May 1, 2025, he was sentenced by Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei to 23 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.

District Attorney Ray Tierney (R), whose office prosecuted the case, issued a clear statement following the sentencing: “Suffolk will not tolerate violence against children. I thank the jury for holding the defendant accountable for this vicious beating of a toddler.”

Assistant District Attorneys Katherine Flinchum and Kirsten Reilly of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau handled the case. The investigation was led by Detective Christopher Albanese of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Special Victims Section.

What makes this case especially sobering is not just the violence itself but the circumstances that allowed it to happen. There were no strangers involved, no complex criminal plot — just a young child left in the care of someone who should have never been trusted with that responsibility.

Legal systems, by design, respond after the fact. In this instance, the process worked as intended. The evidence was presented, guilt was established beyond a reasonable doubt, and sentencing was handed down accordingly. Justice was delivered. However, that does not mean the problem is solved.

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Holbrook Man Sentenced to 53 Years for Major Drug Trafficking Operation

By Raheem Soto A Suffolk County man has been sentenced to 53 years in state prison after being convicted of operating a large-scale narcotics operation that involved deadly fentanyl, high-grade cocaine, and illegal firearms.

The conviction followed a multi-agency investigation that linked the defendant to two fatal overdoses and a sophisticated drug trafficking network stretching across Suffolk County.

Russell Defreitas, 55, also known as “Merc,” (pictured right) was found guilty on 92 separate counts following a jury trial and was sentenced on April 29, 2025, by Acting Supreme Court Justice Anthony Senft. Among the charges were Operating as a Major Drug Trafficker, multiple counts of drug possession and sale, weapons violations, perjury, and tampering with physical evidence.

The investigation began in September 2022, when law enforcement responded to a fatal overdose in Holbrook. That incident led members of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office East End Drug Task Force to uncover a broader narcotics ring operating in and around Suffolk County. Defreitas, according to prosecutors, was at the center of the operation.

Evidence presented at trial detailed the extent of Defreitas’s involvement. On March 9, 2023, he rented a hotel room where a man and woman later overdosed. Rather than seek medical help, Defreitas instructed his associates not to call 911 and instead returned to remove drugs and paraphernalia from the room. He then went to a nearby Wendy’s to eat. Hours later, an associate called 911, but by then, both individuals were dead.

Defreitas was arrested on March 11, 2023, at another hotel. Search warrants executed that day uncovered cocaine, fentanyl, two loaded firearms, cutting agents, drug packaging equipment, and multiple hotel room key cards. Investigators also recovered bank cards belonging to overdose

victims in his possession.

During a court proceeding in May 2023, Defreitas testified on his behalf but was later charged with three counts of perjury for providing false statements under oath.

District Attorney Ray Tierney (R) commented on the sentencing, citing the limitations of current state law in addressing overdose deaths: “Today’s sentencing of this major trafficker, while significant, highlights the urgent need for stronger legislation. Chelsey’s Law in New York State would give prosecutors additional tools to hold dealers accountable when their products cause death,” said Tierney, mentioning a bill that he, along with many elected officials and family members, have lobbied for passage in Albany over the last couple years.

“This defendant’s actions directly led to two overdose fatalities, yet our current laws don’t allow us to charge these preventable deaths as the homicides that they are,” he said.

While fentanyl accounts for 67% of overdose deaths nationwide, according to the CDC, New York’s current legal framework does not classify fatal overdoses as homicides under state law. The proposed Chelsey’s Law seeks to change that by allowing prosecutors to pursue homicide charges against dealers whose drugs lead to death.

Defreitas represented himself at trial. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Jacob T. Kubetz and Raquel G. Tisi of the Narcotics Bureau, with investigative support from Detective Investigator William Warren of the East End Task Force.

With fentanyl now present in nearly 8 out of 10 drug-related deaths in Suffolk County, the outcome of this case illustrates both the scale of the problem and the current legal barriers in prosecuting overdose-linked fatalities.

For now, one drug trafficker is off the streets— but the laws surrounding accountability remain under review.

Holbrook Dad Sentenced for Toddler’s Death

By Hank Russell | Long Island Life and Politics A Holbrook man was sentenced to five to fifteen years in prison for his role in the fatal overdose death of his 14-month-old son.

Wilkens Adonis, age 39, of Holbrook (pictured right), was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in March to Manslaughter in the Second Degree, for his role in the fatal overdose of his 14-monthold son, Joseph Adonis.

On January 3, 2024, Suffolk County Police responded to a 911 call reporting an unresponsive child at a Holbrook residence. When they arrived, law enforcement found Wilkens Adonis, his girlfriend, and their unresponsive 14-month-old son, Joseph Adonis, in the couple’s bedroom. The toddler was taken via ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

When Suffolk County Homicide Squad detectives responded to the home to investigate, they found narcotics and drug paraphernalia in the bedroom where the child had been found. As a result, members of the Suffolk County Narcotics Section were called to assist with the investigation.

A search warrant of the apartment was executed, and law enforcement found over

one-eighth ounce of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, over one-eighth ounce of cocaine, alprazolam, methadone, drug packaging materials, digital scales, an electronic stun gun, a loaded shotgun, and a rifle — all of which were unsecured and easily accessible to the defendants’ children.

After conducting an autopsy, the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that the child’s cause of death was acute mixed drug intoxication by a mixture of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.

On March 17, 2024, Adonis pleaded guilty to Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class C felony; Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a Class C felony; and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class A misdemeanor, before Acting Supreme Court Justice Philip Goglas.

On May 7, 2025, Adonis was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison.

“The death of 14-month-old Joseph Adonis was as preventable as it was tragic,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney (R). “Fentanyl should not be in houses where children reside. This should be a wake-up call to our state lawmakers. They need to make common-sense changes to our laws to protect children.”

This Week Today Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

9

Thursday, May 8, 2025

National, State, and Local Temperature Checks

By Matt Meduri National

Credit - U.S. Senate Photographic Studio, Rebecca Hammel

Local Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) announced on Monday that the Suffolk County Water Quality Protection and Restoration Program and Land Stewardship Initiative (WQPRP) is now accepting applications for 2025. The launch coincides with Drinking Water Week on May 4-10.

“This program is an effective tool that aligns with our ongoing efforts to protect our waterways,” said Romaine.

“This initiative brings local municipalities and our environmental community together with the goal of implementing critical water quality projects to make a significant impact throughout Suffolk County.”

“The WQPRP is a grant program funded under the Suffolk County Quarter-Percent Drinking Water Protection Program pursuant to Article XII of the Suffolk County Charter. It uses 11.75% of the total revenues generated each calendar year under the Quarter-Percent Drinking Water Protection Program to provide grant funding to municipalities and non-profit organizations for projects that protect and restore the County’s groundwater and surface water resources,” according to the County.

The application is open for municipalities, not-forprofit organizations, and Suffolk County departments.

They can apply for projects such as: Nonpoint Source Abatement and Control & Pollution Prevention Initiatives; Habitat Restoration, Reclamation, and Connectivity; Land Stewardship Initiatives; No-Discharge Zone Implementation; and Education and Outreach.

A stipulation, however, is that eligible projects must be recommended for funding by the WQPRP Review Committee and subsequently approved by the eighteen-member Suffolk County Legislature.

Applications will be accepted through June 27, 2025. A virtual proposers conference will be held on Wednesday, May 21, at 11:00a.m.

For more information, contact wqprp@ suffolkcountyny.gov.

Credit - CreativeCommons

Albany is reportedly trying to sneak in a last-minute provision to safeguard Attorney General Letitia James (D-Clinton Hill) (pictured left) amidst her apparently growing legal concerns.

The proposed $10 million taxpayerfooted fund would cover “any reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred,” according to The New York Post, even if those legal probes are not directly related to the accused’s State employment.

The move comes at the tail-end of a drawn-out budget season in which negotiations have blown past the April 1 deadline as extender after extender is passed.

Under existing State law, current and former State employees can be reimbursed for legal fees to defend themselves from lawsuits that are directly associated with their work while in office. The Post notes former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s (D) (pictured right) scandals that are estimated to have cost New York taxpayers around $60 million.

James’ lawsuit stems from recent reports that she allegedly falsified bank documents and property records concerning a Norfolk, Virginia home, which James said would serve as her primary residence. The allegations also assert that James misrepresented facts in three separate instances to obtain government assistance and more favorable loan terms, with misrepresentations stemming not only from her state of primary

residence, but also the number of units in an investment property, and listing her father as her husband. James has never married.

The charges, if true, would constitute mortgage fraud.

She is also listed as a co-borrower on a house being purchased by her niece.

Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William Pulte has asked U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi (R-FL) to investigate and consider prosecuting Letitia James.

Albany’s last-minute bill would cover those who “obtained representation by private counsel in response to any request, summons, command, subpoena, warrant, investigative interview or document request, audit, or legally compulsive process” started by the federal government after January 1, 2025.

James’ spokesperson has denied the allegations, stating, “Donald Trump promised a vicious revenge tour when he ran in 2024, and he’s put Attorney General James at the top of his list, and we’re ready to respond to these attacks.”

Credit - Matt Meduri

State

Credit - Office of New York Attorney General

The 2026 electoral landscape continues to take shape.

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) (pictured right), one of the most powerful Democrats of the upper chamber, has recently announced he will not seek a sixth term next November. Durbin served in the U.S. House from 1983 to 1997 until his election in 1996. He has served as the Senate Democratic Whip since 2005, working under the majority leaders Harry Reid (D-NV) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Not only is Durbin the longest-serving Senate party whip in history, but he is also the dean of Illinois’ congressional delegation, meaning he’s served in Congress longer than his fellow Senator - Tammy Duckworth (D) - and the entire House delegation from the Prairie State.

While Durbin’s vacancy doesn’t necessarily create a competitive race in blue Illinois, it does seem to have set off a scramble for which Democrat could clinch the relatively easy promotion.

Durbin has had the perk of having run in generally good Democratic years, with the 2014 Republican wave holding him to just an eleven-point margin.

Durbin’s 2014 margin more or less matches Kamala Harris’ (D-CA) margin in the presidential contest last year, a remarkable shift among one of the nation’s bluest strongholds.

But Illinois hasn’t exactly been friendly to the GOP for Senate races, with the Party of Lincoln having only won two elections since 1998. The last was Mark Kirk (R), who won the 2010 special election to fill Barack Obama’s (DIL) seat when he became president. Kirk then lost in 2016 to Duckworth.

Republicans haven’t won Durbin’s seat since 1978.

As of press time, Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D, IL-02) and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D, IL-08) have thrown their hats into the ring, with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D, IL-14) having publicly expressed interest.

The race is likely to set off a tough primary for high-profile congressional members vying for the seat, a feature of the race the GOP could capitalize on, provided their primary isn’t divided, and if the race becomes engaged by next summer.

The House retirement list now grows to eleven, five Republicans and six Democrats - all of whom but one are seeking higher office. Congressman John James (R, MI-10) is a formidable candidate for Michigan governor, while Angie Craig (D, MN-02) poses a good opportunity for Democrats to hold Minnesota’s open Senate seat.

Andy Barr (R, KY-06) also serves as a favorable prospect for the GOP to Kentucky’s Senate seat currently held and being opened by retiring Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Moreover, Republicans caught another tough break this week in their own prospects at expanding their majority.

Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA) has declined to run against freshman Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) in 2026. The Georgia race is seen as perhaps the most competitive, as Georgia appears to be a fully-fledged swing state. Kemp, who was narrowly elected governor in 2018 and more comfortably re-elected in 2022, is generally seen as a

more down-to-earth moderate over state counterparts, such as Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R, GA14), who is generally seen as one of the party’s most toxic liabilities.

In other federal news, President Donald Trump (RFL) last week removed Mike Waltz (R-FL) from his post as National Security Advisor and tapped Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R-FL) to serve as interim advisor.

Initially, the move seemed disciplinary after the administration was involved in “Signalgate,” a national security incident in which Waltz included The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a group chat on the messaging service Signal to discuss a military operation against the Iranbacked Yemeni Houthis. Goldberg subsequently leaked the chats.

Deputy National Security Advisor Alex Wong (R-NJ) was also implicated in the leaks and was removed from his post on May 1.

However, Waltz is now being teed up for Ambassador to the United Nations, a post originally intended for Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R, NY21) that was slow-walked by Senate Republicans to preserve a slim House majority. Stefanik’s nomination was withdrawn and she now seems all but certain to announce a bid for the 2026 New York gubernatorial contest.

10

National News Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Trump and Zelenskyy Clash in Oval Office Over Ukraine Minerals Deal

By Cait Crudden

After a heated exchange earlier this year that erupted in the Oval Office between President Donald Trump (R-FL) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over a proposed minerals deal that could reshape the geopolitical landscape and strengthen America’s financial stake in Ukraine’s future. The deal, which involves the United States securing access to Ukraine’s vast reserves of rare minerals, including lithium essential for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, has been touted by Trump as a strategic investment that would both recoup U.S. funds spent on Ukraine’s defense and ensure long-term stability in the region.

According to sources close to the administration, what began as a routine diplomatic meeting quickly escalated into a fiery debate as Trump pressed Zelensky on the necessity of securing American interests in exchange for continued U.S. financial and military backing. Trump insisted that the minerals deal would not only reimburse U.S. taxpayers for billions spent aiding Ukraine but also serve as a deterrent against Russian aggression by demonstrating America’s vested economic interest in Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Zelenskyy, while acknowledging the importance of U.S. investment, reportedly pushed back on certain terms, arguing that

Ukraine’s natural resources should remain under its control without excessive foreign influence. Trump, in turn, countered that without U.S. financial and military support, Ukraine would remain vulnerable to Russia’s relentless expansionist ambitions.

Ukraine possesses some of the largest reserves of lithium and other critical rare earth minerals in Europe. As the global demand for lithium skyrockets due to the EV revolution, securing access to these resources would provide the U.S. with a strategic supply chain advantage while weakening China’s dominance in the market. Trump emphasized that an economic partnership with Ukraine would be a “win-win,” ensuring Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction while allowing the U.S. to reap financial benefits from its significant aid contributions.

Beyond minerals, Trump pointed to the larger geopolitical implications of Russia’s continued war in Ukraine. If Russia were to succeed in its invasion, Moscow would gain control over critical trade routes in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Dnieper River, cementing its access to Belarus—a puppet nation for Russian interests. Such control would enable Russia to exert influence over European supply chains and energy distribution, further destabilizing the region.

One of the most alarming concerns raised by Trump during the meeting was the prospect of Russia gaining control over Ukraine’s agricultural industry. Ukraine, often referred to as the “breadbasket of Europe,” supplies a significant portion of grain and other food products to European and third-world nations. Should Russia take over Ukraine’s fertile lands, the Kremlin could manipulate global food supplies, exacerbating hunger and economic instability worldwide.

Additionally, Trump and his advisors warned that Russian control over Ukraine’s nuclear power plants would create serious security risks, potentially giving the Kremlin additional leverage over European energy supplies. A Russian-controlled Ukraine could further embolden Vladimir Putin to exert influence over neighboring countries, undermining NATO’s strategic foothold in Eastern Europe.

Trump’s core argument in the Oval Office confrontation was that a financially vested United States would serve as a deterrent to Russian aggression. By ensuring that American industries and financial interests are deeply embedded in Ukraine’s postwar economy, the U.S. would make it clear to Putin that any attack on Ukraine would also be an attack on American economic interests.

Zelensky ultimately acknowledged the importance of continued American support but expressed reservations about losing too much control over Ukraine’s resources.

While the Oval Office clash highlighted their differences, both leaders agreed on the fundamental objective: preventing a Russian victory and ensuring Ukraine remains free from Kremlin domination.

Following the intense discussion, both administrations are now working on refining the terms of a potential deal.

Trump has directed U.S. trade and defense officials to explore additional incentives for Ukraine, while Zelensky’s team is reviewing proposals that ensure Ukraine retains sovereign oversight of its mineral wealth.

The outcome of these negotiations will have far-reaching implications, not only for Ukraine’s survival but for global markets, energy security, and international relations.

With the stakes higher than ever, the U.S.-Ukraine partnership remains a crucial factor in countering Russian aggression. Whether the deal moves forward as envisioned by Trump or takes on a revised structure, one thing remains clear: America’s financial and strategic investment in Ukraine is essential for both nations’ futures and for deterring Putin’s ambitions.

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Thursday, May 8, 2025

LaLota Supports Bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act to Combat AI-Generated Exploitation of Minors

By Cait Crudden Congressman Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) has joined a growing bipartisan movement in Congress to protect minors from the harmful and growing threat of artificial intelligencegenerated exploitation online. LaLota recently voted in favor of S. 146, the TAKE IT DOWN Act, a landmark bill that updates federal laws to address the spread of digitally altered explicit content, especially targeting material that victimizes children and teenagers.

“As a father raising three daughters in an increasingly digital world, I’m alarmed by the rise of AI-generated explicit content and the exploitation of innocent people online,” said LaLota. “The TAKE IT DOWN Act is a critical step to hold bad actors accountable and ensure that social media and web platforms aren’t complicit in the spread of digitally forged, graphic images. This bill updates outdated laws and gives victims—especially minors—the tools they need to fight back. I fully support the TAKE IT DOWN Act and am proud to support its House companion because no one should have their likeness twisted and weaponized against them.”

The TAKE IT DOWN Act, which passed with bipartisan support, aims to close major legal gaps in current law by addressing the unique challenges posed by AI and deepfake technology. The legislation strengthens protections for children and teens by criminalizing the non-consensual creation and distribution of explicit content generated using artificial intelligence, even if the imagery is digitally fabricated.

LaLota is also a cosponsor of the House companion bill, H.R. 633, introduced by Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R, FL-27). Both the House and Senate versions of

the bill focus on modernizing the legal framework around online exploitation, giving law enforcement and victims more powerful tools to respond swiftly to abuses and enabling the removal of explicit deepfake content from online platforms.

The legislation is being hailed as a long-overdue update to federal law, which has struggled to keep pace with the rapid advances in generative technologies. While nearly all 50 states have laws that criminalize the non-consensual distribution of sexually explicit images commonly referred

to as “revenge porn”, only 20 states have specific laws targeting deepfake non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII).

Even among those, significant inconsistencies exist in how offenses are classified, prosecuted, and penalized.

Victims, especially minors, often face major hurdles in getting digitally altered images removed from websites, contributing to extended trauma and broader dissemination of harmful content. The TAKE IT DOWN Act addresses this problem directly by mandating that online platforms act swiftly to remove flagged content and by increasing accountability for those who knowingly distribute AIgenerated exploitation.

Over 100 national advocacy and child protection organizations have endorsed the bill, including groups focused on digital safety, civil rights, and technology ethics.

They argue that this legislation is a crucial safeguard for young people in an era where realistic digital forgeries can be created and distributed at scale.

The TAKE IT DOWN Act represents one of the strongest federal efforts yet to combat the dark side of emerging AI tools and places the United States on firmer footing to address tech-enabled exploitation. With both Senate and House versions now advancing, lawmakers are optimistic that the measure will soon become law.

For LaLota, the vote reflects not only a policy stance but a deeply personal commitment. As a parent, he has personal skin in the game. If passed into law, the TAKE IT DOWN Act would be one of the most comprehensive federal protections for minors against AI-based exploitation to date.

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Smithtown Matters Thursday, May 8, 2025

Wehrheim Opens Kings Park Campaign Office for 2025 Race buildings. Some of them are over 100 years old. Some of them are owned by absentee landlords,” said Wehrheim.

“They rent them; they don’t even live here. Myself and Councilman Tom Lohmann (R-Smithtown), who is the Board Liaison to Public Safety, are addressing that.”

Wehrheim says that as the Town is starting to invest in the business districts, the Town finds it appropriate to start enforcing the code on existing businesses. Effectively, if the Town wasn’t investing in the downtowns, then it didn’t make sense to penalize the public for also not investing.

“Now, we’re making an investment, which is an advantage to the building owner and small business. We’re going to ask them to join us and do a better job of keeping their businesses up to snuff.”

Of absentee landlords, Wehrheim says that the code passed last year will be “helpful.” If businesses are vacant for one year, the owner must come forward and file for it, either through occupying the building or paying an absentee fee. If the landlords don’t show up, fill the space, or pay the fee, the Town Attorney can bring them to court.

Parks are perhaps Wehrheim’s greatest lifelong legacy in the Town, having gotten his start in the Parks Department as a laborer, working his way up to Director of Parks, Buildings, and Grounds, until his appointment to the Town Council in 2003.

“Like our business districts, our parks were becoming aged out. A lot of our parks hadn’t been touched for twenty years,” said Wehrheim, adding that parks revitalization was one of the core tenets of his 2017 campaign. “As of now, we have renovated about 70% of our parks.” There are about thirty community parks in Smithtown.

Renovations include turf fields, baseball fields, pickleball courts, tennis courts, updated playgrounds, and basketball courts - totalling about a $70 million investment over the course of his tenure. If re-elected, Wehrheim wants to tackle the remaining 30%. Hoyt Farm has received new pavilions, barbecues, and a “state-of-the-art” playground. On the docket for Hoyt Farm is a home field for SJN Football and Boys’ and Girls’ Smithtown Lacrosse.

“They [the teams and leagues] play at Toner Park, on flat grass that’s not in the greatest shape. They have to either borrow fields from the school district or go outside Smithtown to play games.”

The $2.3 million project is set to start imminently.

“My grandson plays in SJN Football, so I’m at the schools constantly on the fields watching him play,” said Wehrheim. “They are super excited about having their own home field.”

Wehrheim says that parks are a “revenue stream” for the municipal government, as out-of-town leagues must pay a corresponding fee to use the fields.

Overall, Wehrheim is confident in the leadership of his team at Town Hall and looks forward to another four years if re-elected.

“We’re running this campaign on our record. So, everybody can see exactly what we’ve done in Smithtown for the past eight years. We hope we will get four more years to continue down that path. At the end of the day when we’re finished, I think the residents of this town will be pleased with the results. Their property values will rise, there’s no question about it. Parks will be done. Smithtown is a wonderful town to live, work, and raise your family.

We just want to make it better.”

Credit - Matt Meduri

“When we locate here, small businesses flourish because we have people coming in for the next six weeks, probably seven days a week, so the businesses will profit. Secondly, as you can see, a lot of the hard work that we put in, hundreds of millions of dollars, are now starting to come to completion.

We couldn’t be in a better place.”

Wehrheim said.

Not only are significant road repaving projects and traffic markings complete, but the sewers are ahead of schedule.

“Business could start to hook up next month if they prefer to do so. According to the County, the sewers are ahead of schedule and under budget,” said Wehrheim. “They’re at least six months ahead of schedule.”

The Smithtown hamlet sewers are currently in the design stage by engineers, with an estimated cost of $110 million. The line will run from St. Catherine’s Hospital to Terry Road.

With $62 million already committed to the project, another $21.3 million was received from the State. Wehrheim’s conversations with County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) not only flag Romaine’s full support of the sewering of Smithtown, but that he will also look to put in for the remaining funds throughout the next three years’ capital budgets.

Wehrheim also addressed several points about ongoing redevelopment, namely in the Kings Park area.

“The complaints about overdevelopment, traffic, the environment, they’ve been around for years and years and years. The fact is, they don’t come to fruition,” said Wehrheim. “Smart, balanced development in a business district is good for young people, seniors, and young professionals. It has to be done smartly, no doubt about it.”

Wehrheim adds that sewers are the “main key.”

“You can’t do that type of development in the business districts without sewering, which is a huge advantage for the environment. Sewers, most of all of the businesses in St. James, Kings Park, and Smithtown, all have been operating for years on antiquated septic systems,” said Wehrheim. “So, environmentally, this is a huge advancement, to have these sewer mains put in, running to a plant where the water’s treated, and you don’t have to worry about these antiquated septic systems going into the aquifer.”

Wehrheim also says that the Town’s comprehensive master plan already controls building caps in the three business districts.

“The height in buildings and the yield, the number of units that you can build, is all limited in a comprehensive plan,” said Wehrheim. “In St. James, you can’t go higher than two-and-a-half stories. In Kings Park, three - and the third story has to be set back off Main Street, so it looks like two stories - and in Smithtown, the height requirement is no more than four stories. All of that height exists in those business districts already, so when you hear people talking about overdevelopment and apartment complexes, it’s not going to happen.”

Wehrheim says that completed projects, such as the Lofts at Maple and Main, are 70% occupied, and that if Tony Tanzi’s proposal for apartments near the Kings Park LIRR Station is approved, it will be occupied “rather quickly.”

It is Wehrheim and the Town’s continued hope that once sewers are implemented, businesses might begin more renovation and facade work, or even second stories for mixed-use zoning.

“But again, the yield is limited. 320 apartments are maxed out in the entire overlay zone of Kings Park. So, when people hear that this place is turning into Queens, it’s absolutely not going to happen.”

Town codes, namely those related to facades, color matching, and beautification, some have raised the point that the Town does not enforce such codes.

“There is some validity to that, but if you look right here in Kings Park, and I’m a lifelong resident here, you can see the condition of some of these

The Smithtown First Team campaign headquarters is located at 54 Main Street in Kings Park. The team is composed of Supervisor Wehrheim, Councilman Tom McCarthy (R-Nissequogue), Councilwoman Lynne Nowick (R-St. James) - both of whom are running for re-election - as well as Sal Formica (R-Commack) for the open seat of LD-13 on the County Legislature.

Around Town Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

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Thursday, May 8, 2025

Police Officer Stabbed in Amity Harbor; Bay Shore Man Arrested

By Hank Russell | Long Island Life and Politics Suffolk County police arrested a Bay Shore man for allegedly stabbing a police officer in Amity Harbor.

First Precinct officers responded to Gibbs Road on May 6 at 12:26a.m. after a 911 caller reported two men attempting to steal items from vehicles. When officers arrived, they arrested Marcello Martinez at the corner of East Gibbs Road and Western Concourse while a second man fled.

A short time later, officers located Steven Vazquez hiding under a vehicle in front of 11 Gibbs Road. While attempting to flee from under the vehicle, Vazquez allegedly stabbed an officer in the upper right thigh and slashed him in the face.

A tourniquet was applied to the officer’s leg, and he was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated and released.

Vazquez, 22, was charged with second-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, resisting arrest, menacing a police officer, and fourth-degree grand larceny. Martinez, 19, of North Babylon, was charged with possession of burglar’s tools and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.

The two will be arraigned on May 7 at First District Court in Central Islip.

Editor’s Note: The Messenger spoke with Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association (PBA) President Lou Civello on the matter: “Thankfully, our officer is going to be okay, but it was very close to him being stabbed in his femoral artery. He was stabbed in the groin; just a few inches the other way and we could have lost this officer,” Civello told The Messenger. “So, it just underscores how dangerous this job is. This is what our officers deal with when they’re out there protecting life and property here in Suffolk County. This was a quality-of-life crime.

“This individual was stealing out of vehicles. People here in Suffolk County have a right to be safe when they drive their car on the roadways. They have a right to be safe when they’re parking their car in their own driveway and to know that people aren’t going to go and steal from their own cars,” Civello continued. “In that, we need to focus on these quality-of-life crimes. It really brings back the problem of bail reform because this is one of these revolving door crimes where we continually let these people out.”

“There needs to be real repercussions for these crimes. Thankfully, again, we avoided tragedy, but just narrowly,” Civello concluded.

It is unknown if the defendant will be charged with a non-bail-eligible offense, although Civello says it’s likely he will be charged with attempted murder, a bail-eligible offense.

(631) 269-6421

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Candidate Spotlight Thursday, May 8, 2025

By Matt Meduri

Bernadette Ackerman Candidate: Bernadette Ackerman Residence: Nesconset Prior Elected Office: None, other than PTA presidency at Tackan Elementary Prior Campaigns: None Endorsements: NYSUT Bernadette Ackerman is one of six candidates running for two separate open seats on the Smithtown Central School District’s (CSD) Board of Education. Bernadette Ackerman sat down with The Messenger for an interview for this candidate spotlight.

Q: What is your professional background and how does it equip you for Smithtown CSD Board of Education?

A: I am the VP of marketing for a software technology firm that provides public transit tech solutions on a global scale. I run a marketing team, I have thirty years of experience on Fortune 500 marketing teams, spent about 13-14 years at Motorola, another 10-12 at Ericsson; my experience has always been in global marketing and corporate communications. I am a professional and expert at taking complex concepts and translating them into messaging that resonates with all audiences and stakeholders. I think that’s an area that Smithtown can improve upon. Currently, I am managing a team that does corporate communications and digital marketing.

I definitely think some of the tools that we use could be adapted, especially in communicating with parents in places where they already prefer to get their information.

Q: We have watched board meetings where community members bring forward concerns, and the superintendent appears to respond with visible personal disdain or dismissiveness. How would you ensure that members of the public feel respected and heard, especially when they present concerns or information that may differ from the administration’s position or is backed by documented evidence? How do you plan to foster a culture of respectful engagement within the district?

A: First, I would say that everyone’s opinion is a valid one, even if it’s different from mine or the superintendent. One of the things that my running mates and I have talked about for our platform is communication. Very often, there are people who speak at board meetings regularly and they do understand the process. Then there are people who have never been to one and they don’t understand the process. They come there anticipating their problems being solved while they’re at the podium. I think we should set the expectations up front at the meeting; they have the right to speak, but no back-and-forth dialogue. That’s something that could be at the table when they sign up to speak. It’s a one-way communication.

In terms of people getting responses from the superintendent or board, I fully believe that everyone deserves to be responded to in a respectful and timely manner. That is critically important. Sometimes, parents don’t like the answers to their questions, and that’s a different conversation. I’ve seen it multiple times at board meetings where they come to the meetings because they didn’t get an answer they wanted. That’s unfortunate, and I understand emotions can be very high in that situation, but every parent deserves to be heard and their concerns responded to in a respectful manner.

Q: Community members have expressed frustration regarding delays in receiving responses to their FOIL (Freedom of Information Law) requests. Other districts appear to handle these requests more efficiently. How would you, as a board member, ensure that FOIL requests are handled in a more timely and transparent manner? How can the district better communicate and prioritize these requests?

A: I am not incredibly familiar with the process, since I am not on the board. From what I understand, it’s an arduous process that the district undergoes to protect itself from legal concerns. Every FOIL request must be reviewed by the attorneys and that takes time. Do we want to spend money on a position at New York Avenue for someone to just respond to all the FOIL requests? I’m not sure. We have to find a balance between delivering responses in a timely manner as parents are entitled to, but also respecting the process of protecting the district from legal jeopardy. It’s not just legal jeopardy; part of the process of protecting the district has to do with redacting information of a personal nature. Protecting the privacy of our parents, students, and staff is paramount. I personally want to see that the district takes that care with the attorneys to make sure that no information is accidentally sent through a FOIL that shouldn’t be. That would be devastating to a family.

Q: Mold issues at West have raised concerns among parents and teachers alike, with over 100 teachers signing a document expressing their concerns.

Given that the company from Northport was the first to recognize and address the problem, do you believe they, or another third-party specialist, should be hired to ensure all issues are resolved? How would you ensure that the health and safety of students, teachers, and staff are top priorities?

A: I don’t think there’s anything more important than the health and safety of students and faculty. If there is a problem with mold or a health concern, it should be addressed. I was at that [board] meeting and I have looked at the facilities report

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

from the last meeting where the results were discussed. I have mold in my basement, and I work in my basement, and I smell it. We live on an island. With that said, safety is paramount. I would support getting a second opinion to make the community feel better and confident, to build trust, and put this to rest.

Q: Do you believe that extending a superintendent’s contract well in advance of its expiration is in the best interest of the community, as was done June 13, 2023, before the newly-elected board was seated? What factors should influence this decision, and how would you ensure transparency and community involvement in such critical decisions?

A: I’m not familiar with what occurred. I will say that superintendents on Long Island are sought after, and I guess if the board felt that it had rated the superintendent in a way that they wanted to preserve his employment and keep him from going somewhere else. I was not privy to the conversations they had in their executive session.

Q: During a recent meeting, the superintendent stated that the survey results reflected high percentages of satisfaction, but these results were based on a very small number of responses. With only 1,611 completed surveys out of 14,345 invitations, how do you, as a board member, ensure that the survey results truly represent the views of the entire community? What steps would you take to improve participation and feedback?

A: Meeting parents where they get their information. I would presume from previous experience that that survey went out by email. Not everyone stays up on their email, some people are better than others with email. I am not an expert in what’s available for parents in a school system. That’s something that we need to look at. My running mates and I have talked about a specific app for school systems, a tool that’s used for parents so they get it right on their phone. Text messaging could also be used. When you plaster that type of a survey in multiple places, you are likely to increase the participation.

Q: In the April 17, 2025, issue of The Smithtown News, it was printed that your husband works as a consultant for a school security company. Can you confirm whether he works for the same security company contracted by Smithtown Central School District?

A: I prefer not to talk about my husband, at his request, not mine. He is a retired police officer.

Q: In your daughter, Taylor’s, op-ed, “Smithtown, please don’t give up”, in Newsday dated May 24, 2021, she says that “seeing color”, as it pertains to race, is necessary to help understand where different people come from. She also calls Smithtown a “white, affluent bubble.” You reposted that op-ed on your Facebook account, saying, “After the particularly horrendous few weeks here in Smithtown, this feels appropriate to share.” Do you think teachers should “see color” in your daughter’s view, and do you think students should receive that type of instruction?

A: My daughter is a teacher of black and brown young kids. When she had gotten to Baltimore, she had never had a black friend or teacher. The first time she was in a room full of people not her race was her first day on the job. Her conversations are around her school’s equity team, helping teachers who didn’t grow up in lowerincome areas or poverty. Some kids come in with no supplies and she often spends her paycheck on them. She couldn’t relate to it at first. I personally understood what she was talking about, because she didn’t have experience living in an area exposed to poverty. All of her needs were met [growing up in Smithtown]. It doesn’t matter if students are black or white, it matters that she has an empathy for them. She has learned to relate to their experience.

Smithtown is predominately white; I would say that we are a middle-to-upper class neighborhood. We have some students and families that don’t fit that categorization, but overall, Taylor’s words are Taylor’s words. I’m proud that she’s become empathetic.

Q: You ran Vlad Pean’s 2023 campaign, in which he stated at a board meeting his frustration with the “assistant principal and guidance counselor” of Accompsett Middle School (AMS), which was Theresa Donohue, your running mate. Pean alleged at a March 8, 2022, board meeting that racial discrimination experienced by his daughter was not handled properly. Donohue had vacated her position at AMS by June 2023. Can you explain the scenario that happened while Ms. Donohue was at Accompsett, and can you explain the cohesiveness of this ticket and possible board if you and your running mates are elected?

A: I can’t speak to that. I will tell you that I did not know Theresa before we expressed an interest in running. I think she’s wonderful, she’s a great candidate, and asset to the community.

Q: Has NYSUT contributed to the campaign?

A: With time and energy, they are contributing.

Q: Two-time failed congressional candidate Nancy Goroff (D-Stony Book) serves as treasurer for Long Island Strong Schools Alliance, the PAC that funded the campaign you ran last year for now-Board Members Dana Fritch and Emily Cianci. Through FOIL requests, it is found that the Goroff-linked PAC donated $4000 to the campaign. Is this campaign being funded by LISSA, and do you think obtaining funding from a failed congressional candidate rejected

by Smithtown in a different school district and a different town entirely is appropriate, especially when school board races are specifically nonpartisan?

A: At this point, I’m not sure if we’re being funded by LISSA. LISSA is nonpartisan.

Regardless of the people who make up LISSA, they support kids. That’s what I know of them. I don’t think that everything needs to be looked at with a partisan, political lens.

I was not part of that [LISSA] process [on the 2024 campaign]. I helped with their [the campaign’s] marketing.

The Messenger thanks Bernadette Ackerman for taking the time for this interview.

Candidate Spotlight Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Thursday, May 8, 2025

By Matt Meduri

Theresa Donohue Candidate: Theresa Donohue Residence: St. James Prior Elected Office: None Prior Campaigns: None Endorsements: Smithtown Teachers Association, NYSUT Theresa Donohue is one of six candidates running for two separate open seats on the Smithtown Central School District’s (CSD) Board of Education. Theresa Donohue sat down with The Messenger for an interview for this candidate spotlight.

Q: What is your professional background and how does it equip you for Smithtown CSD Board of Education?

A: I have twenty-three years’ experience as an educator. I started as a middle school English teacher. From there, I developed different leadership capacities. I was an English coordinator, assistant principal, director of humanities, and most recently, central office administrator. I oversee multitiered systems of support as well as data and assessments for a Nassau school district. I live it every single day; I’ve been involved with pretty much every aspect of a school district throughout my career, from budgets to facilities. I was a health and safety coordinator during my time at Commack.

Most recently, I’ve been trained as a Title IX coordinator. I handle all state reporting and data. I have a strong grasp of the inner workings of the district.

I’ve worked with policy committees. I have a wealth of knowledge that would help me be a successful board member. I’ve worked in Commack, Massapequa, and Cold Spring Harbor districts. I’ve been in very large and very small districts.

Q: We have watched board meetings where community members bring forward concerns, and the superintendent appears to respond with visible personal disdain or dismissiveness. How would you ensure that members of the public feel respected and heard, especially when they present concerns or information that may differ from the administration’s position or is backed by documented evidence? How do you plan to foster a culture of respectful engagement within the district?

A: First and foremost, relationship building is important. Aside from our bimonthly meeting, I would love for there to be some sort of a meet-andgreet, a coffee chat, community forums, more times when the public can interact with the BoE and have conversations with them. I’ve worked in places where there have been “thought exchanges” and social media platforms to help that. My philosophy as an educator is, you have to understand people before you can be understood.

I haven’t attended many board meetings. I feel that there has clearly been a lot of contention in the last few years. I feel that that is in part due to the decisions the district has made, and what the BoE has done, and the way they have acted. I don’t necessarily support any of that. At the same time, a BoE meeting isn’t always a forum to have a back-and-forth conversation, I think that needs to be understood by everyone else. I’m not saying people should be dismissive, but it’s not the place to have back-and-forth conversations.

Q: Many families are choosing private schools over public education, leading to a decline in enrollment. As a board member, what steps would you take to address this issue and work towards regaining the trust and confidence of families in the public school system? How do you propose attracting more families back to our district?

A: I don’t think the decline in enrollment has to do with anything that Smithtown offers, both high schools are recognized as AP scholar schools.

We do well; I think the declining enrollment has to do with the high cost of living. We’re farther out east on the Island. People who want to leave the city school system are not making their way out to Suffolk; it’s very expensive to own a home in Smithtown. We don’t have young families here.

I think that’s a greater conversation for the Town of Smithtown with them potentially looking at that. That’s not something that the BoE is going to solve necessarily.

Building a budget is obviously inclusive of unfunded mandates. I do not feel that over the last few years Smithtown CSD has come up with an inflated budget. Of course, they could always do a better job. We could reduce, in some way, the rate to the taxpayer. We could apply for State grants to ease the burden.

Clearly, we saw it this year in Smithtown. My understanding is that there

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were forty positions eliminated. That could potentially reduce costs. Are you running sections of students at the optimal number? Your scheduling process drives the amount of bodies in the building. If the enrollment is down, you can’t support that with bodies in the building. I’ve worked with many districts where they schedule at a higher number to reduce the number of sections to reduce the number of teachers. I’m not involved with the sectioning in Smithtown. Those numbers didn’t just happen this year.

Could those reductions maybe have been spread out over the last few years, over the large number this one year? The previous board didn’t do their due diligence in looking at that, or maybe they did, and they didn’t want to make that tough decision. You have to monitor your enrollment closely and be proactive for those potential reductions.

Q: Community members have expressed frustration regarding delays in receiving responses to their FOIL (Freedom of Information Law) requests. Other districts appear to handle these requests more efficiently. How would you, as a board member, ensure that FOIL requests are handled in a more timely and transparent manner? How can the district better communicate and prioritize these requests?

A: I don’t know if I can give an exact answer, I don’t know how the process works with Smithtown CSD handling FOIL requests. Is there someone that oversees it, I don’t really know. I don’t feel comfortable answering.

Q: Mold issues at West have raised concerns among parents and teachers alike, with over 100 teachers signing a document expressing their concerns. Given that the company from Northport was the first to recognize and address the problem, do you believe they, or another third-party specialist, should be hired to ensure all issues are resolved?

How would you ensure that the health and safety of students, teachers, and staff are top priorities?

A: I do think that health is a top priority, first and foremost. As educators, this is what we do; it’s our career. I don’t think that anyone would knowingly allow teachers/students to be in an unhealthy environment. The review that was found at HSW was addressed and cleaned, that is my understanding, based on the latest report. It was just shared at the last board meeting.

Initially, when the reports came out, there was a chair that had mold on it that had since been removed, they tested the air, the levels came back okay, but there are people still questioning that. If the community wants a second opinion to feel comfortable, depending on the cost, that might be something the district needs to do. I wouldn’t be opposed to that.

Q: Do you believe that extending a superintendent’s contract well in advance of its expiration is in the best interest of the community, as was done June 13, 2023, before the newly-elected board was seated?

What factors should influence this decision, and how would you ensure transparency and community involvement in such critical decisions?

A: I don’t know enough about any conversations in executive sessions, I don’t know if things were said prior. I’m not fully up to speed on that. You just sharing this with me now is the first time I’m hearing about this. I know the job of the board is to evaluate the superintendent and they want to extend the contract, that would be a board decision. I don’t know enough to say if it was completely transparent. Executive sessions are never transparent, they’re never discussed at public meetings.

Q: During a recent meeting, the superintendent stated that the survey results reflected high percentages of satisfaction, but these results were based on a very small number of responses. With only 1,611 completed surveys out of 14,345 invitations, how do you, as a board member, ensure that the survey results truly represent the views of the entire community? What steps would you take to improve participation and feedback?

A: Even in my current role, we send out surveys, it’s challenging to get parents to respond to surveys. People are busy, email inboxes are always full. I think there are definite ways you can get more people engaged. I think that working with PTAs is a great place to start, I’m sure they encourage people to take those surveys. I think if there was some sort of forum, a board meet-and-greet, coffee hour, or some other way to have that more informal interaction with the public, that could be another avenue. The survey is a little lengthy at times, some people start it and then stop paying attention. You’re never going to get a 100% participation rate unfortunately.

I don’t know how much the board had a hand in that survey. I think we need a bigger percentage. I think we could do a better job at getting people to respond.

Q: What transpired at Accompsett Middle School that led to your departure in spring 2023?

A: I’m not entirely sure what this has to do with my candidacy for the board.

The Messenger thanks Theresa Donohue for taking the time for this interview.

Civics 101

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Thursday, May 8, 2025

The Necessary Standard for American Education The Twentieth Amendment

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

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 Effects

After a turbulent period of amendment regarding civil rights, suffrage, alcohol legality, and Reconstruction, the U.S. caught a reprieve with the Twentieth Amendment. Not only did it handle several housekeeping matters in Washington, but it was also one of the least controversial and divisive amendments at its time, and remains in that category today.

Language Section One of the amendment alters the election-to-inauguration schedule for the presidency and vice presidency, with terms ending at noon on January 20. It also set the terms for the House and Senate to start on January 3.

Section Two dictates that Congress shall assemble “at least once every year”, and the meeting is to begin at noon on January 3, unless a law appoints a different day.

Section Three smooths over the succession of vice president to president should the coterminous president vacate the office. Section Three says that the vice president becomes the president, as opposed to prior constitutional language that said the vice president assumes the office and duties of president. The section also provides for a power crisis in which a president-elect is unable to take office before inauguration day. It allows for the vice president to act as president until a president shall have qualified, or if Congress, by law, provides that neither the president nor the vice president shall have qualified.

Congress can then decide who acts as president until a formal selection is made.

Section Four builds upon rules set in the Twelfth Amendment, which gives the House, by state delegation, the power to elect the president and the Senate to elect the vice president, in the event no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes. This section smooths over congressional election power in the event a president-elect dies before inauguration.

Sections Five and Six place a date of effect and a provision of ineffectiveness should the state not ratify.

History and Origin Article I, Section 4, Clause 2 of the Constitution states that Congress must meet at least once per year. The date originally specified was the first Monday of December.

While the original text of the Constitution set term limits, it did not specify beginning and end dates. Presidents were originally inaugurated on March 4 of every year, following a November election, mainly because it was when the first U.S. Congress convened after the Constitution was ratified in 1788. George Washington was delayed to the capital for his first inauguration due to travel difficulties, which resulted in his April 30 swearingin. Congress would later establish March 4 as the official inauguration date in 1792.

The result of electing presidents and representatives in November and inaugurating them in March created a significantly long lame-duck period, in which an outgoing incumbent has time to govern until his or her successor takes the oath of office. It proved even more opaque for Congress, as Article I, Section 4, Clause 2 of the Constitution stipulated a December congressional meeting, after the election but before the next term had begun. Lame-duck

U.S. Capitol Building (Credit - Matt Meduri)

sessions were required by the Constitution every two years, meaning that the next session would not commence until the next December. The result in some years was that representatives would not take office until a year after being elected. Congress typically met in a long session starting in December of odd-numbered years, followed by a December lame-duck session in evennumbered years.

The gap was a product of a much more rural and unconnected country, where it would often take several months for new elected officials to put their affairs in order and travel to Washington. By the time the 1930s had come around, the country had long since changed and the modern age removed the need for such a gap.

The other glaring problem with the time gap is that it did not give the president or Congress adequate time to respond to emergencies and crises as they arose. Since the even-numbered year lame-duck sessions often saw new representatives wait a year to take office, a lameduck congress and president didn’t have quite the mandate to tackle certain problems.

The government sessions of 1861 and 1933 saw these problems come to a head. President Abraham Lincoln (RIL) and the incoming Congress had to wait four months to take office, inhibiting their ability to deal with the secession of states and the leadup to the Civil War, which unfolded towards the end of James Buchanan’s (D-PA) presidency.

In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt (D-NY) and his accompanying Congress had the same problem in regards to the Great Depression while Herbert Hoover (R-IA) was still in office.

The problems in 1933 led to congressional passage of the Twentieth Amendment and the states began ratifying it that year.

Ratification The Twentieth Amendment was proposed by the Seventy-Second Congress on March 2, 1932, signed by Speaker of the House - and future vice president - John Nance Garner (D, TX-15) and Vice President Charles Curtis (R-KS).

Virginia was the first state to ratify on March 4, 1932, followed by New York, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Kentucky.

Missouri became the thirty-sixth and tipping-point state for ratification on January 23, 1933.

Unlike other amendments, ratification for this one was not nearly as drawn out, hotly contested, or saw rejections, rescindments, or significantly delayed action. All forty-eight states at the time voted to ratify within about fourteen months of congressional passage. Florida was the last state to ratify, doing so on April 26, 1933.

The amendment marked the start of presidential and vice presidential terms on January 20 and reduced the lame-duck period between the November election and inauguration by six weeks. It superseded the Twelfth Amendment’s provision of March 4 as the date Congress must hold a contingent election in which no presidential candidate receives a majority of electoral votes. It also smooths over the onus of a contingent presidential election in the case of necessity, with the responsibility falling on the newly-elected Congress, as opposed to the outgoing one.

While the amendment switched the start of congressional session from the first Monday of December to noon on January 3, Congress still retains the power to set another date. The president can still call special sessions of Congress.

Section 3 of the Twentieth Amendment also clarifies that the vice president-elect will be sworn in as president and serve out the full term should the president-elect die before taking office. It also says that if the president-elect failed to meet a majority of electoral votes, the vice president-elect would become acting president on Inauguration Day until or unless the president-elect is able to qualify, or if Congress has not chosen a president. This filled in a gap in the Constitution at the time, wherein it does expressly state proceedings if the Electoral College tried to elect a constitutionally unqualified person as president.

In response to a possible power crisis, Congress would later add a “failure to qualify” provision in the Presidential Succession Act of 1947. This addresses constitutional crises around the 1800 election and the power dynamics of the controversial compromise of the 1876 election.

The first Congress to be seated under the rules and provisions of the newly-ratified Twentieth Amendment was the Seventy-Fourth Congress, which was in session from 1935 to 1937. The first presidential and vice presidential terms to commence under these rules were those of Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Nance Garner, sworn in on January 20, 1937. The Roosevelt-Garner ticket won a landslide against Herbert-Curtis ticket in 1932, and won one of the most lopsided victories in 1936 against Alf Landon (R-KS).

The Seventy-Fourth Congress was also dominated by Democrats, winning 69 Senate seats in the 1934 elections to the Republicans’ 25. One seat, Wisconsin, was won by native son Robert La Follette, Jr. Democrats also secured a supermajority in the House, winning 322 seats to the GOP’s 103, with 7 seats going to the Progressives and 3 seats going to the Farmer-Labor Party.

The new rules did, however, shorten the length of Garner’s vice presidential term by forty-three days, thus adding him to the list of vice presidents to have not served for a full eight years.

As an interesting side note, Garner would serve until 1941, but would challenge Roosevelt for the 1940 Democratic nomination over growing concerns of federal spending and Roosevelt’s seeking of a third term. Garner would become the last vice president - sitting or former - to run against his former boss until Mike Pence (R-IN) did so in the 2024 cycle. This also makes Donald Trump (R-FL) the first president since Roosevelt elected to two terms with different running mates each time.

you deserve a say

If you’re like nearly 80% of Smithtown households, you don’t have children in the schools—yet your taxes still fund over 70% of the school budget. You deserve a Board of Education that respects your investment and serves all taxpayers - fairly and transparently.

Our Promise to You We will keep our school budget fiscally responsible

We will solicit and respect taxpayer feedback

We will ensure decisions are non-partisan

We will prioritize needs over wants

Strong schools build strong communities.

We’re committed to maintaining the high standards that make Smithtown’s schools exceptional—ensuring they remain a source of pride and the foundation of our property values.

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Smithtown Messenger - Brookhaven Messenger - Islip Messenger - Thursday, May 8, 2025

YOU PAY THE TAXES

18

News Thursday, May 8, 2025

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Community Science Educational Series Returns with a Focus on Invasive Species The annual educational series, Community Science Long Island, returns this month for its fifth year. The series, which began in 2021, highlights participatory science programs that communities can take part in and helps illustrate how their engagement helps advance local research and environmental conservation.

This year, the series will highlight issues related to invasive species found across Long Island, providing guidance on how to identify them and best practices to reduce future spread. The series will run from May through August and feature both monthly webinars and in-person events, including nature walks and invasive species removal activities.

Community Science Long Island kicks off on May 15 at 7:00p.m. with a program on the invasive aquatic grass, phragmites (Phragmites australis), (picture right) which is also known as common reed. The presentation will be followed by a phrag pull at 9:00a.m. on Saturday, May 17 at West Brook in Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park in Great River. The series will wrap up in August with an island-wide coastal bioblitz, an event which invites people to head outside to snap pictures of every living thing they can find.

Community Science Long Island is being hosted by Seatuck Environmental Association, Peconic Estuary Partnership, South Shore Estuary Reserve, New York Sea Grant, the Long Island Sound Study, and the Long Island Invasive Species Management Area.

People interested in joining any of the events and finding out more can visit https://seatuck.org/community-science-webinars/

Sophia Valsamos Foundation Supports Youth Emotional Health with Expansion of Wellness Kit Program As part of its ongoing mission to promote emotional health awareness and wellness among young people across Long Island schools, the Sophia Valsamos Foundation (TSVF) is excited to announce a donation of curated wellness kits to the Northport-East Northport School District, for use in both middle schools, Northport High School, the district’s suspension programs and the alternative high school.

Created with compassion and purpose, each Wellness Kit includes a thoughtful assortment of sensory tools, self-care items, and inspirational materials, all aimed at providing comfort, promoting mindfulness, fostering resilience and bringing emotional health awareness to students.

“In honor of my daughter Sophia, we’re excited to bring this program into schools, where so many young people face daily pressures and emotional challenges,” said Chris Valsamos, TSVF Board Director. “Our goal is to create safe, supportive spaces where students feel empowered to talk about emotional health and practice self-care without stigma. We’re thrilled to provide our kits to the Northport-East Northport School District to support these students on their journey.”

Anthony Ferrandino, a School Social Worker in the Northport-East Northport School District, welcomed the donation as a timely and meaningful addition to their ongoing efforts to support social-emotional learning.

“We are thankful to The Sophia Valsamos Foundation for their generous donation of wellness kits to our school community,” said Ferrandino. “These resources will provide our students with meaningful tools to manage stress, build emotional resilience, and feel supported during challenging times. Mental Health is a critical component of student success, and having access to these kits reinforces the message that it’s okay to ask for help and prioritize emotional well-being.”

TSVF is actively expanding its Wellness Kit initiative with the goal of reaching as many school districts as possible across the region. These kits are designed to help students manage anxiety and stress, navigate emotional challenges, and develop healthy coping strategies to support long-term wellness. TSVF invites educators, teachers, school administrators, counselors, psychologists, and social workers to request free wellness kits for distribution within their schools. By working together, we can foster supportive learning environments where students feel seen, heard, and empowered.

Support the Mission TSVF invites the community to join in its efforts in supporting the mission and helping to make more wellness kits available to those in need. You can make a meaningful difference in the lives of young people. Donations directly fund the expansion and distribution of wellness kits, ensuring that more young people receive the tools they deserve and need to heal and thrive.

To contribute or volunteer, visit www.TSVF.org or email contact@tsvf.org.

About The Sophia Valsamos Foundation Founded in 2018 in loving memory of Sophia Valsamos, a vibrant, artistic, intelligent, and kind-hearted 13-year-old who lost her life to suicide, The Sophia Valsamos Foundation is dedicated to empowering youth, building self-confidence, and promoting kindness. The foundation provides outreach programs, educational workshops, and resources for children, teens and families. Through advocacy, action, and the donation of wellness kits, TSVF works to break the stigma surrounding emotional health and create a culture of empathy, awareness and connection.

AMAC Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Overview - AMAC The Association of Mature American Citizens

Thursday, May 8, 2025

‘INSANE ORWELLIAN WORLD’: Ted Cruz Speaks Out As Accused Tesla Vandal Released to Receive ‘Gender-Affirming Care’

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The Association of Mature American Citizens represents Americans 50 plus. AMAC is centered on American values, freedom of the individual, free speech, and exercise of religion, equality of opportunity, sanctity of life, rule of law, and love of family, with benefits at all levels.

AMAC plays a vital role in helping build the services that will enrich the lives of America’s seniors. AMAC Action, a 501 (C)(4) advocates for issues important to AMAC’s membership on Capitol Hill and locally through grassroots activism. To Learn more, visit amac.us

By Tyler O’Neil | Outside Contributor for AMAC A court released from jail a suspect who allegedly set fire to Tesla vehicles in Kansas City, Missouri, in order to allow the suspect to continue receiving “gender-affirming care.”

Authorities arrested the 19-year-old suspect, identified as Owen McIntire, last month in Boston, after McIntire allegedly set fire to Tesla cybertrucks in March using “Molotov cocktails.” McIntire is a student at the University of Massachusetts in Boston and was visiting family in Kansas City at the time of the incident.

Federal prosecutors charged McIntire with malicious destruction of property and unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm.

Judge Jessica Hedges issued an order setting release conditions, and prosecutors have asked the court to revoke that order.

According to Fox 4 Kansas City, which reviewed the defense’s documents, McIntire’s attorney argued the suspect should be released because McIntire is suffering “serious and ongoing” medical needs and treatments that could not or would not be provided while in federal detention.

“The defense filing says McIntire is undergoing treatment for depression and is receiving gender affirming care that began in March of this year—and that care would likely be interrupted or terminated in federal custody,” the outlet reported. McIntire’s attorney also cited his client’s lack of a criminal history and ties to the Kansas City area as reasons McIntire would not be a flight risk.

Prosecutors argued, however, that there is a “rebuttable presumption of detention” in the case because McIntire stands accused of violent offenses with a maximum prison term exceeding 10 years.

“The nature and circumstances of the charged offenses support detention in this case,” prosecutors wrote. “The offense involved the use of multiple destructive devices to firebomb Tesla vehicles at a Tesla dealership. Setting these vehicles on fire creates an extremely hazardous situation for anyone nearby and responding public safety officers and firemen.”

Prosecutors also wrote that “the weight of the evidence that the defendant made and used two destructive devices to commit arson is overwhelming.”

They cited evidence that McIntire’s phone was located at the scene of the crimes and that the suspect was driving a car that fit eyewitness descriptions.

Laine Cardarella, the public defender assigned to McIntire’s case, did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment by publication time.

Gender Confusion While court filings and news reports unanimously refer to McIntire using male pronouns, the involvement of “gender-affirming care” introduces confusion into the reporting.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, noted on a podcast Monday that McIntire could be male or female.

“I think this is a person who was born female, who has decided that she is a ‘he’ and wants to be a man,” Cruz said. “The reason I think that is we’ve googled it, and every damn story uses ‘he,’ ‘he,’ ‘he,’ ‘he,’ ‘he,’ and given the insane Orwellian world we live in, I think if ABC is referring to this person as a he and this person is transgender, that to me means the person was born a she.”

Ben Ferguson, Cruz’s co-host, responded, “This is a dude that grew out his hair and looks like a chick.”

The Daily Signal reached out to the Justice Department and to the University of Massachusetts in Boston, and neither shed light on McIntire’s biology.

“I can confirm that Owen McIntire has been enrolled at UMass Boston beginning fall semester 2024,” DeWayne Lehman, the school’s director of communications, told The Daily Signal in a statement Monday. “In keeping with [the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act], we cannot release protected information about any student.”

Three possible scenarios could explain the confusion: McIntire could be male and he could have belatedly claimed the need for “gender-affirming care” in a non-convincing manner, such that court records and news outlets still refer to him as male;

McIntire could be female and may have changed official records to present herself as male; or the “gender-affirming care” could be of the sort that does not directly relate to a “transgender” identity, such as hormone treatment to resolve a disorder.

As The Daily Caller’s Audrey Streb reported in March, many of the vandals who targeted Teslas appear to identify as transgender or “nonbinary.”

McIntire’s name did not appear on Streb’s list.

The Trend of Tesla Violence

She did, however, include 42-year-old Justin Thomas Nelson (who goes by Lucy Grace Nelson and who was charged with “malicious destruction of property” in Colorado); 27-year-old Erin L. White (who uses she/they pronouns and who was charged with criminal damage to property and trespass for allegedly vandalizing a Tesla center in Illinois); and 41-year-old Adam Matthew Lansky (who went by the alias Allison Tesla and who was accused of possessing Molotov cocktails while attempting to destroy Tesla property at a Salem, Oregon, car dealership).

After President Donald Trump launched the Department of Government Efficiency to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government and presented Tesla CEO Elon Musk as the face of the effort, protesters have targeted Tesla to oppose DOGE. The Left’s dark money network has funded organizations helping the protests, and activists even published a map ostensibly plotting every Tesla dealership across the U.S. to enable vandals to target them.

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Bits & Pieces

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WORD OF THE

Week Etymology: mid 19th Century; derives from the phrasal verb “come up,” which implies appearing before a judge or tribunal.

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Thursday, May 8, 2025

SUDOKU

COMEUPPANCE noun Pronounced: /kuh·muh·pns/ Definition: a punishment or fate that someone deserves.

Example: “He finally got his comeuppance for all of his under-handed work.”

Synonyms: retribution, due, recompense Antonyms: exoneration, acquittal, amnesty Source: Oxford Languages

See bottom left for the answers (please don’t cheat!)

This Week in History May 13, 1989:

WORD WHEEL

May 12, 1994:

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May 9, 1960:

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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“Pulp Fiction”, directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Samuel L. Jackson premieres at the Cannes Film Festival (Palme d’Or 1994).

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The United States becomes the first country to legalize the birth control pill.

Approximately 2,000 students begin a hunger strike in Tiananmen Square, China to force a dialogue with the government ahead of a visit by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

May 10, 1775:

Second Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and issues paper currency for the first time.

May 8, 1945:

V-E Day: World War II ends in Europe after Germany signs an unconditional surrender.

May 14, 1804:

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s expedition sets out from St. Louis for the Pacific Coast, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson.

May 11, 1934:

Great dust bowl storm sweeps across the American and Canadian prairies traveling as far as the East Coast.

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Thursday, May 8, 2025

21

Toughness Takes You Places

By PJ Balzer Geo Alvarez has blessed two different school districts in Suffolk County with his outstanding and well-rounded athletic ability. This fall, he’s committed and well on his way to bless a third, only this time at the college level.

He recently committed to Endicott College to play football and study exercise science and athletic training.

Geo attended the Brentwood School District from preschool right through the eighth grade. The summer prior to his freshman year he moved into the William Floyd School District, which he admits wasn’t easy initially.

“While the transition wasn’t easy at first, I personally don’t believe I would have had the same success in my athletic career if I hadn’t moved,” said Alvarez His father was an integral part of Brentwood’s great soccer legacy, even being on one of their high school state championship teams. Naturally, he enrolled Geo in soccer when he pretty much learned how to walk. Geo admits that even though soccer is completely engrained in the Brentwood community, it just wasn’t his sport. He asked his dad not to take him back after the first practice.

Geo then tried the sport of basketball and liked it, playing in Brentwood youth leagues from early on. Football on the other hand was labeled a more dangerous sport in his household and family, but Geo has always enjoyed watching it on television. He initially wasn’t allowed to play or join any football leagues. Yet, like any teenager, he took matters into his own hands.

“I actually didn’t tell my parents I was trying out for football in the seventh grade at Brentwood. I told them I was staying after school for a club. Once I made the team I had to tell them the truth. They weren’t happy initially but after much consideration let me continue playing.”

Since then, football has been his bread and butter, even though he does play varsity basketball and lacrosse as well. While his youth coaches in Brentwood started him off at the quarterback position simply because of his athleticism, Alveraz has always been enamored with the wide receiver position, where he’s thrived ever since he caught his first pass. Little did he know he’d be soon moving into a community and district that thrives at football and would be throwing him many more passes for years to come.

Geo is fast, fearless, and gritty. He knows how to both run patterns and fight to get open if needed. He will give his quarterback a promising target to hit and any defender a problem once he has the ball stuck to his hands. Going into this past football season, Newsday named Alveraz one of the Island’s top 100 football players, saying this about him, “Alvarez caught 22 passes for 560 yards and 10 touchdowns during his junior season. He is one of the fastest receivers in New York State.”

“I know Floyd has many county championships but winning one both my junior and senior year was such a highlight. With the top highlight being my 89-yard touchdown return in the championship game at Stony Brook this year. That was just a surreal moment in my life that I’ll never forget.”

Alvarez is an athlete and a team player who will undoubtedly contribute to any field or court he’s on. For Floyd football, he directly contributed to the score board whether it was catching passes for touchdowns, running the ball back on kickoffs, or on defense putting the brakes on the opposition from scoring. For Floyd basketball, it was different types of contributions he made, but just as important to the team’s success.

In the Suffolk County large school semifinal game against Bay Shore this year, it was obvious that Geo came off the bench with direct orders, “To mark Carter Wilson and stick to him like glue.” Wilson, a soon to be Bay Shore graduate, who is committed to playing basketball at Adelphi this fall, is one of the top point guards in the State. He’s infamous for pulling a team’s defense apart, getting to the hoop, and getting his teammates good shots.

But not this game, not with a strong and fast Geo Alvarez intent on marking his every step. Alvarez’s defense was a crucial part of Floyd’s victory over Bay Shore to move onto the County final.

During the summer months, he is attending practices and training for three varsity level sports, which leaves him with very little down time. Besides sports, Alveraz maintains a 95-plus-grade average, which he takes pride in as well. He accredits much of his hard work and inspiration to his parents who have been there for him through thick and thin; taking him to multiple practices, constant support from the stands, and, of course, the unconditional love. These have been the main ingredients to mix in with his athletic ability that are moving him to the next level this fall.

Geo recalls fondly his dad driving him to many tournaments, camps, and games, even having to leave the house by 4:00a.m. on some occasions, as well as his mom making sacrifices for his sports career that Geo recognizes as something he could never fully repay her for. One of his favorite quotes that reminds him of his parents is, “Mom’s love is the roots that anchor us, Dad’s love is the wings that help us soar.”

A few months ago, Alvarez committed to continue catching passes and outrunning defenders at Endicott College in Massachusetts. He’ll be playing wide receiver for the Gulls

and is obviously excited to learn and compete at the next level. He chose Endicott not only because of their ranked football program, aesthetic campus, and being close to the New England beaches, but also because of the team’s focus on academics and the coaching staff’s hospitality when he arrived to visit the campus.

“I found out that this past season the football team had a cumulative grade point average of 3.34 with 64 of the players over a 3.5. That just shows that they take academics seriously as I do also. I’m ultimately a student first and an athlete second,” said Alvarez.

His future goals are to eventually graduate with a master’s degree and leave his mark in receiving yards and touchdowns at Endicott. This summer, he will continue working on his speed, agility, and the many football skills he’s bringing with him to college. When asked what advice he’d give younger athletes coming behind him that want to achieve what he has, he said, “Don’t compare yourself to other athletes on social media. I’ve made the mistake of doing that and it weighed me down at times. Put the hard work in and etch out your own path for yourself. Good things will eventually come your way, and don’t forget about how important your grades are.”

Credit - William Floyd Union Free School District

Messenger Perspectives

22

Legal Insights Thursday, May 8, 2025

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Dispelling Common Myths About Asset Transfer After Death

By Sara M. Meyer, Esq. As an estate attorney, I’ve encountered numerous misconceptions about what happens to assets when someone passes away. These misunderstandings often lead to a lack of estate planning, delays in asset distribution, family conflicts, extra costs, and financial complications.

Let me dispel some common myths about probate, beneficiary designations, and trust administration.

Myth #1: “My will determines who gets all my assets when I die.”

Your will only controls assets that you own individually that do not have a beneficiary designation. Assets that you own jointly with rights of survivorship with someone else, assets that have a beneficiary designation (sometimes referred to as Payable On Death or Transfer On Death designations), or assets held in a trust will pass outside of your will. These designations/ownerships trump whatever your will says about your estate distribution.

Myth #2: “My will keeps my family out of probate court.”

I often see surprised faces when I explain that a will does not avoid a probate proceeding – it actually guides the probate process. Think of your will as instructions for Surrogate’s Court on how to distribute your assets now that you have passed away. Without a will, New York State law decides who inherits your individually owned assets, which may not match your wishes.

Myth #3: “I don’t need a will because I am married.”

In New York State, being married does not automatically mean your spouse will inherit all your assets if you die without a will. Without a will, New York’s intestacy laws determine who inherits your individual property. If you die with a spouse and children, your spouse receives $50,000 plus half of the remaining estate, while your children share the other half (even if the children are minors!).

Myth #4: “If I create a trust, my heirs automatically receive my assets.”

Simply creating a trust does not avoid a probate proceeding or transfer your assets automatically. Your trust must be “funded” for it to be effective — meaning assets must be retitled in the name of the trust during your lifetime. I’ve seen many beautifully crafted trusts that failed because the person never completed the crucial last step of changing ownership of the assets to the trust.

Myth #5: “Trust administration is just as complicated as probate.”

Trust administration typically occurs without court supervision, allowing for privacy and efficiency that probate does not allow. While trustees must still follow legal obligations to beneficiaries, the process generally moves more quickly than probate and with fewer expenses. For Long Islanders with properties in multiple states, trusts also avoid the need for multiple probate proceedings.

What Long Islanders Should Know Understanding how your assets will transfer after death empowers you to create an effective estate plan. Each transfer method—probate, beneficiary designations, and trusts—has advantages and limitations. The key is to discuss your goals with an estate planning attorney to craft a plan for your specific circumstances and family needs.

By addressing these matters proactively, you spare your loved ones’ confusion during an already difficult time and ensure your wishes are honored efficiently.

Sara M. Meyer, Esq. primarily practices in the areas of Elder Law, Estate Planning and Medicaid planning at Futterman Lanza, LLP. Sara Meyer assists families in preparing for any eventuality using asset protection, will preparation, revocable and irrevocable trusts, Powers of Attorney, Health Care Proxies and Living Wills. This compassionate and attentive attorney generates a sense of calm and understanding in her relationships with clients and their families.

Futterman Lanza, LLP is an elder law and estate planning law firm with staffed offices in Smithtown, Bay Shore, Melville and Garden City, New York. Sara Meyer primarily works in the Smithtown office, where we have celebrated our twenty-first anniversary serving the local community. The firm’s holistic approach anticipates and provides solutions in the ever-changing landscape. You can learn more about Sara Meyer and the firm by visiting www.trustedattorneys.com.

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

In Honor of Nurses Week

23

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

A Final Salute: The LI Nurses Honor Guard’s Lasting Impact

By Madison Warren Credit - Mary Ann S.

This week marks National Nurses Week, a The Nurses Honor Guard creates unique time to recognize the invaluable contributions and individual ceremonies for each nurse. nurses make to our lives. These dedicated The memorial ceremony will highlight the professionals devote their careers to caring for nurse’s career, along with a nurse’s prayer patients, comforting families, and navigating and the Nightingale tribute. When someone some of the most challenging circumstances has graduated to become a nurse, a light is lit, with compassion and resilience. Whether and at this tribute, the light is extinguished, you are a nurse, know a nurse, or aspire to finally releasing them of their nursing duties. become one, it is clear that nurses have faced The Nurses Honor Guard is successfully extraordinary challenges in recent years run by nurses who volunteer their extra time and are truly deserving of our gratitude and to showcase the dedication of their peers. appreciation.

This community of people share the same In recognition of this week, The Messenger love and passion for giving back to others. sat down with Jessica Colon, Founder and “The tributes give us a sense of fulfillment, President of the Long Island Chapter of the too,” said Jessica. “During the ceremony, Nurses Honor Guard, to discuss what this time families get emotional, and you’re very moved Let Letour ourknowledgeable knowledgeableand and of year means to her and how she believes yourself. It’s not only for the families or the experienced experiencedsales salesstaff staffassist assistyou nurses should be honored throughout and nurses we honor, you but it’s also for us. We need living withyour youroutdoor outdoor livingspace. space. beyond their careers. to with honor each other and ensure that every Let our kn Growing up, Jessica’s father worked for the nurse is remembered in some way.” experienced ALL LANDSCAPE WWW.ALLCOUNTYBLOCK.COM OPEN TO THE PUBLIC with your ou PUBLIC FOR ALLYOUR YOUR LANDSCAPE MASONRYNEEDS NEEDS FDNY and saw the recognition those workers In FOR 2023, the Long& &MASONRY Island chapter WWW.ALLCOUNTYBLOCK.COM received once they passed. Once she got into experienced a profound loss with the passing WWW.ALLCOUNTYBLOCK.COM OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOR the career field of becoming a nurse and saw of one of their members. In her memory, the the hardships they had to face, she knew that in a different way, they were heroes too. group is preparing to present a scholarship in her name—an act that honors her legacy During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, nurses played a critical role while supporting the future generation of nurses.

Let our knowledgeable and has been a nurse for 22 years, and on the frontlines.

Jessica Colon for her, National Nurses AUTHORIZED DEALER OF: AUTHORIZED DEALER OF: Week is A sales staff assist you Reflecting on that time, Jessica said, “It was hard to get up and go to work every a experienced time of both reflection and renewed purpose. “It’s hard to even put into words what single day, whether we wanted to or not. We’re people too. We were scared, too. But this with organization your outdoor living space. means to me,” she shared. “I want it to live on beyond me and my we had to go.” nursing years. I want it to still be honoring nurses 50 years from now.”

Moved by the loss of so many nurses during the pandemic, Jessica has since devoted Guard is a national, OPEN TO THE PUBLICThe FORNurses ALL YOUR Honor LANDSCAPE & MASONRY NEEDS volunteer-based organization dedicated WWW.ALLCOUNTYBLOCK.COM herself to honoring the lives and legacies of nurses. She is currently planning a five-year to honoring the nursing profession. With 22 active chaptersLOCATION: across New York State, LOCATION: tribute to commemorate those who passed during that difficult period. including the Long Island chapter, it continues to grow and touch lives. If you are a The Nurses Honor Guard is a volunteer-run organization with a heartfelt mission: to nurse on Long Island interested in joining the Honor Guard or would like to arrange 899 Lincoln Ave 899 Lincoln Ave recognize and honor nurses either at the end of their lives or after they have passed. a tribute, you can contact them at (631) 605-8333 or email lihonorguard@gmail.com.

Bohemia, NY Bohemia, NY and Through both living tributes and memorial ceremonies, the and Honor Guard ensures that With sincere gratitude, we thank all nurses for their unwavering dedication Let our knowledgeable AUTHORIZED DEALERyou OF:a meaningful and happy Nurses Appreciation a nurse’s service and dedication are never forgotten. compassionate care.

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24

Local History Thursday, May 8, 2025

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

The General Store at 501 Hawkins Avenue - Part 2: ‘The Colemans’

By Ellyn Okvist, B.Sc.

Leaving a successful General Store for Riverhead. He was attending a state road a real estate career was a wise choice for meeting in Riverhead when the symptoms Willis Hallock. However, when he sold of his appendicitis began. Walter had the store to Walter Emmett Coleman in early complications as a result of the 1907, the Coleman Family quickly jumped appendectomy, performed on April 1, right into the business that was already 1916. He had two operations to attempt a streaming success. Walters’s wife, Alice to correct the problems. He died on April Victoria L’Hommedieu Coleman, worked 16, 1916, at the Dr. Ross’ Sanitarium at side by side with Walter, planning to expand Brentwood aged 58 years. Unfortunately, the stock and attract more customers to his wife Alice contracted pneumonia from shop with them. The store had developed the daily visits to the hospital to care for a fine reputation and was drawing new Walter. This was the time for her to take customers every day. The Village of Lake care of herself, but she did not allow Ronkonkoma was also expanding quickly, herself to rest. She died on April 26, 1916, and the store needed to supply day-toonly ten days after her beloved Walter. day goods and additional specialty items Walter and Alice’s religious as requested by the new and summer beliefs bought them to New Village residents. He had built the store up until it Congregational Church (Lake Grove) W.E. Coleman General Store and Lake Ronkonkoma Post Office, 1907-1914 became the largest and most prosperous and he helped build the new parsonage store in the area. His son-in-law, Frederick by promoting amateur shows for that Wilkinson, was the business manager. benefit. He was a loyal member of the Frederick Henry Wilkinson was married to Ronkonkoma Fire Department, President Walter and Alice Victoria’s daughter, Ann of the Businessmen’s Association, and Evelyn Coleman Wilkinson Hansen. Walter involved in civic affairs. Walter also did and Alice, along with Harold and Alice, Ann land planning including farming and and Frederick and their two sons Walter building. In February 1914, he designed a “Freddy” and Alfred Redman, lived in the peach orchard for Frank Rummell, Sr. at apartments above the store. his Lake property.

As owner of the General Store, Walter became the Postmaster of the existing Lineage of COLEMAN, Lake Ronkonkoma Post Office in the Brookhaven, Suffolk building. He continued the duties of Postmaster and served the Village on Walter Emmett Coleman (May 12, a day-to-day basis. The volume of mail 1858 – April 16, 1916) married on October had increased 400-fold, and the summer 25, 1882, in Babylon to Alice Victoria months required extra effort into the L’Hommedieu Coleman (November 26, distribution.

1860 – April 24, 1916). Both are buried in Harold Redman Coleman, son of the Lake Ronkonkoma Cemetery.

Walter and Alice Victoria, was married to Son: Reverand Harold Redman Alice Lenore Hawkins Coleman. Harold Coleman (March 5, 1893 – June 1964) was a sharp student who had applied married to Alice Lenore Hawkins Coleman to Cornell, under his accomplishments (1894-1977). Both are buried in the Lake lists Law. He was a member of the elite Ronkonkoma Cemetery. choir at Cornell, which he co-directed.

Daughter: Ann Evelyn Coleman Hansen He revitalized the Glee and Mandolin (July 15, 1884 – December 28, 1958) married Clubs, which enabled a Christmas trip to Walter and Alice Coleman with grandsons, Walter ‘Freddy’ and Alfred Redman in 1903 to Frederick Henry Wilkinson (June perform with a 65-member group as far 9, 1882 – December 23, 1941). They had away to Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Harvard, three children, Walter “Freddy”, Alfred the Navy, the Chicago Football team, and Redman, and Alice Louise. Ann Evelyn many other U.S. stops. He also continued married a second time to Theodore his studies at Wesleyan. Known as an Hansen (October 11, 1880 – December athlete, he took part in many sports in the 1974). Ann Evelyn, Frederick Wilkinson Village and during his college education. and Theodore Hansen are buried together Sadly, he was away when his parents died. in the New Village Congregational Church He registered for the draft on May 29, Cemetery.

1917. Harold remained in town, became a Thank you to our friend Judith Lloyd & Reverand, and served the Village of Lake family who continue to add happiness to Ronkonkoma and Lake Grove for many our lives and in keeping our history real. years with love and care for all. He and Her sister, Linda Belden, and she hold Alice Lenore had one son.

Military Tribute Banners for their military Walter E. Coleman sold his business service to the USA and can be seen on in March 1914. The store had been sold Hawkins Avenue. solely on account of his ill health. His son in law, Frederick Wilkinson, remained in Note: The left photo of Alice Victoria Coleman the store for one month to introduce the and Anne Evelyn Coleman Wilkenson have never new owner, Mr. James Agnew, to the Lake been seen outside of the family.

Ronkonkoma community and how the town ran. This greatly assisted Mr. James Agnew, as Mr. Wilkinson was very popular and convinced the Village of Agnew’s commitment to them. James Agnew had THE LAKE RONKONKOMA HERITAGE ASSOCIATION taken a $3000 mortgage for the purchase of the goods included, and once 4 Cherry Street, Lake Ronkonkoma Walter had died, the payments were made to Harold Redman.

631-831-1670 One of Walter’s projects was taking an active part in the movement to thelakeheritage@aol.com get a state road through town from Sayville to Little Country Road and to

Technology News Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

25

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Beyond the Binary: The Global AI Race Evolves

By Mollie Barnett As the competition intensifies, new players emerge with distinctive strategies.

“China is not behind” in artificial intelligence, and this is a “long-term, infinite race,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang declared last week during a tech conference in Washington, D.C. His remarks underscored a growing recognition that the global AI landscape is more complex and competitive than many Western observers have assumed.

While headlines often frame the competition as a two-horse race between the United States and China, a more nuanced picture has emerged in 2025, with countries like Germany and the United Arab Emirates establishing distinctive approaches that challenge this simplified narrative.

The Gap Narrows Between U.S. and China Recent data from the Stanford AI Index shows the U.S.-China AI competition tightening significantly. While the United States still leads in the number of notable models released, Chinese models are rapidly closing the quality gap. By February 2025, the performance difference between top American and Chinese models on certain benchmarks had narrowed to just 1.70%, down dramatically from 9.26% in January 2024.

The talent landscape shows equally significant shifts. China is now producing nearly half of the world’s top AI researchers, with figures ranging from 47% to 50% according to recent reports. This represents a dramatic redistribution of global AI expertise.

China’s approach to AI education is fundamentally different, integrating AI training from elementary school, creating a comprehensive pipeline that the U.S. approach doesn’t match. By contrast, America’s approach to workforce upskilling remains fragmented, particularly for mid-career professionals.

While the U.S. maintains advantages in private investment — $47 billion compared to China’s $13 billion in 2022 — and elite model development, structural challenges in education and data access present significant vulnerabilities.

Germany’s Industrial AI Strategy While the superpower competition dominates headlines, Germany has carved out a distinctive position focused on industrial applications and ethical frameworks.

The German government has committed €5 billion to AI initiatives through 2025, with a strong focus on manufacturing integration.

The country ranks third worldwide in robot density in manufacturing, with approximately 17% of German manufacturing companies already using AI and another 40% in planning stages. This industrial focus represents a different path than either the U.S. consumer-focused approach or China’s comprehensive strategy.

The German Federal Government advocates an “ethics by design” approach throughout all development stages of AI-based applications, according to the European Commission’s Germany AI Strategy Report. This aligns with broader European guidelines while taking into account recommendations from the national Data Ethics Commission.

Germany is building “AI made in Germany” — a trademark for secure, responsible AI applications aligned with European values. The country’s approach focuses on what they do best: precision engineering and industrial applications, while maintaining strong ethical standards.

UAE’s Financial Gambit Perhaps the most surprising development in the global AI landscape is the United Arab Emirates’ aggressive positioning through massive financial investments and strategic partnerships.

In March 2024, Abu Dhabi established MGX, an AI investment vehicle expected to reach $100 billion in assets. This fund has already formed partnerships with global technology leaders including Microsoft, BlackRock, and Global Infrastructure Partners.

UAE government strategists have set remarkably ambitious targets, aiming to make AI contribute 20% of its non-oil GDP by 2031, according to analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Most recently, Abu Dhabi announced plans to become the world’s first fully AI-powered government by 2027, supported by a $13 billion investment in digital transformation.

In a major development this March, the UAE committed to a 10-year, $1.4 trillion investment framework in the United States, with significant focus on AI infrastructure, semiconductors, and energy. The announcement followed a meeting between UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan and President Donald Trump, along with top U.S. officials and industry leaders.

The UAE’s approach demonstrates how smaller nations can participate meaningfully in the AI revolution without the scale of the U.S. or China. By strategically deploying capital and creating favorable regulatory environments, the country is establishing a unique role in the global AI ecosystem.

Regulatory Competition The regulatory landscape for AI development varies significantly across these four key players, potentially creating advantages and obstacles for each.

U.S. privacy laws, including California’s Consumer Privacy Act, aim to protect citizens but may inadvertently limit access to training data. China’s less restrictive approach to data utilization prioritizes national security while enabling broader access for AI development.

Germany’s approach focuses on standardized frameworks at both national and European levels, while the UAE has developed comprehensive regulations through its Federal Decree-Law on Personal Data Protection and National AI Ethics Guidelines, balancing innovation with security considerations.

Beyond Technology: A Synergistic Approach Industry experts increasingly emphasize that success in the AI race depends not merely on technological superiority, but on how effectively countries integrate AI into their broader economic and social systems.

“We’re seeing a more multipolar competition with specialized advantages,” explains one industry analyst. “Each nation’s approach reflects existing strengths and strategic priorities, suggesting there won’t be a single ‘winner’ but rather different models of success.”

According to tracking data from Epoch AI, approximately 81 large-scale AI models have been developed across 18 countries, ranging from early systems like AlphaGo to more recent models like Gemini. This proliferation suggests AI development is becoming increasingly distributed globally.

For policymakers, business leaders, and educators, the challenge ahead lies in developing strategies that address both technological advancements and fundamental societal needs—ensuring that AI truly improves human capabilities rather than simply advancing for its own sake.

As Huang noted when speaking with CNBC, “No country wants to outsource and let somebody else advance their intelligence.” The nations that succeed will likely be those that develop synergistic approaches, addressing societal issues alongside technical development.

MOLLIE BARNETT, is an AI Advisor for Business and Strategic Growth Architect on Long Island.

Her team offers Secure AI, AI options, AI planning, integration, and education.

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Thursday, May 8, 2025

27

Connetquot Boys Lacrosse: Senior[ity] Rules and Offense is on Fire

By Ashley Pavlakis The Thunderbirds are rolling this season, with the boys varsity lacrosse team playing hard on the field. Connetquot is having a solid spring season in 2025 with their offense being tough to compete against.

The Connetquot Thunderbirds are a member of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) and compete in DIV I. The team is led by head coach Brett Jeffares. Jeffares is in his 13th season as varsity head coach and 22nd overall as a coach. Jeffares is joined by assistant coaches Scott Ferguson, Greg Heller, Mike Barnao, and Doug Smiroldo. The entire coaching staff are Connetquot alumni.

The T-Birds are currently 11-2-0 this season, they sit in third place in their division with a few games left to play in the regular season. 10 of their 11 wins were won with double-digit goal- scoring.

“I think we started off a little slow. We had an injury, somebody was sick. We kind of put it together by the third or fourth game. I think we’ve just been getting better every week. I think if we can take care of business today, we’ll probably finish in second or third,” said Jeffares.

Senior night is around the corner and the T-Birds have plenty to celebrate on Friday during their game against Bellport. They’ll honor 11 seniors, four of which are captains.

Those seniors are Kevin Unterweiser, Michael Barbieri, A.J. Jeffares, Logan Cordes, Colton Stellwagen, Ayden Brandl, John Guido II, Lucas Weaver, Carson Turrissini, Braydon DeRiso, and Paul Pohorelec.

“They’re a really tight-knit senior class. We have four senior captains; they’ve been great leaders. One thing I will say is they outwork everybody, which is so fun and doesn’t always happen. It’s very powerful when your leaders are also your hardest workers, they lead by example,” Jeffares told The Messenger.

A few seniors will be taking their lacrosse talents to the next level and will attend college in the fall. A.J. Jeffares will be attending St. John’s, Carson Turissini will be going to Iona, Lucas Weaver will be headed to Lincoln Memorial, John Guido II is off to Molloy, and Colton Stellwagen will be going to St. Leo’s.

Offense is key to most team-centered sports. The Thunderbirds have that part covered. They hit the back of the net fairly often, outscoring their opponents 156 to

116.

“Just have to make sure you make less mistakes than your opponent and score more goals,” said Jeffares.

Scouting reports exist for a reason, and that’s to concoct a game plan to take the other team down strategically based on their strengths and weaknesses. Easier said than done, right?

“Offensively, we have matchup problems. Everybody we play is trying to stop number six and number twenty-two. With the feedback I get from everybody it’s that we’re a tough matchup with those two players [Jeffares and Turissini],” said Jeffares.

Catch the Thunderbirds on the field three more times in the regular season as they work to gain better seeding for the playoffs.

Long Island Born NHL Players Season in Review

By Ashley Pavlakis As we’ve discussed plenty of times this year, Long Island has a long-standing history of developing top-notch professional athletes across all sports. This time, we’re going to look at the National Hockey League. The regular season ended a few weeks ago, and the playoffs are currently in the second round of play.

Let’s start with the elephant in the room. The New York Islanders won the lottery and will draft first overall in the 2025 NHL draft. The Islanders only had the honor four times in their history, with the last being 2009 when they drafted John Tavares.

What makes this feat even more unique? Long Island has a top-rated prospect right here in Hauppauge.

James Hagens, currently a freshman at Boston College, is eligible to be drafted this year. The chatter amongst analysts and fans is that Hagens could potentially go first overall or at the very least in the top three. There are also rumors that Hagens grew up a huge fan of the Islanders.

Hometown kid to the hometown team?

This is what dreams are made of. Let’s see what happens on June 27.

Moving on, let’s see how everyone else did around the league for the 2024-25 season.

Starting on defense for the Boston Bruins, Charlie McAvoy. The BU alum has dominantly worked the blueline since he entered the league in 2018. Despite missing 32 games this season due to illness, McAvoy scored seven goals and sixteen assists while averaging around 23 minutes per game. The Bruins missed McAvoy on the bench and certainly could have used him to make a stronger push for the playoffs. Unfortunately, they fell short and missed the postseason for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

Kyle Palmieri is a Smithtown native who plays for the New York Islanders.

The veteran forward finished up his sixteenth NHL season and his fifth with New York. The Isles can count on Palmieri to contribute offensively as he put up 24 goals and 24 assists. He ranked third on the team in scoring this season.

Unfortunately, the Islanders fell short of making the playoffs, but they lucked out and earned the first pick in this year’s draft.

Jericho native Adam Fox, a Harvard graduate and 2021 Norris Trophy winner, had himself a solid season on the scoresheet, notching 10 goals and 51 assists. To put it nicely, the New York Rangers did not play well this season. Fox contributed to the offense, but they couldn’t string together wins consistently, especially when it mattered.

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