The Times of Middle Country - December 21, 2017

The

Times of middle counTry CentereaCh • selden • lake grove north

Vol. 13, No. 36

December 21, 2017

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Fighting the flames Centereach Fire Department answers the call following crash on Middle Country Road — A6 Fee-fi-fo-fum Plastic bags will cost 5 cents each at many stores this new year

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‘Oliver!’ is a Dickensian delight in Smithtown Also: Holiday Scavenger Hunt, ‘The Last Jedi’ reviewed, Photo of the Week

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PAGE A2 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • December 21, 2017

TOWN

17-road repaving project completed in Coram, Middle Island Town of Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro (R) and Councilman Michael Loguercio (R-Ridge) have announced the completion of the resurfacing of 17 residential roadways in Coram and Middle Island.

The total cost for the paving project, done in the vicinity of Swezeytown Road North and South Swezeytown Road in Middle Island, was approximately $710,000. Highway department crews raised, rebuilt and installed 30 drainage structures prior to milling and paving in this area.

“In addition to ensuring the roads in this paving project are smoother and safer for motorists and pedestrians, the extensive drainage work that was completed will help water to flow properly and maintain the life of the new roadways,” Losquadro said.

Roads paved during this project were Arnold Drive, Bartlett Road, Cedar Branch Street, East Street, Evergreen Avenue, Frank Avenue, North Street, Northfield Road, Old Middle Country Road, Pine Cone Street, Poinsetta Avenue, Raymond Avenue, South Street, South Swezeytown Road, Swezeytown Road North, West Street and White Oak Street.

“I would like to thank Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro and the Brookhaven Town Highway Department,

Photo from Brookhaven Town

Brookhaven Town Councilman Michael Loguercio and Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro stand on newly repaved Swezeytown Road North in Middle Island. who have completed another extensive paving project in the 4th Council District,” Loguercio said. “This completed paving

project is another example of how we are helping to make our roads safer, and adding to the beautification of yet another

neighborhood in the 4th Council District community.”

— DESIRÉE KEEGAN

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December 21, 2017 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A3

TOWN

Photo from U.S. Navy website

Mechanized mark landing craft similar to the model sought by Town of Brookhaven for highway department use.

Highway department sets sights on new landing craft

BY KEVIN REDDING KEVIN@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

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Brookhaven Town’s Highway Department is hoping for a 68,000-pound gift this holiday season.

The town’s division of purchasing will publicly open and evaluate competitive bids from shipbuilding contractors Dec. 14, to determine which one will replace the highway department’s outdated militarystyle landing craft with a more modern and enhanced version of it. The Landing Craft Mechanized Mark 6 is an exmilitary steel vessel used often by the department to transport heavy equipment — such as backhoes, dump trucks and Bobcat bulldozers — and personnel to communities on Fire Island for emergency and maintenance services. The bid was issued Nov. 23.

Brookhaven’s specifications for the new vessel include up-to-date engines, electronics and new steering and propulsion systems. The outer dimensions are to be 56 feet long and 68,000 pounds, based on the current LCM-6, which has been operated by the town for several decades. The current model requires frequent repairs, and will be donated to the Brookhaven parks department, according to the highway superintendent, Dan Losquadro (R).

“For us, this is a very useful tool and from a disaster preparedness standpoint, in the event of another major storm, having a landing craft we can rely on to operate day in and day out, to move materials, is very valuable,” said Losquadro, adding that the vessel has the capability to operate in nonideal conditions and is designed to function just as well if a pier or infrastructure is damaged. “On the South Shore, in the event of a major storm, there’s a real possibility you might have flooding or roadway and coastal damage that would prevent you from getting to the shoreline. And certainly on Fire Island, you have no choice. You have to go by boat. It leaves us with very few options other than to have a piece of equipment like this. So it fills a very specific purpose for us.”

Losquadro said the landing craft has

been utilized “basically every day” by the department since he was elected in 2013 to facilitate repairs on the boardwalks, concrete, sidewalks and crossovers in Fire Island towns like Ocean Beach, Cherry Grove and Davis Park. But it’s also critical in more dire situations, like evacuation assistance and repairs in the wake of nor’easters, snowstorms and fires.

“I essentially have to plan for my worst nightmare,” Losquadro said. “I’m putting in plans to have equipment ready for the scenarios I never want to have to deal with.”

Kristen D’Andrea, public relations officer within the department, said the vessel is stationed in the water so it’s ready for use 365 days a year.

“It’s ready to go at any time,” D’Andrea said. “And it’s something local fire departments can use. If there’s an emergency and the town receives a request from fire rescue and emergency services, the craft can definitely be used to shuttle fire equipment over to the island.”

Steven Brautigam, the Village of Ocean Beach clerk, said since Hurricane Sandy weather is closely monitored and extra safety precautions are taken. He considers the vessel a smart piece of machinery to have just in case.

“Anything to bring heavy equipment over here at a moment’s notice is very needed,” Brautigam said. “I think it’s a great thing for Brookhaven to have. It can help bring over supplies before or after a storm.”

The project will be funded by a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant totaling more than $5 million, which was awarded to Brookhaven in October for emergency operation upgrades. Other pieces of equipment the town plans to purchase with the grant money are a horizontal wood grinder, a knuckle boom truck and a self-loading concrete mixer.

Losquadro said there are a number of shipbuilding companies across Long Island and he’s anxious to see who bids and who ultimately gets the contract. He and the department will work closely with the contractors to ensure they build the craft exactly as the specifications outline.

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PAGE A4 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • December 21, 2017

TOWN

Santa brings smiles and snow to Mount Sinai’s Heritage Park

Photos by Bob Savage

Mount Sinai’s Heritage Park held its annual breakfast with Santa on a snowy Sunday.

A buffet breakfast complete with eggs, Belgian waffles, bacon, sausage, bagels, fresh fruit, juice and hot beverages was served

inside the Heritage Center as families waited to take a photo with Santa Claus. Each child also received a favor for attending one of the three sessions Dec. 10.

Following the full buffet breakfast, Johnny Whimple and

the kids in attendance filled the room with Christmas spirit with a holiday music sing-along.

Nonperishable food donations were also collected during the event for a local food pantry.

— DESIRÉE KEEGAN

December 21, 2017 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A5

COUNTY

Stock photo

New Suffolk County environmental law prohibits plastic and paper bags in favor of eco-friendly reusable ones.

Survey: Shoppers still prefer plastic As of Jan. 1, shoppers will be paying for paper and plastic bags at most retail stores.

Stock photo

Paper or plastic? What to know when planning your 2018 shopping trips

BY KEVIN REDDING KEVIN@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM Suffolk County shoppers, get your nickels ready.

In an effort to encourage residents to shop with reusable bags instead of plastic and paper “carryout” bags that harm the environment, the Suffolk County Legislature is rolling out a 5 cent fee on all disposable bags at a variety of retail establishments, from supermarkets to department stores beginning Jan. 1.

The new law, which was officially passed by the Legislature in September 2016, applies only Page A10 to the single-use plastic or paper bags provided by cashiers at the end of a sale and used to carry goods from the store. There won’t be a fee, however, on bags found in produce sections for fruits and vegetables, frozen foods or on bags by pharmacies to carry prescription drugs, according to the law.

Cashiers are required to add the total fees to a customer’s receipt based on how many bags are used. Residents can avoid the fee by either buying a reusable bag — ones made of cloth or canvas, which are available in many retail stores — or shopping with a bag from home.

“Hopefully people will say ‘I’m not paying 5 cents’ and go with the other options,” said Legislator William “Doc” Spencer (D-Centerport), who wrote the legislation to reduce the influx of plastic bag waste that gets trapped in trees, blocks storm

Editorial comment

drains and causes significant damage to water supplies and wildlife. “We’re hoping to change behaviors. While we won’t change everyone’s, this will change a lot of people’s and that can make a big difference. I think once people start to not use the plastic bags, they’re not going to really miss them.”

Spencer’s bill began in March 2016 as a ban on all single-use plastic bags, piggybacking off an initiative adopted by the Town of Southampton, but it didn’t receive enough support. This revised bill was co-sponsored and pushed by five legislators, including Al Krupski (D-Cutchogue), Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) and Bridget Fleming (D-Sag Harbor), and 140 out of 150 residents who weighed in on the initiative during a public hearing testimony.

The legislators also worked alongside a Suffolk County plastic bag working group, which consists of local scientists, educators, environmentalists, business people and government employees.

“We have to curtail the use of plastic bags,” Krupski said. “They’re everywhere. I would encourage people not to pay the fee.

It’s all just a matter of changing your habits and keeping a shopping bag in your vehicle to have it at the ready. It’ll take time for people to get used to that, but like anything else, people will get used to it.”

A 5 cent fee on plastic and paper bags was adopted in Washington, D.C., in 2010 and the accumulated nickels have contributed a total $10 million to the Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Fund, as of 2015.

As mandated by New York State, however, the fees collected in this bill will be retained

by the stores. Not being able to apply the collection to an environmental cause convinced a Democratic legislator not to support the law.

“That 5 cent charge should go back into the environment,” said Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai), who voted “No.” “Instead, the fees are going back into the pockets of the stores. The legislation needed work.”

Anker also said she received outcry from constituents over the concept of fees.

“A lot of the community, especially the senior population, did not want to pay extra for the plastic bags,” she said. “But I will say, plastic is a really harsh environmental pollutant.”

Spencer said he plans to revisit the legislation after a year to evaluate the financial impact it’s having and ask the state to allow funds to be used for environmental purposes.

“It would be great to do that, but only the state has that ability,” Spencer said. “The state may make that decision.”

Jay Peltz, general counsel and vice president of government relations at Food Industry Alliance, which represents 800 state supermarket chains, convenience stores and wholesalers, including Stop & Shop and King Kullen, which will be charging the fees, said it’s a current law where everybody wins.

“It will help the environment and it will help the stores,” he said. “It’s a thoughtful, productive law and is the only way to both reduce plastic bag distribution while incentivizing people to increase their use of reusable bags.”

He added that the fees may be used to help pay for higher minimum wages expected to be put in place in the coming year, but store owners are still weighing the options.

BY DESIRÉE KEEGAN DESIREE@TBRNEWSMEWSMEDIA.COM A local survey conducted shows that just 5 percent of shoppers bring reusable bags.

The finding, coming ahead of a 2018 Suffolk County law banning the free use of plastic and paper bags at a vast majority of retail stores, was concluded after students from Northport, Brentwood, Huntington, Smithtown, East Islip and North Babylon, with member of St. Joseph’s College, surveyed 11,395 shoppers in November and December, in front of grocery stores, convenience stores and a pharmacies.

The polling, organized by a countycreated task force to help educate the public about the bill, found 71 percent of individuals use plastic bags, while the balance use paper, a combination, or no bag.

The survey will be repeated next year to analyze the effect of the law on consumer behavior, according to Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

She said she hopes between 60 and 70 percent of residents are bringing reusable bags by next year.

“Reducing litter, marine pollution and saving our oceans are worth changing our habits,” Esposito said.

While plastic bags drew the ire of environmentalists and lawmakers, the law also requires stores to charge for paper bags, as well as thicker “reusable” plastic bags, to prevent stores from circumventing the law, Spencer said.

County Legislator William “Doc” Spencer (D-Centerport), the bill’s primary sponsor, said county residents should contact his office at 631-854-4500 for a reusable bag, especially if you cannot afford one.

“If you need a reusable bag, come see me,” Spencer said, adding he bought 1,000 reusable bags to give away.

PAGE A6 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • December 21, 2017

POLICE & FIRE

POLICE BLOTTER Incidents and arrests Dec. 11–18

Cashing out

A 30-year-old man from Centereach entered a BP gas station on Route 347 in Port Jefferson Station at about 6 a.m. Dec. 18 and demanded cash from the clerk, according to police. Police said the man left the gas station without getting money from the register. He was arrested and charged with third-degree robbery.

No license, no drive

At about 5:30 p.m. Dec. 13, a 36-year-old man from Port Jefferson Station was driving a 1997 GMC east on Hallock Avenue without a valid driver’s license, according to police. He was arrested and charged with second-degree aggravated-unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Photos by Dennis Whittam

Scenes following a crash and subsequent explosion on Middle Country Road and Main Avenue in Lake Grove.

All-terrain theft

On Dec. 17 at about 3:30 a.m., an 18-yearold man from Holbrook, a 16-year-old man from Ronkonkoma and an 18-yearold man from Lake Ronkonkoma took an all-terrain vehicle from within a fencedin yard at a home on Grand Offenbach Street in Centereach, according to police.

All three were arrested and charged with fourth-degree grand larceny.

Narcotics nabbed

Fire depts. respond to explosion following crash in Lake Grove

BY DESIRÉE KEEGAN DESIREE@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM Members of Centereach Fire Department found themselves on the scene of an early morning car crash on Middle Country Road trying to extinguish the flames quickly.

According to Centereach Fire Department, at 6:13 a.m. Dec. 16 an oil tanker crashed into another vehicle and telephone wires, causing a massive explosion on Middle Country Road and Main Avenue in Lake Grove in front of Michael Auto Specialist Inc. “Multiple pumpers attacked the fire to get it under control, multiple departments were called for additional pumpers,” Centereach

Fire Department said in a statement. “Luckily only minor injuries were reported. Phone, electric and internet wires were down for several hours as well a road closure.”

Route 25 was closed in all directions from Wood Road to Hawkins Avenue for most of the day, according to Suffolk County police.

Centereach Fire Department immediately went into foam operation to bring the fire under control, with help from neighboring fire departments from Nesconset, Ronkonkoma, Selden and Terryville. Police confirmed there were no serious injuries.

“This was a well done operation on this very cold morning,” said Terryville Fire Department member Dennis Whittam.

A 37-year-old man from Medford sold narcotic drugs at a location on Route 27A in Shirley March 8, and again at a location on Middle Country Road in Coram April 17, according to police. He was arrested Dec. 13 at the Centereach Mall, where police discovered he also possessed heroin.

He was charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Money missing

Money was reported missing from a home on Old Town Road in Port Jefferson Station at about midnight Dec. 11, according to police.

d

Where’s your car dude?

A 2016 Subaru left running with the keys in the ignition at the gas pump at Speedway gas station on Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station was stolen about 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 18, according to police.

Lock it up

A wallet containing cash and credit cards was stolen from within an unlocked vehicle parked in the driveway of a home on Clematis Street in Port Jefferson Station at about 3 p.m. Dec. 18, according to police.

Holiday shoppers

At about 10 p.m. Dec. 16, a couple entered Target on Pond Path in Setauket and took a computer printer without paying, according to police. At about 8 p.m. Dec. 18, a couple entered the same Target, filled a bag with video games and exited the store without paying, according to police. Police did not specify if it was believed to be the same couple.

Horsing around

At Island Hills Stable equestrian center on Rocky Point Road in Middle Country Dec. 17 at about 12:30 p.m., someone stole a pocket book from within an unlocked vehicle containing gift cards, credit cards and a checkbook, according to police.

How the Grinch stole Christmas

At a home on Fireside Lane in Setauket Dec. 16 at about 10 a.m., packages delivered to the home were opened, the contents were removed and the empty shipping boxes were left on the property, according to police.

Mailbox malfeasance

A mailbox at a home on Locust Avenue in Setauket was removed at about noon Dec. 15, according to police.

— COMPILED BY ALEX PETROSKI

@TBRNewspapers

December 21, 2017 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A7

COUNTY

What you may not know about the new sheriff in town

BY KEVIN REDDING KEVIN@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM On the Saturday before Easter in 2003, Suffolk County sheriff-elect, Errol Toulon Jr. (D) sat in the den of his Lake Grove home and said to God, “If you give me a chance, I’m going to do something great.”

Toulon, who had dropped from 240 pounds to about 140 and could barely walk, was recovering from a Whipple procedure to remove a cancerous tumor on his pancreas.

It had been his second battle with cancer in less than 10 years — in 1996, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma — an ordeal that was followed by MRSA, a type of staph infection, and pneumonia. Doctors and family members expected the worst.

A year later, in the spring of 2004, the Rikers Island corrections officer-turnedcaptain enrolled at Suffolk County Community College. He went on to receive his master’s degree in business administration from Dowling College and an advanced certificate in Homeland Security management from Long Island University.

In the midst of his appointment as deputy commissioner of operations for the New York City Correction Department in 2014, Toulon pursued and completed his doctorate in educational administration and took leadership courses at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

On Dec. 4, after a last-minute campaign to be Suffolk County sheriff against opponent Larry Zacarese (R), Toulon, 55, became the first African-American elected official in a nonjudicial countywide position in Long Island’s history.

“I still don’t think I’m finished to be honest with you,” Toulon said, laughing. “I am very fortunate and I don’t take any day for granted.”

He said he didn’t even know the landmark aspect of his victory until the counting of absentee ballots was close to being completed.

The race was too close to call after Election Day Nov. 7, leaving the tightly contested election hanging for nearly a month.

“I think that can help to show that any individual, no matter what ethnicity or gender, can achieve anything they want,” Toulon said.

“But I don’t think, necessarily, the color of my skin will matter at all. I think my work experience and work ethic will show that those who voted for me made the right choice, and I think those that didn’t vote for me will feel I can do the job and have the best interests of the people.”

Those closest to him said despite the odds stacked against him, Toulon’s win makes perfect sense.

“He’s a rare breed of person — you couldn’t ask for a better man for the position,” said Ralph Grasso, a retired New York Police Department officer and friend of Toulon’s for 26 years. “Anything he puts his mind to, he achieves.”

Grasso was far from the only colleague to heap praise on the sheriff-elect.

“Errol’s always shown through his actions how great a leader he is,” said Keith Taylor, who worked with him in the department of corrections for two years. “When it came to officers who were victims of inmate violence, he always made sure to visit them in the hospital, and always without any fanfare.

He’s dealt with a lot of adversities and always handles them with dignity, grace and strength.”

Meg Malangone, a registered Republican in Lake Grove who works in the business office at TBR News Media, said Toulon is the first Democrat she’s voted for in 40 years.

“Not only is he one of the most incredible individuals I know, I honestly felt he was the best man for the job,” said Malangone, whose son was friends with Toulon’s sons growing up. “Errol is a wonderful human being. He is a strong, kind, smart and gentle man. He is not afraid to make tough decisions and is thoughtful in his approach to problems and solutions. He is going to be a fantastic sheriff for Suffolk County.”

When he officially starts his new job in January, Toulon said he’s determined to manage the sheriff’s office effectively and utilize skills from his career in corrections to tackle what he considers “the big three”: gangs, the opioid crisis and working with the community to develop a strong re-entry program for those incarcerated to help with housing and jobs when they leave the jail.

He said outgoing Sheriff Vincent DeMarco (C) has given him a tour of the facilities, he’s met with staff and he looks forward to working collaboratively with district attorneyelect, Tim Sini (D).

“There is nobody with the type of integrity he has,” said Keith Davies, Toulon’s campaign manager, who was admittedly nervous to start a full-fledged race two months before the election with a candidate he didn’t know.

“But then I got to know Errol and I knew I was working for someone that is the right person to be in the position. He kept us motivated and working hard. He’s a good man.”

Despite his lifelong career in law enforcement, Toulon said the reason he thinks

Photos from Errol Toulon Jr.

Suffolk County sheriff-elect, Errol Errol Toulon Jr., above, and his wife Tina. Toulon, below left, was a bat boy at Yankee Stadium, pictured with Yankees legend Reggie Jackson. he was elected, and had such large support from community members on both sides of the aisle, can be traced to his second life as a coach of various sports in the last 20 years.

An avid hockey fan who even created a program around the sport within the corrections facility, Toulon coaches ice hockey at the Long Island Gulls Amateur Hockey Association in Jericho and served as a roller hockey coach at The Sports Arena in St. James. He has also coached baseball for the Sachem Youth Advisory Group; soccer for Middle Country Children’s Soccer League; and basketball for Middle Country.

“I’ve tried to make sure it wasn’t about winning or losing with the kids,” Toulon said.

“I thought that even the kid who probably wasn’t the best person on the team should’ve gotten an opportunity to play. We won or lost together. A lot of parents asked me to be their child’s coach each season and I felt very honored by that.”

But Toulon’s overall achievements can be traced further back to the 1960s and ’70s in the South Bronx, where he grew up with his younger brother, Anthony, and parents, Errol Sr. and Alma, and attended Cardinal Hayes High School.

“He was always a go-getter,” recalled Errol Toulon Sr., 78, a retired deputy warden of the New York City Department of Correction. “He always volunteered within the community, played baseball and just always gave it his all.

We couldn’t be prouder of him.”

Toulon’s mother, 74, who worked in education, remembered her sons being extremely protective of her, not even letting her walk to the local tennis court by herself.

“They were like my guardian angels,” Alma Toulon said. “I’m so proud of Errol Jr. He always does anything anyone asks him to do. He is a wonderful kid … I still call him a kid, he’s 55.”

Toulon pointed to his parents, who both went back to school later in life to get their bachelor’s and master’s degrees, as his two biggest heroes, though he also credited another: Willie Randolph, the former New York Yankees second baseman and New York Mets manager. Toulon came to know Randolph well working as a bat boy for the Yankees in 1979 and 1980.

“I was a diehard Yankees fan, didn’t live too far from the stadium at the time and went for an interview in January 1979,” said Toulon, who fondly remembered being around players like Randolph, Catfish Hunter and Thurman Munson. “They all treated me like I was a valuable part of the team. And that really carried over to my own managerial style that every member of the organization — no matter where you are in the chain — is important to making the team as successful as possible.”

Toulon’s son, Justin, 28, who works in the film and television field in Georgia, called his father the hardest working and most driven person he knows and said Toulon instilled in him the importance of respect.

“I don’t think I’ve ever brought somebody to meet my father that hasn’t said afterward, ‘That’s a great guy,’” Justin Toulon said. “My dad always leaves that impression. You just respect him and he has this charming ability about him. People gravitate toward him.”

Speaking from experience on that front is Toulon’s second wife, Tina, who he met in 2014, and married a year and a half ago. His first wife, Susan, passed away 29 years into their marriage.

“I’m his No. 1 fan,” Tina Toulon said. “He just has this wonderful aura about him: that great smile and those great eyes, full of life.

He has an incredible loyalty about him and I love how he connects with people. He wants to always leave things better than how he found them … so I know he can do this job well.”

PAGE A8 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • December 21, 2017

SPORTS

Photos by Bill Landon

Members of Mission Fencing Center, above, helped host members of Team Puerto Rico, on podium at back row, who had no place to train in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Below, the group’s chaperone, Carlos Quiles, trains against fencing center member and Ward Melville junior Cat Cao to secure his position on the Puerto Rico national team.

Mission Fencing Center opens doors to help international friends

BY BILL LANDON

ber of her eight-person group paid for his or her plane ticket, and the Salmons took care After devastation struck Puerto Rico in the of the rest. form of Hurricane Maria in September, mem“Fifteen years ago Jennie and I bought our bers of Puerto Rico’s national fencing team home and ran a fencing clinic out of the extra reached out to anyone willing to lend a hand. space,” Salmon said. “We didn’t have the fiHearing of Team Puerto Rico’s plight, nances to support [Team Puerto Rico], but we Rocky Point’s Mission Fencing Center owners live in an old church, which we still run camps Jeff and Jennie Salmon quickly opened their out of in the summer, so we have a bunch of doors so the team could train for an upcom- beds and have plenty of room. We have some ing international competition, and many of pretty nice housing for them.” the fencers were more than thankful.

The fencing community demonstrated its “As my family and a lot of my friends said generosity by holding food drives and 50/50 it was like a blessing for this raffles since the guests landfamily to reach out to us ed Dec. 11, as well as by and give us the opportunity donating hats, gloves and [to train],” said 17-year-old other cold-weather items to épéeist Freddie Rivera, who help the Caribbean team adcalls Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico just to the temperature. The home. “Ever since I got the group also received home news that we had this opitems like paper towels and portunity, I wanted to meet laundry detergent. them. They gave us their “Today we went to house too, and to take us to the laundromat and the this place [Mission Fencing] minute one of the girls — that takes a lot of effort.”

— Freddie Rivera stepped outside she said, ‘Oh Salmon, a Comsewogue my God, here we go again,’” High School graduate and Jeff Salmon said, laughing. varsity boys fencing coach for Ward Melville, “The team doesn’t like the cold, but they all said housing and feeding the fencers, as well as have coats and gloves because everyone reproviding transportation to his 30,000-square- ally stepped [up]. Everyone is so excited that foot subterranean training facility on Route they’re here and the whole Long Island fencing 25A, which he said is the largest in the country, community has been great.”

His wife heard of Team Puerto Rico’s wasn’t as difficult as it might sound.

Mission Fencing Center owns a bus that predicament through Iris Zimmermann, who already transports athletes from across co-owns the Rochester Fencing Club, and Long Island to and from the center, and the said she immediately knew she wanted to get Salmons have plenty of space in their old mis- involved in any way she could.

“I guess I just took the bull by the horns,” sion church home in Mount Sinai, from where the center got its name. He said this, along Jennie Salmon said. “And now USA Fencing with local contributions, made accommoda- federation is even involved in helping them.”

Carlos Quiles, a 24-year-old Carolina, tions for the four-week stay accommodations simple. Karina Del Mar Pagan, a 19-year-old Puerto Rico, resident chaperoning his group of from Carolina, Puerto Rico, said each mem- eight fencers, said he was connected with the

‘Jeff and Jennie like to help people, and there are not a lot of good people that open their homes like that in the world.’

Salmons after pleading to his fencing federation president that they needed a place to train after seeing his club’s flooded headquarters.

“When we saw that our club was completely destroyed, the head of our fencing federation went to a meeting to make a plan as to what we were going to do,” Quiles said, adding that the organization reached out to anyone in the United States and beyond.

“That’s when Mission Fencing found us and [Jeff Salmon] told us he wanted us to come here. We couldn’t be more grateful.”

Team Puerto Rico took to the strips of Mission Fencing Center Dec. 15, where its members showed off their international flare while competing against local Long Island fencers like Ward Melville épéeist Ben Rogak.

Rivera said he was excited to challenge himself and partake in a unique experience, one that provided a first for the young athlete.

“I’m so thankful for this opportunity,” he said while fencing inside the center as snow began to fall. “This is my third trip to the United States — [having previously visited] Mexico and Costa Rica — and this time, I’m a proud member of the junior national team.

This is also the first time I’ve ever seen snow.”

Rogak said he also enjoyed competing against fencers he’s never seen before, and said that he admired their dedication. Jennie Salmon agreed.

“They’ve been awesome guests,” she said.

“We’ve had press based on our success as high school coaches, and at some level we’re very proud of that, but that isn’t even close to our biggest success. What we’re doing here is so meaningful.”

Before returning home, the Mission Fencing Center bus will take the team to Virginia, where it will be joined by its other members from around the country to compete.

Rivera reiterated how happy he was to learn from Long Island’s established athletes, adding it’s been helpful as programs at home begin to take flight.

“In Puerto Rico we are starting to have leagues in high school — we are taking baby steps,” he said. “This is a super club, [Mission Fencing]. It’s complete with a gym, trainers, and I’m thankful for this opportunity. Jeff and Jennie like to help people, and there are not a lot of good people that open their homes like that in the world. I have to say that they have big hearts and they’re full of love.”

December 21, 2017 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A9

SPORTS

Photos by Bill Landon

Clockwise from above, Stephen Cartolano, Ryan DeCoursey and Chris Witherspoon go up under the rim in a loss to Smithtown East.

Cougars can’t complete late comeback effort

BY BILL LANDON Smithtown East senior Joe Neto has a sweet outside shot.

The guard finished with five 3-pointers and a commanding 19 points to lead the Bulls over the visiting Centereach Cougars in a 54-36 League III opener Dec. 19.

The Cougars were able to pull as close as within five points late in the fourth quarter, but a 14-9 fourth quarter sealed the deal.

“They were putting a little more pressure on me, forcing the ball out of my hands, but in the second half our spacing was great, our pace was great and everyone was moving the ball really well,” Neto said. “We found the open guy — we made a bunch of open shots and we made our layups.”

With 5:25 left in the first half, Neto hit back-to-back triples to put his team out front 21-7. Centereach called timeout, and made a defensive adjustment out of the huddle that helped the Cougars hold Smithtown East scoreless until the final second before the break, when Neto launched his second nearly half-court shot of the game for his fourth 3-pointer to that point. Smithtown East held a 10-point advantage, 24-14, heading into the locker room.

Centereach head coach Ed Miller said the guarded effort wasn’t what he expected.

“We actually just kind of woke up and

Smithtown 54 Centereach 36

started playing the defense we should have been playing,” Miller said. “We made a couple of adjustments where we should have been, positionwise, and the kids followed through on it.”

Three minutes into the third quarter Centereach senior Chris Witherspoon hit a field goal and a pair of treys to close the gap to six points. Smithtown East retook to the court following an immediate timeout call, and with a different offensive look.

Then 6-foot, 3-inch senior Alex Zampieron got the call, grabbing low passes and battling in the paint for each point. When he didn’t score, he drew a foul and made his time at the charity stripe count. He finished with a team-high seven points in the third to Witherspoon’s eight.

“When he got the ball he was making strong moves, and finishing,” said Smithtown East head coach Keith Reyling. “It wasn’t pretty, so even if we don’t play our best game we can still be successful. Sometimes we don’t play the game like we practiced, and we go off script a little bit and that’s when things get away from us.”

Smithtown East opened the final quarter with a 13-point lead and again Neto swished his final 3-pointer of the game. Zampieron followed Neto with nine points in the win, and junior Chris Goria tacked on six.

Witherspoon topped Centereach’s scoring chart with 16 points. Next in line was sophomore Matt Robbert with five.

Centereach hosts North Babylon today, Dec. 21, at 4 p.m.

PAGE A10 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • December 21, 2017

OPINION Editorial

Letters to the editor

Zeldin: Why I voted ‘No’ on the tax bill

File photo

There will be a 5 cent charge for each plastic or paper bag used at many local stores beginning Jan. 1.

Bag fees should foster forward thinking A survey conducted ahead of the passage of Suffolk County’s new environmental law banning plastic and paper bags from convenience, grocery, liquor, office supply, clothing and home center stores yielded a large figure — 70 percent of 11,395 people asked said they use only plastic bags to carry their groceries and shopping items.

The questionnaire, conducted by a group of 85 high school students and 15 teachers from seven Suffolk County school districts and St. Joseph’s College is not surprising, but should be an eye-opener to the future health of our environment. More can and needs to be done.

Suffolk County’s ban will take effect Jan. 1. While shoppers should be prepared to reach a little deeper into their pockets to afford the nickel-per-bag charge to be able to pack with store-provided plastic or paper, they should also think long and hard about the environmental impact of their choices.

We encourage residents to bring their own bags when shopping, be it reusable bags or leftover plastic, but we’d also encourage New York State to get behind an even bigger eco-friendly cause. While we support the bag ban, what we don’t support is the fee funds going back to retailers.

To help promote the use of the reusable bags, the money could be used to purchase and distribute more reusable bags. If not, the 5 cents per bag fee should be deposited into a county general fund designated for environmental improvement efforts, be it open-space preservation, the cleaning of a park or protecting drinking water.

If the money generated isn’t going into a government-held account, we’d also suggest pooling the money into donations to national nonprofits like the Sierra Club, or even local ones like Defend H2O, Seatuck Environmental Association, Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway Trail or Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society — or any other organization with environmental preservation as its mission.

We hope the result of this law is not that consumers simply get comfortable with paying the extra money, like many have with the 5 cent deposits on bottles and cans. Instead, we hope the result is a conscious, purposeful effort on the part of shoppers to use less paper and plastic, and the county’s leadership in putting the extra money to good use would set a great example.

Letters … We welcome your letters. They should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style and good taste.

We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include a phone number and address for confirmation. Email desiree@tbrnewsmedia.com or mail them to The Times of Middle Country P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733.

I am a “No” on the final tax reform bill. Getting this bill done and getting this bill done right should not have been a binary choice. My goal in this tax reform mission has always been to ensure that the hardworking men and women of Long Island keep more of their paychecks, reduce their cost of living and remain able to save more for retirement.

Unfortunately, this bill is not the tax relief they were promised.

I like many aspects of this final agreement, including the expansion of the medical expense deduction, preservation of critical education and student deductions and strong corporate tax reform that will stimulate job creation and make America more competitive in the global economy. Reducing the corporate tax rate to 21 percent, for example, is great; but it should not be done on the backs of any hardworking, middle-income taxpayers. I still don’t understand why spending cuts couldn’t have been used as a more responsible way to pay for tax cuts.

On balance, this bill remains a geographic redistribution of wealth, taking extra money from a place like New York to pay for deeper tax cuts elsewhere. New York is a net contributor that now

File photo by Alex Petroski

U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, at center, with U.S. Reps. Peter King and Tom Suozzi voice bipartisan opposition to the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. will be contributing even more.

This bill chooses winners and losers in a way that could have and should have been avoided.

While adding back in the state and local tax (SALT) deduction to a $10,000 cap was progress, it was not enough progress. While I support fully maintaining the SALT deduction, a better policy if a change was to be made would have been a phasedown of SALT over a period of time to a level that fully protects middle-income itemizers. With that being said, we must realize that our deduction is so high because our state and local taxes are so high, which means that all levels of govern-

ment must work on tax relief moving forward.

I wish I could get to a “Yes” on this bill, but when it comes to my district and my state, this proposal leaves too many of them out in the cold.

There was a massive missed opportunity here to fix this bill for millions of Americans who also desperately needed tax relief and ended up getting screwed by the handicap of rigid ideological blinders and a countdown clock that really wasn’t yet at zero.

Lee Zeldin U.S. Representative 1st Legislative District

Image by Campani and Schwarting Architects

A digitally altered image of what the exit ramp could look like at the intersection of Barnum Avenue and West Broadway in Port Jefferson.

A simple change can make it safe We see they made some traffic signal changes at Barnum Avenue and West Broadway. That might not be sufficient.

We believe that there is a simple solution that we have presented to Port Jefferson Village: narrowing the exit from the ramp, so that it does not align with the Barnum lane running north would make it almost impossible to turn into it.

It is pedestrian friendly, would not be very expensive and would add to the visual quality of the intersection. Of course, the phase of our park plan in the Waterfront Revitalization Project that is in the Comprehensive Plan is best all around, although it hasn’t yet come to fruition. It relocates the ramp, which was incorrectly constructed, to be more efficient;

relocates 135 parking spaces to create park space in the Town of Brookhaven lot without reducing the trailer spaces; and enhances the visual quality of this area with trees and better lighting.

Michael Schwarting and Frances Campani Campani and Schwarting Architects Port Jefferson

Get into the mix. Participate in our reader forums @ www.tbrnewsmedia.com

December 21, 2017 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A11

OPINION

In a diner with Carole King, Evan Hansen and Luke Skywalker

T

his year I enjoyed “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” and “Dear Evan Hansen” on Broadway; and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” movie sequel.

As the year comes to a close, I can’t help imagining a conversation in a diner among the central characters.

Evan Hansen: “Hey, you want to sign my cast?”

Luke Skywalker: “What?”

Evan Hansen: “No, forget it. I was just, nothing.

You were saying?”

Carole King: “No, you asked if we wanted to sign your cast, right?”

Hansen:

By Daniel Dunaief “No,Evan well, I don’t know. Maybe.”

Luke Skywalker: “What happened to your arm?”

Evan Hansen: “It’s a long story. It’s OK. I don’t even have a pen.”

Luke Skywalker: “Oh, you feel bad about your arm, which is going to heal.

D. None of the above

How do you think I feel? My father and I got into a battle a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away and this is what happened.”

Evan Hansen: “Wow, that’s a scary fake hand. You win.”

Carole King: “You both have scars.

We all do, right? My parents divorced.”

Evan Hansen: “My dad left when I was young.”

Luke Skywalker: “Oh, so sorry for you. When I was born, I had to be hidden from my father, who was angry and moody and wore a mask and wanted to kill me.”

Evan Hansen: “Aren’t you supposed to be a Jedi Master now? Why do you seem so angry and annoyed all the time?”

Luke Skywalker: “I am a Jedi Master.”

Evan Hansen: “Oh, right. So, how come you don’t sound cool and wise?”

Luke Skywalker: “It’s just that I have low blood sugar and I haven’t eaten in a while and I’m not sure what to order.”

Yoda: “Hmmm, not know what to order, do you?”

Carole King: “Wow, you’re from far away, aren’t you?”

Yoda: “Say that, you could.”

Luke Skywalker: “Master Yoda. I’m so hungry and I’m not sure whether to get the burger or the salad.”

Evan Hansen: “You’re glowing, Yoda.”

Yoda: “When 900 years old, and dead, you are, this good will you not look.”

Luke Skywalker: “Master Yoda.

What should I do?”

Yoda: “Order the salad, would I. Delicious it looks. Leave you, I must.”

Luke Skywalker: “Wait, but what should I get to drink?”

Evan Hansen: “For a Jedi Master, you often seem to need Yoda or ObiWan to give you advice. Can’t you make your own decisions?”

Carole King: “Listen, Evan, Luke here knows he has glowing friends who come running to see him again whenever he calls their name.”

Evan Hansen: “They come whenever you need them? That’s cool.”

Luke Skywalker: “Yeah, I guess, but I’ve been trying to spend time on my own, far away from all the ‘saving the galaxy’ responsibilities. There always seems to be another Death Star or some

young person with the ability to move rocks with his or her mind who needs guidance.”

Evan Hansen: “I’m the opposite. I’m trying to help save other people to get away from my loneliness. High school is tough.”

Carole King: “You got romantic issues, too, Evan, don’t you?”

Evan Hansen: “No, of course not, why do you say that?”

Carole King: “I can tell you feel the earth move under your feet.”

Evan Hansen: “Do you have a song for everything?”

Carole King: “Well, pretty much.”

Luke Skywalker: “Yeah, don’t challenge her. The number of songs she’s written far exceeds the number of ‘Star Wars’ sequels.”

Evan Hansen: “That is a lot. Does that include the one-off movies?”

Luke Skywalker: “Yes.” Evan Hansen: “Does she know anything about trying to stop faking things?”

Luke Skywalker: “Yes, and it’s not too late, baby, to learn from her.”

Whisper network that warned becomes social network that shames

A

s 2017 comes to a close, it is not an overstatement to say that this year we have lived through a revolution. And it is a revolution that is just beginning. Millions of women, drawn by the hashtag #MeToo, have come forth to put their experiences with sexual harassment, assault and rape on the record. Some men also have revealed similar heartbreaking stories of sexual predators that altered their lives.

It is as if an enormous dam has

By Leah S. Dunaief broken with the gut-wrenching descriptions pouring out unendingly, toppling icons of power like bowling pins. Just as Betty Friedan started the revolution we call the women’s liberation movement, so this avalanche of sordid encounters that began with revelations about Hollywood mogul

Between you and me

Harvey Weinstein has touched off a revolution but of a much faster pace than the one 50 years or so ago. Social media has helped connect these victims and carry the torch of outrage.

I suppose from the earliest times when men and women have walked the earth, there have been sexual predators. Mostly the predators have been men who were able to exact what they wanted from vulnerable women who needed their protection and support, perhaps for such basics as food, clothing and shelter for themselves and their children. Once women entered the workplace in large numbers, they were often assigned to male supervisors who could advance or block their careers or even take away their jobs.

Those jobs could be in Hollywood, in TV journalism, in large and small offices, in hotels, in politics, in academia, in short anywhere that there might be an imbalance of power leaving one employee vulnerable. What’s different now?

The whisper network that warned has become a social network that shames.

Time magazine named the Silence Breakers as 2017 Person of the Year.

The hashtag, #MeToo, will go down in history although the movement’s founder, Tarana Burke, was not featured on the cover. Instead the group photo comprised actress Ashley Judd, former Uber engineer Susan Fowler, Visa lobbyist Adama Iwu, songstress Taylor Swift and Isabel Pascual, a Mexican strawberry picker who asked to use a pseudonym to protect her family, according to Time. They might have been anyone on the cover, although the famous attract more attention, from the doctoral candidate at a prestigious university who refused her professor’s advances and consequently was denied her degree, to the housekeeper in a hotel who goes about cleaning the bathtubs but never knows when she might be cornered by a guest or supervisor demanding sexual favors.

The first time I personally knew anyone who had been a sexual victim was in college. A close friend was talking about her affair with a professor and was overheard by another student who was having the same experience. The unlikely encounter and some quick conversation revealed the same professor

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Leah S. Dunaief GENERAL MANAGER We welcome letters, photographs, comments and story ideas.

Send your items to P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733 or email desiree@tbrnewsmedia.com. Johness Kuisel MANAGING EDITOR Times Beacon Record Newspapers are published every Thursday.

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was bedding both women. In a rage, my friend confronted her lover with the words, “You are sick!”

But was he sick? Or was he just acting out the culture in which he had been raised? As Time magazine wrote, “It wasn’t so long ago that the boss chasing his secretary around the desk was a comic trope, a staple from vaudeville to prime-time sitcoms.” Cultures are all pervasive, and where they are not confronted by conscience or mob outrage, they continue.

On the eve of the holidays, let’s focus on a short but delightful segment from the “PBS News Hour” Tuesday night.

Women confide to sometimes feeling taken advantage of financially when bringing cars to be repaired, knowing so little about the way cars work. One woman felt tired of feeling a victim, quit her job as an engineer, went to auto-mechanic school and opened up what appears to be the nation’s first all-female auto-repair shop in California. It seems to be a great success. Best of all, she no longer feels a victim. There is a moral here.

Happy and healthy holidays to you and yours!

ART AND PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Beth Heller Mason INTERNET STRATEGY DIRECTOR Rob Alfano CLASSIFIEDS DIRECTOR Ellen Segal

BUSINESS MANAGER Sandi Gross CREDIT MANAGER Diane Wattecamps CIRCULATION MANAGER Courtney Biondo

PAGE A12 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • December 21, 2017

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