Volume 34, Number 1 March 12, 2009 75¢

STONY BROOK • OLD FIELD • STRONG’S NECK • SETAUKET • EAST SETAUKET • SOUTH SETAUKET • POQUOTT

TIMES HERALALDTHE VILLAGE

WMHS senior 8th in Intel competitionD.C. award Tuesday followed handshake with presidentStory next week

Where the North Shore clicks: www.northshoreoflongisland.com

‘Close to Home’ exhibit opensSt. Patrick once again on the march SundayPage B1

Local volunteers help those in needArea soup kitchens busier than ever in poor economyPage A5

Anti-LIPA group forms to monitor company ‘abuses’

R.C. Murphy JHS wins 1st and 2nd in annual BNL Science Bowl

Brookhaven eyes $6.4M shortfall in mortgage tax receipts for 2009

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Page A19

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Dancing Irish all year roundThe Mulvihill-Lynch School of Irish Dance boasts over 200 students in three Suff olk County locations, and has won prize after prize over the years, nationally and internationally. We’re sure their feet will

be fl ying on Tuesday, St. Patrick’s Day. More on page A12. Photo courtesy of Mulvihill-Lynch

Smart meters on the wayBY JOE DARROWjoedarrow@tbrnewspapers.com

Th e $408 billion federal appropria-tions bill generating uproar from con-servatives in Congress includes $713,000 aimed at saving energy and cutting util-ity costs on Long Island.

Th e funds would be used in a LIPA pilot study testing Smart meters in Hauppauge and Bethpage, Long Island Power Authority offi cials said Monday. From an early test run of 60 homes and 12 businesses, LIPA offi cials said the program will expand to encompass the entire Hauppauge Industrial Park, over a thousand businesses, by the end of 2010.

Th e program will test two diff erent Smart meter technologies, which provide consumers with updated energy use in-formation over the Internet in “near real time,” i.e. every 15 minutes instead of once a month, according to LIPA execu-tives. Th e more detailed data, eventually

including fi gures on high peak and low electricity consumption, should enable businesses and residents to better tailor energy consumption to need, said Vice President for Retail Services Bruce Ger-mano. Customers who received Smart

meters in other test runs have cut theirenergy costs by as much as 10 percent, hesaid.

“We live in a high-tech 21st century but we have a low-tech 20th centurygrid,” said LIPA Chief Executive Of-fi cer Kevin Law. “As a public authority we have a public obligation to be movingin the right direction.” Installing Smart meters is part of a larger LIPA campaignto reduce energy consumption “to helpus avoid building that next power plant,”Law said.

It’s time that technological advancesthat have generated cutting-edge con-sumer products like the Apple iPhone — which can do everything from track-ing mail deliveries to monitoring daily personal weight gain — be put to worklowering U.S. dependence on foreignoil, said Rep. Steve Israel (D-Dix Hills), a House Appropriations Committee

Continued on page A16

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New York Islander Bruno Gervais visited pediatric units at Stony Brook University Medical Center in Febru-ary. Jacqueline Guevara, 10, of West Babylon, was one of about 20 patients Gervais met. Th e defenseman talked hockey and sports with them, auto-graphed pictures, and wished each pa-tient a speedy recovery.

Jacqueline discovered she had more in common with the NHL hockey de-fenseman than just loving hockey. Both are the oldest in their family, and both enjoy naps. Jacqueline said she takes naps while in the hospital — she was discharged the following day — and sometimes at home. Gervais said he enjoys a brief nap aft er hockey practice each morning.

Gervais spent over two hours vis-iting one-on-one with patients, who ranged from toddlers to 21-year-olds. Th e patients were being treated in the Pediatric Oncology, Pediatric Acute, and Pediatric Intensive Care units at SBUMC.

Th e visit was coordinated by the New York Islanders and the Child Life Program at SBUMC. Professionals through the Child Life Program pro-vide therapeutic, educational, and rec-reational activities to meet the unique emotional and developmental needs of hospitalized children. For more infor-mation about the Child Life Program call 444-3840 or visit www.stonybrook-medicalcenter.org/pediatrics.

Photo courtesy of SBUMC

Islander talks hockey with young fans

Spring is getting close

As these two photos taken within the last week prove, Spring will soon of-fi cially arrive on Long Is-land. Th e yellow crocus, above, debuted last week, proudly displaying their color while reaching for the warming late winter sun.

Th e snowdrops, right, actually fi rst appeared al-most two weeks ago, then had to suff er the indigna-tion of 12 inches of snow that hid the blossoms for a few days. However the exceptionally warm week-end just past brought them back into view.

Th e St. Patrick’s Day celebrations over the next week are oft en the forerun-ner of Spring’s glory, the season of rebirth and re-newed hope.

Photos by Lutz

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BY JOE DARROWjoedarrow@tbrnewspapers.com

Residents in a number of Long Island communities have banded to-gether in a watchdog group opposing what they view as wasteful spending by the Long Island Power Authority.

Long Island Energy Surveillance is a “volunteer watchdog group of civic activists providing the sunlight Long Island ratepayers need to pro-tect themselves from LIPA abuses,” according to a release emailed by LIES Executive Committee Mem-ber Fred Gorman of Nesconset. Its members “have said we will no lon-ger rely on our govern-ment to protect us from the evils of this com-pany, which is taxing us to death,” said Gor-man, also chairman of the Nesconset-Sachem Civic Association.

LIES charges that LIPA has agreed to purchase energy in excess of what Long Islanders need and at over-blown prices, and continues to raise consumers’ rates without any public oversight. Th e group is calling for foundational reform of the public en-ergy authority, beginning with elec-tion of the LIPA board of directors, currently appointed by the governor, state Senate majority leader and As-sembly speaker.

True, by hedging its oil purchases through futures contracts, the au-thority has found itself out $100 mil-

lion over the past year — with crude prices plummeting as the global recession began — necessitating a 3.2 percent rate increase, LIPA Vice President for Communications Ed Dumas said. And the power author-ity is augmenting its oil purchases with $14.4 million toward renewable energy this year.

But last year’s loss in the abnormal market conditions aside, the oil-price hedging program is benefi cial in the long run, Dumas said, thus far sav-ing LIPA ratepayers about $600 mil-lion. And as for its plans to purchase solar, wind and geothermal energy,

Dumas said LIPA has an obligation to invest in alternative energy. Gov. David Paterson has called for 45 percent of New York’s electric-ity to be produced by renewable sources or ef-

fi ciency upgrades by 2015.LIES watchdogs also take issue

with LIPA salaries. Th e authority pays its around 90 employees a com-bined $16.1 million in salary and benefi ts, an average of over $180,000 per person, according to LIES.

Dumas countered that the LIPA salaries are “in line” with salaries at other power authorities, and consti-tute a “miniscule” 0.4 percent of LI-PA’s $4 billion annual budget. “If you were to fi re every LIPA employee, it would save you 25 cents a month on your bill,” Dumas said.

Other members of the LIES exec-utive committee are Gary Bessemer, Pat Byrne, Dick Graham, Roselle Hanson, Graham Kerby, Paul and Robert Kosowski, Denise and Erik Knudsen, Ray Mincone, Eleanor Morris, Laurie Pandelakis, Jacque-line Rudman and Andrea Vecchio.

Rudman, a former Th ree Village School Board Trustee, said her inter-est in LIES is mostly environmental.

“My house has been covered with acid rain for years,” Rudman said. She hopes LIES can encourage clean-ing up pollutants from the Port Jef-ferson KeySpan power plant. In addi-tion, Rudman said, “LIPA’s bills have tripled in the last fi ve, six years.” She said, “Th e management of LIPA de-serves investigation.”

Familiar names in 3V on executive committee, claims LIPA ‘abuses’LIES, anti-LIPA coalition, forms Historical awards dinner

Two local organizations and fi ve Th ree Village Historical Society members will be honored at the 32nd Annual Awards Dinner, held on the evening of March 18 at the Stony Brook Yacht Club.

Honored in the Community Awards category is Th e Old Field Club for their ongoing maintenance of a historic structure and the ornamental plant-ings that enhance the building. Also honored in the same category is the Old Field Farm, which has been revitalized under the direction of Sally Lynch, for its working horse show ring, grandstand and grounds and for events they off er to the community.

Members of TVHS being recognized are: Rich-ard Russell for the Ward Melville Community Award, Margo Arceri for the Kate Wheeler Strong Memorial Award, Dr. Frank Turano for the Maggie Gillie Memorial Award, Lorraine Mandel for the Gayle Becher Memorial Award, and Brendan Yantz for the Young Historian Award.

Tickets for the Awards Dinner, featuring enter-tainment by comedian Peter Bales, are $50 per per-son. For information call TVHS at 751-3730, email to info@tvhs.org or visit www.tvhs.org.

Blood driveTh e Mother Teresa Council Knights of Columbus

will hold a blood drive at St. James Roman Catho-lic Church on Route 25A in Setauket on Th ursday, March 12, from 3 to 8:15 pm in the Parish Center. For appointments or information contact John Dahl at 592-4163 weekdays, 474-1937 evenings or email jdahl@ramptransportation.com.

The week in meetings• Th e Th ree Village Board of Education will hold the next budget review meeting at 8 pm on Tues-day, March 17 at the R.C. Murphy Junior High School on Oxhead Road in Stony Brook.

File photo

Former Three Village schools Trustee Jackie Rudman of Setauket.‘The management

of LIPA deserves investigation.’

— JACKIE RUDMAN

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Town Board warned of sinking revenue streamBY LEE LUTZleelutz@tbrnewspapers.com

Brookhaven Town’s fi nance commis-sioner reported last Th ursday that mort-gage tax revenues for the fi rst two months of this year are already $1.3 million less than comparable fi gures for 2008, and projected a possible shortfall of $6.4 mil-lion for all of 2009.

Commissioner Charlene Kagel told the council members at a work session March 5, “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but,” and then distributed a chart outlining the bad news. Kagel summed up her presentation by telling the board it may need to look into cuts in spend-ing “soon” to avoid an operating budget defi -cit for the year.

Th e fi gures released by Kagel indicate real estate transactions in the town have reached a level below even the reduced number and size coun-cil members anticipated when adopting a spending plan only four months ago, in November 2008.

Councilman Tim Mazzei (R-Blue Point) responded by asking the fi nance commissioner about the number of va-cancies in town positions. Kagel said there are currently 32. Mazzei suggested keeping those positions unfi lled could reduce expenditures.

Councilwoman Connie Kepert (D-Middle Island) reminded the council-man that one of those vacancies, plan-ning commissioner, was as a result of the Town Board majority Mazzei leads fi r-ing the previous commissioner last year and not yet having replaced the “critical position.”

Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld

(D-East Setauket) cautioned the boardthat some of the vacancies might be po-sitions that should be fi lled to benefi tBrookhaven’s residents, and any consid-eration of not fi lling them be “analyzedcarefully” before making hasty deci-sions. Fiore-Rosenfeld agreed with hiscolleagues that many of the 32 positionscould remain vacant without adverse im-pact on town residents.

Kagel reported that revenue from the town’s landfi ll in Yaphank, which rep-resents nearly half of all town operating

funds, are “not that aw-ful.” She also said anongoing review of capi-tal spending plans for2009 may reveal poten-tial savings in debt ser-vice — interest on town borrowing — by delay-ing projects into the fu-

ture and by careful analysis of previousborrowing by the town. An incomplete and ongoing study of town bonding going back to the 1990s, Kagel said, indicatessome money may have been borrowedbut never spent, or instances where morewas bonded than projects actually cost,resulting in the town paying interest onmoney it is holding but not using. Kagelsaid utilizing these funds instead of bor-rowing more might produce signifi cantdebt service savings for the town.

Kagel hinted that as much as $7 mil-lion in borrowed funds may be available, but said her analysis is not yet complete.

Th e fi nance commissioner was deliv-ering a monthly report on town fi nances to a Town Board work session as request-ed by Acting Supervisor Lori Baldassare to keep the council informed of trendsand potential fi nancial problems forBrookhaven.

News

Leisure Arts & Lifestyles

Classifi edsSection C

Art Exhibits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B2Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B23Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B19-B21Cooking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B12Dining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B13-B14Father Frank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B24Gardening. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B11

Health. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B3-B8Home Decor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B9Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B24-B29Religious Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . B22-B23Science. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B3SBU Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B30-B31

Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A19Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A18Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A18

Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A15People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A15Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A17, B30-B31

Inside this week

The VILLAGE TIMES HERALD (USPS 365-950) is published Thursdays by TIMES BEACON RECORD NEWSPAPERS, 185 Route 25A, Setauket, NY 11733. Periodicals postage paid at Setauket, NY and additional mailing offices. Subscription price $35 annually. Leah S. Dunaief, Publisher. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to PO Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733.

Brookhaven mortgage tax revenues are $1.3 million below last year’s amount for the fi rst two months.

On Friday, March 13, Stony Brook University Friends of Hillel will launch a weekend long celebration of a Magical Musical Mega Shabbat. Featured per-former will be Six13, a popular a capella group, on Friday evening. Th e celebra-tion will conclude on Sunday aft ernoon with a piano recital by pianist Leon

Livshin and cellist Marina Hoover fol-lowed by a dessert reception in a lovely Stony Brook home.

For information about Stony Brook University Hillel’s Magical Musical Mega Shabbat go to www.stonybrook.edu/hillel or contact Jill Zucker at 632-6565 or jill.zucker@stonybrook.edu.

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Helping more of those in need, a meal at a timeSetauket volunteer likes to ‘put a smile on people’s faces’BY JENNIFER CHOIjenchoi@tbrnewspapers.com

Th e Welcome INN soup kitchen has been operating in Port Jeff erson since 1989, and the number of guests continues to grow.

An affi liate of the Interfaith Nutrition Network in Hemp-stead, Welcome INN provides nutritious meals free of charge to those in need, according to Bar-bara Curtis, presi-dent of Welcome INN’S executive steering committee. In Port Jeff erson, round-trip compli-mentary van ser-vice, made possible with support from Village Hall, de-parts the train sta-tion Monday, Tues-day and Friday at 5:15 pm.

Dinner is served at 5:45 pm four times a week: Monday at Christ Church Episcopal; Tues-day at Christ Methodist Church; Wednesday at St. Paul’s Luther-an Church; and Friday at First Presbyterian Church, all in Port Jeff erson. Lunch is also served at 1 pm Sunday at St. Paul’s Lu-theran Church.

Currently, an average of 55 guests visit the soup kitchen

each night, Curtis said, marking an estimated 10 percent growth over the past year. Curtis, a 28-year Port Jeff erson resident, said she believes this increase is largely due to the recent eco-nomic downturn, which has had a “very large eff ect on the work-ing poor.”

According to information provided by the INN, approxi-mately 13,000 meals were served

in 2007, a 17 per-cent increase over 2006. Curtis, who has been involved with the soup kitchen program for 13 years, said the food is donated by various vendors, while a group of dedicated volun-teers, who serve the

meals and clean up aft erward, help make the INN a “well-oiled machine.”

Setauket resident Jill Scott said she began volunteering about eight years ago because she likes to “put a smile on people’s faces.” Guests of the soup kitch-en “need to be catered to, talked to and understood,” she said. “I don’t care what your walk of life is, I think being judgmental is wrong.”

Scott, who volunteers her time twice a week, encouraged others to become involved be-cause it’s “very worthwhile.” “It’ll make them feel like a new person,” she said, adding that there’s “so much satisfaction” in giving back to the community. “It gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling,” she said. “It makes me feel whole.”

Jack Strong of Setauket, a Welcome INN volunteer for nearly a decade, said “Time fl ies when you’re having fun.” He and his wife, Pat, help prepare meals every Wednesday, according to Strong, who said being involved with the soup kitchen “gives an understanding of people in need.” Giving back to the com-munity is “part of the reason why you’re alive,” he said. “Our purpose in life is not to just en-joy ourselves but to help others.” When asked whether he will continue to volunteer his time, Strong replied, “I have no plans not to.”

A guest from Sound Beach visiting the soup kitchen at St. Paul’s last week said the pro-gram has been “extremely help-ful” and has “taken a load off ” during diffi cult economic times. Th e guest, who has been unem-ployed for two years, said the

volunteers have been “super” and “so helpful.” “One day when I get back on my feet, I’ll proba-bly become a volunteer,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Also an affi liate of the In-terfaith Nutrition Network, the Invited INN operates a soup kitchen in Rocky Point’s Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. Dinner is served at 5 pm every Th ursday in Witzmann Hall behind the church, according to information provided on the church website. Trinity has host-ed the program for over 14 years, and about 70 guests are served each week.

“Invited INN has becomesuch an important part of mylife,” volunteer Carol Moor stateson the website. “It is a wonder-ful experience working with so many caring and dedicated vol-unteers. I have so much joy in my heart when I see the smileson the children’s faces and thegratitude of the guests.”

Moor, who was responsiblefor introducing the soup kitchenprogram to Trinity, continues, “I feel very privileged to be ableto serve those less fortunate inour community in this way. Godgave me a challenge and my lifehas been blessed by it.”

Photo by Jennifer Choi

Welcome INN volunteers Rita Biamonte of Port Jeff erson and Jill Scott of Setauket prepare a soup kitchen dinner.

Giving back to the community is ‘part of the reason why you’re alive.’

— JACK STRONGOF SETAUKET

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Town imposes hiring freeze, hears of ‘dead battery club’

town’s previous instructor recently died, but the replace-ment was hired at $20 per hour even though the positionwas only paying $17 an hour previously.

“Th e commissioners can hire within the range,” Bal-dassare admitted, but criticized the commissioners fordoing so at the high end in a time of economic crisis.Having just emerged from a meeting with department heads, the acting supervisor said the commissioners “arecrazed about this” hiring freeze. “Th ey said everyonewe’re hiring we need,” in Baldassare’s opinion, failing torecognize the depth of the town’s fi nancial straits.

Dead battery clubIn another contentious and ongoing issue in

Brookhaven, the town’s white collar union president,Meg Shutka, complained to the Town Board of escalat-ing problems with fl eet vehicles due to the recently in-stalled GPS monitoring devices.

Shutka said she recently joined the “dead battery club,” town employees driving fl eet vehicles who aresuff ering from an inability to start their cars. “Day aft erday aft er day,” she said, employees are unable to start their cars since the tracking units were installed. Shutka related that in her instance she waited over an hour to have her battery jumped and was then told to drive around “for an hour or so” to recharge the battery. Shutka said she was forced to miss an important meet-ing and waste gasoline. “Something has to be done,” she said. All three Brookhaven employee unions strongly opposed the installation of GPS track-ing units in town vehicles.

Copies of email memos obtained by TBR Newspa-pers might lend credence to Shutka’s claim. One, dated Feb. 11 to all town employees from Brookhaven’s Public Safety division, instructed drivers on how to “expeditethe process of jump-starting the town vehicles with dead batteries.” An earlier email from Public Safety dated Jan. 7 outlined the town’s policy when dead batteries are en-countered.

Acting Supervisor Lori Baldassare admitted there is aproblem and said, “We are working with the vendor” tofi x it. However she was quick to add that the GPS devices may not be the cause or may be only one cause for deadbatteries in fl eet cars. Another possible cause? Baldassaresaid since the imposition of a new vehicle fl eet policy inthe town, an initiative claimed by both former Supervi-sor Foley and majority council members Jane Bonner (C-Rocky Point) and Keith Romaine (R-Center Moriches), “About 80 cars in the fl eet are being driven less than 50miles a month.” Baldassare said the radically reduced mileage is due to those vehicles no longer being used byemployees to commute to work, and little else.

Deputy Acting Supervisor Th alia Bouklas said 710 town vehicles have been fi tted with the GPS devices.

Baldassare also addressed a point made by ShutkaTuesday night when the union president said the instal-lation may have voided warranties on the cars. She said a federal law protects the vehicle owner in such cases andthe concern is “not an issue.”

BY LEE LUTZleelutz@tbrnewspapers.com

With Brookhaven’s fi nancial situation being buff eted by the worldwide economic downturn, the Town Board Tuesday night took another step to ward off a potential fi s-cal emergency later this year by imposing a two-month hiring freeze.

Th e last-minute resolution, sponsored by Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld (D-East Setauket), passed unanimously at the end of the board’s regular meeting. Fiore-Rosenfeld cited department commissioners “still hiring and promoting” despite the warning issued only fi ve days earlier that revenue short-falls were already reaching alarming levels (see page A4). Th e resolution specifi cally exempted “seasonals” from the freeze, he said, those temporary workers the town hires each year typically for summer work at Brookhaven

beaches and parks. Although all six council

members voted in favor, diff er-ences along partisan lines none-theless were aired. Councilman Tim Mazzei (R-Blue Point), cur-rently the GOP candidate in the March 31 special election for town supervisor, said yesterday, “I have not been notifi ed by the acting super-

visor’s offi ce” of any hires recently. Mazzei said he was unaware through any other source as well of new town employees or promotions recently. But, noting he raised the issue of vacant positions at last week’s work session, Mazzei asked rhetorically, “Why didn’t [Acting Supervi-sor Lori Baldassare] say something to us all then” if she was aware of any personnel changes?

Baldassare confi rmed there had been hirings recently,

including a full time employee in Parks andseveral part-timers, but added that sincethe Town Board’s Republican majority,led by Mazzei, changed the procedure forprocessing personnel changes when it tookcontrol in January 2008, the supervisor’soffi ce is no longer aware of a hiring until ithas already happened. She said departmentcommissioners, almost all appointed by

the majority, now manage personnel within their owndepartments. Under former Supervisor Brian Foley allpersonnel matters were reviewed by his offi ce, usually byhis chief of staff , Baldassare.

Th e acting supervisor added that the commissioners oft en hire at a salary high within the range permittedfor the position. As an example she cited a resolution ap-proved Tuesday regarding a defensive driving instructor.Baldassare said the appointment was necessary since the

‘Why didn’t [Baldassare] say something to us all then?’

— COUNCILMANTIM MAZZEI

The commissioners ‘are crazed about this.’— ACTING SUPERVISOR

LORI BALDASSARE

File photo

Meg Shutka

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If it sounds too good to be true … inspector warnsBY JENNIFER CHOIjenchoi@tbrnewspapers.com

U.S. Postal Inspector Al Weissmann visited Jeff er-son’s Ferry in South Setauket last week to share the common defenses against fraud and identity theft as part of National Consumer Protection Week, which ran from March 1 to 7.

Residents of Jeff erson’s Ferry, a retirement commu-nity for active adults, gathered March 4 to learn how to protect themselves from what Weissmann calls “a very serious problem that hasn’t gone away.”

“Th e thieves have become a little more sophisti-cated,” the inspector said, noting their ability to use the Internet to perform fraudulent activities. It is very important to “do your homework” before investing any money, Weissmann added, which includes making sure even your fi nancial advisor doesn’t have a “shady background.”

Following a short fi lm featuring fi ctional families who have suff ered from identity theft , Weissmann noted that the goal of the postal inspection service is to raise awareness about possible scams. If something suspicious arrives in the mail, “shred it and forget it,” he said. “Th e shredder — that’s where I fi le all my scams.”

For example, an off er to become a “mystery shop-per” is a new scheme on the rise, according to the in-spector. It all begins when a victim receives a heft y check in the mail and is directed to deposit the check into their checking account, the inspector explained. Th e mystery shopper is then asked to purchase various items with the money in order to evaluate the store’s

customer service.Problem is, the

check is no good, Weissmann said. But before the check can bounce, the vic-tim has used his own money, or money he will be responsible for, to purchase the items. Furthermore, the unbeknownst

mystery shopper is then asked to wire transfer a large sum of the money, the inspector continued, and “Bam, you’ve been scammed — whatever you wired is gone.”

As for letters indicating lottery winnings, “If you didn’t enter it, you can’t win it,” Weissmann said. “Please use common sense. Don’t make important fi nancial de-cisions on your own.” Centereach Postmaster Edward O’Shaughnessy, who joined Weissmann at the March 4 event, also advised residents to beware of such schemes and reach out to professionals with any questions or concerns.

According to information provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, their investigators arrest about 12,000 criminal suspects each year, nearly half for mail theft or possession of stolen mail, and an av-erage of 100 incidents involving suspicious items in the mail are investigated. Th e service also responds to more than 75,000 consumer fraud complaints each year, including reports of identity theft which claims 750,000 victims annually.

To help prevent fraud by phone or mail, consumers should be wary of salespeople who use “well-rehearsed sales pitches designed to sound believable,” accord-ing to a handout from the postal inspection service. Among the sales pitches are: “You’ll get a wonderful free bonus if you buy our product”; “You’ve won a valu-able free prize”; “You’ve won big money in a foreign lottery”; and “Th is investment is low risk and provides a higher return than you can get anywhere else.”

Rose Rezk, a four-year Jeff erson’s Ferry resident, said the presentation was “very interesting.” “You don’t know who’s reliable and who’s not,” she said, adding even though she has not received any suspicious items in the mail, she will be extra careful in the future.

“I thought it was excellent,” said Marita McNeill, who moved to the retirement community two weeks af-ter its opening nearly eight years ago. Having heard “so many horror stories” about identity theft , McNeill said she is glad to be “up to date” on the issue and credited Weissmann for making a “very clear” presentation.

Photos by Jennifer ChoiAs many interested residents of Jeff erson’s Ferry listened intently, U.S. Postal Inspector Al Weissmann spoke about mail frauds, scams and schemes while Centereach Postmaster Edward O’Shaughnessy looked on.

Beware of ‘You’ll get a free bonus if you buy our product,’ ‘You’ve won a valuable free prize’ and ‘You’ve won big money in a foreign lottery.’

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chines and is exploring food service options, like part-nering with local restaurants or catering facilities.

However, there is one revenue stream that is down this season — catered weddings. Fewer couples booked their weddings there this season. “Because weddings are planned usually a year ahead, it’s going to be hard to make that up.”

Viloria-Fisher sees her bill as a win-win solution.“Th e point here is that whether or not we passed this

bill, we would have had to put some money into the Van-derbilt,” she said. “What this bill does is prevent us from having a hole in our budget. We have a commitment to keep the Vanderbilt alive. We would have had to fi nd the money somewhere else. And in these times, where were we going to fi nd the money?”

Parks fee hikes approved over CE Levy’s vetoBY ARLENE GROSSarlenegross@tbrnewspapers.com

In a 12-6 vote, the Legislature overrode County Ex-ecutive Steve Levy’s veto last Tuesday and increased park fees to bring an additional $1 million to the county.

Most of the money will aid the Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport, which took a big hit last fall when its endow-ment dropped precipitously, along with the rest of the declining stock market.

Th e bill’s sponsor, Legislator Vivian Viloria-Fisher (D-East Setauket), said she had been exploring park fee hikes for more than a year, “just because our costs have gone up and they’re not refl ected in the fees.”

Th e cost of fuel for the parks department, for instance, has increased by about 500 percent and people with larger recreational vehicles with more appliances have not been asked to help defray the costs.

“During these very diffi cult economic times, the taxpayers of Suff olk County should not be subsidizing recreational activities on as high a level as we had been in the parks. We have not raised user fees in our parks for seven years. Th ere’s just a sense of fairness in asking people who are engaged in recreational ac-tivities to at least keep up with infl ationary prices.”

Dan Aug, a spokesman for Levy, said Levy was proud to have not raised park fees for fi ve years.

“So he was disappointed that the Legislature went in that direction,” Aug said. “At the same time, however, he’s pleased that the museum will be open and operating for a period of time, that will allow all parties to endeavor to fi nd a long-term solution leading to continued opera-tion of the facility.”

Th ough he is for the county propping up the Vander-bilt, Legislator Lou D’Amaro (D-North Babylon) voted

to sustain Levy’s veto, he said, “because this is not the time to be raising park fees — when the economy is in free fall and the fees would be paid by those who could least aff ord to pay it.”

D’Amaro also questioned the wisdom of relying on a short-term solution: the park fee windfall is only for one

year. “Th ey’re going to need funding well beyond that one-year period,” he opined.

Also, whether higher park fees actually yield more county revenue remains to be seen. It might be that fewer people use the parks as a result, he said.

Another of his concerns is that the Vanderbilt won’t see any of the funding until late summer, aft er people have been using the parks for a few months. “Based on the testimony I’ve heard at the Legislature from the Van-derbilt representatives, their cash fl ow crunch is occur-ring now. To wait three, four or fi ve months is not going to help them.”

Still, Carol Ghiorsi Hart, executive director of the mu-seum, sounded upbeat about the Legislature’s vote. “We are very, very happy here at the Vanderbilt that we will be able to keep all our doors open to the public through the end of the year.”

In the meantime, the museum is fundraising with the help of the recently established Friends of the Vanderbilt group. Behind the scenes, museum trustees are working to secure corporate and foundation support and apply for grants.

“We’re trying to develop some special event programs to bring in more visitors,” she said. “We do expect our attendance to go up as people stay closer to home. We’re going to be off ering more of what we do so well.”

Hart has high hopes for a new summer program for children called Wizard University.

“Our site with the planetarium as well as the historic mansion with the collections is the perfect site to really excite the mind in imaginative ways and teach real sci-ence and history but in a fun way.”

What’s more, the museum has added vending ma-

Viloria-Fisher sponsored measure, says fees not raised in seven years

File photoThe Vanderbilt’s gardens are just one of its attractions. A museum and planetarium fascinate visitors as well.

‘And in these times, where were we going to fi nd the money?’

— LEGISLATORVIVIAN VILORIA-FISHER

‘So he was disappointed that the Legislature went in that direction.’

— LEVY SPOKESMAN

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Attitude adjustmentBY NANCY RAUCH DOUZINASvtimes@tbrnewspapers.com

I never thought I would say that Long Islanders don’t have enough of an attitude.

But I do think that we may be lack-ing something that is holding our region back. Let me explain.

Th e latest Long Island Index has just come out, and our re-gion continues to trend downward. Our economy is plagued by a dearth of venture capital, job growth mainly in low-paying sec-tors, increases in food stamp recipients and free lunch participants. It’s not just the recession: in relation to the rest of the country, Long Is-land incomes have been los-ing ground for years.

At the same time, we’re not build-ing the kind of housing we need, nor preserving open space at the levels that will maintain our quality of life. Overall, in the six years that the Index has pro-vided metrics, we have seen little or no improvement.

Most disturbing of all is that we’re do-ing so little to reverse these trends.

Other regions take action to correct their problems. When Silicon Valley identifi ed a shortage of aff ordable hous-ing, they instituted new incentive pro-grams and permitting procedures. Th e result: in seven years the average density of new development more than tripled.

When San Diego saw its economy devastated by post-cold-war defense cuts, they developed a plan to connect univer-sity researchers with entrepreneurs to in-cubate new businesses in emerging, high-tech industries. Th e result: San Diego is now the world’s 36th largest economy: between Portugal and Venezuela! Th e re-gion ranks fi ft h in the world in attracting venture capital.

Th e vehicles of successful change like this are regional alliances: coalitions of leaders from business, academia, com-

munity organizations, and government, who work together to achieve regionalgoals. We desperately need this kind of alliance here.

Th at will require leadership, whichLong Island has, and also collabora-tion, which we can learn. But perhaps itstarts with that attitude I was speakingabout. We need an outlook that sees a

problem and says, “Th is isunacceptable. We have tofi x it.”

Th e Index’s new study of education on Long Is-land, for example, revealsa system that spends enor-mous amounts of money and still fails to providethousands of our kids withthe learning they need tosucceed. We need an at-titude that says, “Th at has

to change.”We know all too well that our lack of

housing options is driving young peo-ple away, splitting families, and shack-ling our economy. It’s time we agreed,“Enough talk. Let’s get this solved.”

Long Island’s 100-plus downtowns and village centers off er enormous po-tential to provide new housing options, ease the brain drain, maximize exist-ing infrastructure, relieve pressure on roads and open space, and spur busi-ness development.

Patchogue has shown what can bedone. Long Island should be makingfour or fi ve Patchogues happen every year. Working together we can do that.We can transform our region: why not, ifother regions have?

“A new era” is a state of mind. A con-viction. It’s partly “Yes, we can”; but it’salso, “Yes, we must.”

Nancy Rauch Douzinas is president of the Rauch Foundation and convener of the Long Island Index. Th e Index providesdata about the Long Island region, in or-der to promote informed public debate and sound policy making. For more infor-mation visit www.longislandindex.org.

What every Long Islander should know

•A series

presented by the Long Island Index

Formed in 1996, the Mulvihill-Lynch School of Irish Dance, under the direction of Debbie Lynch-Web-ber and Jerry Mulvihill, became one of the most competitive dance schools within the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States. Th e school currently has over 200 students in three Suff olk County locations, Lake Ronkonkoma, Kings Park and the Hamptons.

Mulvihill-Lynch dancers are re-gionally, nationally and international-ly recognized champions on the com-petitive circuit. Students have won solo medals at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, the North Ameri-can Irish Dance Championships, the All-Scotland Championships, the Great Britain Championships, the British National Championships, the All-Ireland and World Irish Dance Championships. Mulvihill-Lynch dancers have also won numerous re-gional and national gold, silver and bronze medals in team fi gure dancing.

As well as competing all over the world, the Mulvihill-Lynch danc-ers also display their talents at events throughout Long Island and

contribute many hours to our local communities, performing for a num-ber of senior and youth organizations. Th e school stresses the importance of giving back to the community and donates their performances at various special fundraisers throughout the year. Classes are currently off ered for children, teens and adults.

On Friday, March 20, the school is hosting a fundraiser for their own dancers at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. “An Irish Journey” is a showcase of dance, tradi-tion, and Irish spirit. Proceeds of the show will benefi t the 31 local Suff olk County dancers who will be traveling to the World Irish Dance Champion-ships in April to compete amongst thousands of other dancers in both solo and team competitions. Th e dancers are raising money for travel expenses, entry fees, and new dance costumes. Th e show starts at 8 pm and tickets are $30 per person. Please contact the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center at 288-1500 or the Mulvihill-Lynch School at 738-1242 for further information.

Irish dance school shines

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Global relief agency has new base in Port Jeff Active in 80 nations, Church World Service organizes local disaster reliefBY JENNIFER CHOIjenchoi@tbrnewspapers.com

Th e international humanitar-ian organization, Church World Service, has a new home in Port Jeff erson.

Th e organization works to alleviate hunger and poverty around the world through lo-cal initiatives. For the fi rst time in its 60-year history, CWS has set up shop on Long Island, said Kathleen Lahey, CWS assistant director in the tri-state region. Th e goal, Lahey said, is to “em-power people with self-sustain-ing practices” rather than simply providing food and materials.

Lahey, a Port Jeff erson resi-dent for several years, said CWS was founded shortly aft er World War II when midwestern farm-ers with abundant crops trans-ported food to Europe and Asia to help “keep people alive.” Th e organization eventually began hosting “crop walks” to raise funds for its services and re-cently became one of fi ve disas-ter relief agencies authorized by Congress, she said, a status that permits the organization to re-spond immediately whenever disaster strikes.

In addition to providing day-to-day necessities, CWS, which is active in over 80 countries,

is organized to help people in need create their own local di-saster relief agencies, Lahey said. Th e organization also serves as a bridge connecting those who want to help with those who need help.

“Wherever there’s a disaster, there’s CWS,” Lahey said. “It’s about grabbing people who want to make a diff erence and doing something.”

According to Lahey, who fi rst learned of CWS during relief ef-forts for victims of the massive 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the organization is run by vol-unteers who assemble survival kits for disaster refugees, for ex-ample, school kits that include pencils, scissors and rulers; hy-giene kits with towels, combs,

soap and toothbrushes; baby kits with diapers, undershirts, wash-cloths, blankets and sweaters; and emergency cleanup buckets that include buckets, sponges, soap, cleaning towels, gloves and masks.

Between January and March of last year, CWS distributed 10,010 kits in Indonesia, 8,645 kits in Mongolia and 2,250 kits in Ethiopia, according to infor-mation provided by the assistant director. Th e organization also delivered 2,361 kits to Arkansas, 540 kits to New Mexico and 405 kits each to Illinois and Florida.

Volunteers continue to travel to New Orleans to aid persons still suff ering from the aft ermath of Hurricane Katrina, said La-hey, who visited Louisiana about a year ago. “I cried all week,” Lahey said, noting that the con-ditions in some areas are still “heartbreaking.” CWS also of-fers a refugee program that aids victims of humanitarian crises, she added, such as the one that currently exists in Gaza.

To fund their work, CWS volunteers host “crop walks” throughout the year, following the motto “We walk because they walk,” Lahey said. Last year, over 200 Brookhaven Town residents participated in a three-

mile Brookhaven crop walk that raised $10,000, while a total of $119,000 was raised throughout Long Island, the largest amount to date.

And despite the organization’s Christian identity, CWS aids all people, Lahey said. “Whoever needs help, we’re there.” A quar-ter of all funds raised stays local, she said. In a world with more than 14 million refugees, CWS focuses on those who are “mar-ginalized,” such as women and children, Lahey said.

Lahey was named assistant

director last July aft er volunteer-ing for six years. She said herhusband, Danny, and childrenKaci, 22, Matthew, 14, and Evan, 12, have all been involved withthe humanitarian organization.

“Every time you turn the newson, everywhere is so horrible,”Lahey said. Th e work Church World Service does “makes youfeel better,” Lacey explained and praised all the volunteers fortheir “amazing eff ort” and com-mitment.

For more information visitwww.churchworldservice.org.

Photos courtesy of Kathleen LaheyVolunteers from all over Long Island gathered last year in the Port Jefferson home of Kathleen Lahey to assemble school, hygiene and baby kits for people in need.

Kathleen Lahey of Port Jeff erson

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LegalsNOTICE TO BIDDERS

SETAUKET FIRE DISTRICTTOWN OF BROOKHAVEN

SUFFOLK COUNTY

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Setauket Fire District will receive sealed bids from parties interested in purchasing the fol-lowing vehicle(s):

1994 Dodge, Model 2500 Pick-up (white) Mileage 105,900 And/or1995 Dodge, Model 2500 4X4 Rack Truck (white) Mileage 90,555

Vehicles being sold “AS IS”. Minimum bid is $3000 per ve-hicle.

Interested parties may inspect the vehicle at Fire District Head-quarters at 190 Main Street, Se-tauket, during regular business hours, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., week-days only. Please telephone the Fire District offi ce at (631) 941-4900 ext. 1024 to make an appointment.

Bids shall be submitted in a sealed opaque envelope clearly marked with the descrip-tion of the vehicle for which you are submitting a bid.

Sealed bids will be received until Wednesday April 1, at 12 noon prevailing time at which time all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud.

Bids are to be submitted to the Setauket Fire District, 190 Main Street, Setauket, New York 11733.

The Setauket Fire District re-serves the right to consider the bids for sixty (60) days after the date of receiving bids, waive any informalities or to reject any or all bids submitted and to award the contract to that bid-der whose bid, in the opinion of the Setauket Fire District will be the most advantageous to the Fire District.

BY ORDER OF BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERSSETAUKET FIRE DISTRICT

122 3/12 1x vth

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to a resolution of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Setauket Fire District, Town of Brookhaven, Suff olk County, New York, sealed bids for interior renovations at the Setauket Fire District, District Facility located at 26 Hulse Road, East Setauket, New York will be received at the offi ce of the Board of Fire Com-missioners located at 190 Main Street, Setauket, NY 11733 until 12:00 p.m. (prevailing time) on the 27th day of march 2009, at which time they will be publicly opened and read aloud.

Bids will be submitted in sealed envelopes at the above address and shall bear on the face thereof the name and ad-dress of the bidder as well as the specifi c contract(s) number(s) bid on, as set forth below. All bids must be submitted on forms furnished by the Setauket Fire District, in accordance with the specifi cations and instruc-tions to Bidders.

Bids solicited as part of the Notice shall be for the follow-ing: General Construction, Me-chanical, Plumbing and Electri-cal Work.

Detailed plans, specifi cations and all bid documents regard-ing the project will be available in electronic format during nor-mal business hours, commenc-ing at noon on March 13, 2009 at the offi ce of the District’s Ar-chitect/Engineer:

Holzmacher McLendon & Murrell, P.C.575 Broad Hollow RoadMelville, NY 11747Phone: 631-756-8000Fax: 631-694-4122

A deposit of Twenty-Five ($25.00) Dollars via check made payable to the Setauket Fire Dis-trict, shall be required for each disc of electronic bid docu-ments obtained. Bidders shall receive a full refund for each disc returned in good condition within thirty (30) calendar days after the bid award or rejection date.

A Bid Bond or certifi ed check (payable to the Setauket Fire District) in the amount of at least fi ve (5%) percent of the base bid must accompany each bid. A full performance bond, together with payment bonds, shall be required of the success-ful bidder.

The contract for the above item will be awarded by the Board of Fire Commissioners to the lowest responsible bid-der. In cases where two or more responsible bidders submit identical bids as to price, the Board of Fire Commissioners may award the contract to ei-ther of such bidders. The Board of Fire Commissioners reserves the right to reject all bids and re-advertise for new bids in its discretion and/or to waive any informality in any bid which it deems immaterial in nature. No bidder may withdraw its bid within sixty (60) days of the bid opening.

Dated: March 6, 2009

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS OF THESETAUKET FIRE DISTRICTTown of Brookhaven, Suff olk County, New York

By: CYNTHIA HUBBARD,Secretary

123 3/12 1x vth

NOTICE OF RESOLUTIONADOPTED SUBJECT TO

PERMISSIVE REFERENDUM

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Setauket Fire District, at a regular meeting thereof, held on March 5, 2009, duly adopted the following resolution:

BE IT RESOLVED, pursuant to the provisions of the Gen-eral Municipal Law and the Town Law of the State of New York, that a sum not to exceed $800,000.00 be expended from the Building Reserve Fund of the Fire District for the purpose of constructing and acquiring certain capital improvements at the new administrative of-fi ce building of the Setauket Fire District located at 26 Hulse Road, Setauket, New York, and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution is adopted subject to a permissive referendum as pro-vided in the General Municipal Law of the State of New York, and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Secretary of the Fire District shall, within ten working days of the adoption of this resolution, publish a notice within the of-fi cial newspaper of the Fire Dis-trict setting forth the date of the adoption of the resolution and an abstract of the resolution concisely stating the purpose and eff ect thereof and that the resolution was adopted subject to a permissive referendum.

Dated: March 6, 2009

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OFFIRE COMMISSIONERS OF THESETAUKET DISTRICTTown of Brookhaven,Suff olk County, New York

By: CYNTHIA HUBBARDFire District Secretary

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SUPREME COURT – COUNTY OFSUFFOLK DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONALTRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEEOF ARGENT MORTGAGESECURITIES, INC. ASSET BACKEDPASS THROUGH CERTIFICATES,SERIES 2005-W4 UNDER THEPOOLING AND SERVICINGAGREEMENT DATED AS OFNOVEMBER 1, 2005, WITHOUTRECOURSE, Plaintiff againstMARSHALL GOLDSTEIN; GAILGOLDSTEIN, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment ofForeclosure and Sale enteredon July 10, 2008. I, the undersigned Referee willsell at public auction at thefront steps of the BrookhavenTown Hall, One IndependenceHill, Farmingville, N.Y. on the 7thday of April, 2009 at 10:30 a.m.premises Beginning at a point on theeasterly side of North CountyRoad, distant 1074.13 feetsoutherly from the cornerformed by the easterly side ofNorth County Road with thecenter line of Main Street, andalso being distant 951.98 feetsoutherly from the point whereland now or formerly of WardMelville intersects the easterlyside of North County Road;Thence south 74 degrees 50minutes east 65 feet; Thencenorth 70 degrees 09 minutes4 seconds east 171.56 feet;Thence north 4 degrees 25minutes east 60 feet to thesoutherly line of land now orformerly of Worthington RealtyCorporation; Thence alongland of Worthington RealtyCorporation, south 85 degrees35 minutes east 335 feet to thewesterly line of land of schooldistrict#2; Thence along saidschool land, south 7 degrees 19minutes 10 seconds west 160feet; Thence north 75 degrees56 minutes 30 seconds west159.08 feet; Thence north 40degrees 22 minutes 20 secondswest 59.40 feet; Thence north 73degrees 46 minutes 20 secondswest 86.52 feet; Thence south 70degrees 09 minutes 40 secondswest 215.04 feet (215.24 deed);Thence north 74 degrees 50minutes west 76.35 feet to theeasterly side of North CountyRoad; Thence along the easterlyside of North county Road,north 18 degrees 46 minutes 20seconds east 30.06 feet to thepoint or place of Beginning. Said premises known as 75 MainStreet, Setauket, N.Y. 11733.Tax account number: SBL # : 110-01-002.Approximate amount of lien$ 621,802.82 plus interest andcosts. Premises will be sold subjectto provisions of fi led judgmentand terms of sale. Index No. 02521-07. Jonathan D. Brown, Esq., Referee. Fein Such & Crane, LLPAttorney(s) for Plaintiff 1800 First Federal PlazaRochester, N.Y. 14614

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INCORPORATED VILLAGE

OF OLD FIELDPUBLIC NOTICE TO BIDDERS

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THATsealed proposals will be re-ceived by the Incorporated Vil-lage of Old Field, New York, onor before April 6, 2009 at 3:00p.m. at the Village Hall, 207 OldField Road, Setauket. The bidswill be publicly opened andread, and the contract awardedas soon thereafter as practi-cable for:(1) Stone Revetment Construct-ed of 290 LF; (2) Erosion and Sediment Con-trol Measures; (3) Seeding and Site Restoration.A detailed list of the requiredwork can be examined at the Of-fi ce of the Village Clerk at VillageHall, on Mondays, Tuesday andThursdays between the hours of9:30 a.m. and 3:00 P.M.. BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OFTRUSTEES of the IncorporatedVillage of Old Field, New York.

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Legal advertisement guidelinesDeadline is 12 noon 1 week prior to publication date.

E-mail your text to: legals@tbrnewspapers.com

For additional information please call 631.751.7744

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Making fi tness a family aff airTh rough their participation in the school’s Fitness and

Nutrition bag pilot, second-grade students at Minnesauke El-ementary School are learning that the life skills emphasized in their character education lessons go hand in hand with physi-cal activity and healthy eating. Th e initiative, which was created by health teacher Kristina Fiore-Rosenfeld to increase families’ awareness of their children’s fi tness and nutrition needs, enables students to “adopt” a FAN bag for the weekend. Each of the 14 bags includes one main fi tness activity, as well as several smaller fi tness activities, relating to the life skill being emphasized. Th is initiative was funded with the help of the school’s Site-Based Team. Second-grade students from Karen Kessler’s class are pictured with Fiore-Rosenfeld as they receive their FAN bags.

Courtesy Jennifer Finn, Syntax Communication

George Boykin Jr.George Ashley Boykin Jr.

was born on April 2, 1930 in Baltimore, Md. He was the oldest child of George A. Boykin Sr. and Lillian Del-saver Boykin. George has two brothers, Lowell and Cubin, and one sister, Lillian.

George spent his forma-tive years in Baltimore. Aft er high school George furthered his education at the New York Academy of Embalm-ing and Restoration. Aft er graduating from the academy George entered the U.S. Army and served as a medic in the Korean War.

Upon leaving the Army George continued his career in the New York Medical Examiner’s Offi ce as a mortu-

ary attendant. When he left there he found employment at the Manhattan Veterans Hospital as a supervisor of the mortuary for 10 years. In 1965 George began working in the Suff olk County Medi-cal Examiners Offi ce under Dr. Sidney Weinberger. In 1962 he was off ered a position at SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine as a research associate in the Department of Anatomical Sciences. Th e dean of the medical school, Dr. Marvin Kushner, encour-aged George to extend his services to the Department of Pathology. He was responsible for the coordination of the gross anatomy and autopsy service at the hospital.

Because of his extensive expertise, many hospitals in the area sought his assistance. Th e National Hormone and Pituitary gland program cited George for his contribution in the treatment of children with growth disorders. Th e state Assembly, Congress and many in the community have commended George for his service. In 1987 George was nominated for the National Volunteer Award by President Ronald Reagan.

George was involved in

the SAINTs program on the SUNY campus; liaison and community coordina-tor for the Black Faculty & Staff Association with Dr. Frances Brisbane; on the board of the Parish Resource Center; second vice president of the Brookhaven NAACP; commander of the Irving Hart American Legion Post 1776; on the advisory board of the Elsie Owens North Brookhaven Health Center at Coram; and honorary mem-ber of the Suff olk Pathological Society.

George A. Boykin Jr. is survived by his loving wife, Hilde; his daughter Tracy and her husband Stephen; two granddaughters, Georgiana and Danielle; brother Cubin and his wife Carene; sister-in-law Edith; and many other relatives and friends.

A funeral service was held at Bethel AME Church on Feb. 24, with the Rev. Gregory Leonard offi ciating. Mr. Boykin was aff orded full military honors at Calverton National Cemetery.

Arrangements were entrusted to Bryant Funeral Home of Setauket. Please visit www.bryantfh .com to sign the online guestbook.

Barbara MullerBarbara J. Muller, 66, of

East Setauket died on March 3. She was born in Brooklyn, the daughter of Chester J. and Helen Pesta. She worked for many years as a billing clerk for St. Charles Hospital in Port Jeff erson. Her great passion was listening to Elvis.

Mrs.Muller is survived by her husband, Kenneth R. Muller; daughters, Debbie Anne Ferrari and Joyce D’Alo; son, Kenneth J. Muller; her father, Chester J. Pesta; seven grandchildren; and sisters, Maryanne Muller and Doro-thy Bieshelt. She was preceded in death by her mother.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held at Infant Jesus R.C. Chapel at St. Charles Hospi-tal Chapel. Committal was private.

Contributions made to the Pediatric Care Unit, attn. Jeri Sigwart, Stony Brook Uni-versity Medical Center, PICU Hospital Level # 11, Room 101, Stony Brook, NY 11794 would be appreciated.

Arrangements were en-trusted to the Bryant Funeral Home of Setauket. Please visit www.bryantfh .com to sign the online guestbook.

Obituaries

PEOPLESBU professor receives young

investigator awardAdrianus (Ando)

W. M. van der Velden, Ph.D., of Setauket, assistant professor in the departments of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology; Pathology; and Center for Infectious Dis-eases at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, is a 2008 recipient of the Astel-las Young Investigator Award. Sponsored by the Astellas USA

Foundation, the award is given to only two indi-viduals each year and provides funding to scientists who have demonstrated outstanding research in any current area of interest within the fi eld of infectious diseases.

Dr. van der Velden is investigating the mamma-lian T cell response to Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), intracellular bac-teria that are a leading cause of worldwide morbid-ity and mortality in humans. Jointly given by the Infectious Diseases Society of America Education & Research Foundation and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, the award provides Dr. van der Velden with a one-year $50,000 grant to continue his research.

Th e goal of his experiments funded by the Astellas Young Investigator Award is to further characterize the mechanism by which S. Typhimurium inhibit T cells. Dr. van der Velden expects that through new experiments he will be able to identify and charac-terize a T cell inhibitor produced or induced during bacterial infection. Th e research could lead to the development of new therapeutics or vaccines for the treatment and prevention of human diseases caused by S. Typhimurium, and possibly other microbial pathogens.

Stieglitz joins Phi Eta Sigma

Josh Stieglitz, a freshman at the C. W. Post Campus of Long Island University, has been invited to join Phi Eta Sigma, the freshman scholastic honor society. Th e requirements for membership in this organization are very high, an average of 3.5 or better. Only about 3 percent of the students in the freshman class attain this honor each year. Stieglitz is the son of Sally and Paul Stieglitz of Stony Brook, and a 2008 graduate of Ward Melville High School.

Barbakoff on dean’s list at Northwestern University

Jessica M. Barbakoff of East Setauket has been named to the dean’s list for the fall quarter at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. She is the daughter of Beth and Jay Barbakoff , and is a 2008 high honor graduate of Ward Melville High School. Stu-dents on the dean’s list have attained a grade point average of at least 3.70.

Fafard on dean’s list at Canisius College

Nicole Fafard of East Setauket, Class of 2009 at Canisius College in Buff alo, has been named to the dean’s list for the fall semester. She is a senior majoring in special education grades 1 to 6 and childhood grades 1 to 6. Approximately 15 percent of undergraduates qualifi ed for the dean’s list.

Gelinas Jr. High School team brings cheer Th e P.J. Gelinas Jr. High School cheerleaders recently visited Sunrise Assisted Living in East Setauket. Th e girls

performed dances and cheers for the residents and as gave them handmade Valentine cards. Everyone had a great time! Pictured: Gracie Barressi, Ruby Barressi, Charlotte Christie, Devin Dever, Justine DiPasquale, Chandler Godt, Brooke Goldstein, Deanna Goldstone, Samantha Hoff man, Dayna Lewis, Ashley Meoni, Alexa Sauro, Riley Smith and Coach Sharon Gatz-Philbrick.

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Providing quality organized baseball and softball to children in the Three Village area since 1969

THREE VILLAGEBASEBALL & SOFTBALL LEAGUE

P0 Box 1538, Stony Brook, NY 11790-0610(631) 246-TVBB (8822) • www. 3vbb. org

SPRING REGISTRATIONTh e Th ree Village Baseball & Soft ball League is the largest provider of baseball and soft ball in the Th ree Village area. It covers boys and girls from 5 (PK) to 17 years old and plays exclusively within the Th ree Village area.Spring registration is now almost over. You should have received a registration form in your child’s backpack in January. If you did not receive the registration form, you can go onto our website at www.3vbb.org to download the form and mail it in to the PO Box ASAP. Regular registration ends on March 15 therefore any registrations received aft er that date will have an increase in fees.Th e annual skills evaluations for junior divisions (3rd grade) and older, baseball and soft ball, are being held at Gelinas JHS on March 14th (2–5pm) and March 15 (9am to noon). You must be evaluated on one of those dates. Special requests will not be honored unless your child participates in the skills evaluations. Th e evaluations take approximately 45 minutes to complete. You may register at that time if you have not already done so.We still need Intramural and Travel Sponsors We have extended the deadline to get your company name on a banner until March 31, 2009! Please visit our website to fi nd out more information!Th e last managers/coaches meeting is scheduled for 7:30pm on Monday, March 30 at Murphy JHS in the cafeteria. We are also having our second umpires meeting in the cafeteria at 7:30pm.Th is year’s sportsmanship presentation is scheduled for 7:30pm on April 1 at Murphy JHS. If your child is in the fi rst grade or older and you have not seen the program, one parent per household must attend this presentation in order for your child to be eligible to participate in the league. Th is is an important part of the league. It enables each parent the opportunity to come down to each game without having to be stressed out from overzealous parents or coaches. Th is is what separates our league for any other on Long Island!Lastly, as we continue to grow in size, we are in need of more help on the board. Please consider volunteering and really making a diff erence!

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member and securer of the $713,000 fed-eral earmark. “With a push of a button I can control every part of my life,” Israel said. “We want to ensure that ratepayers and businesses have the same control over their energy costs.”

LIPA has included $3 million for Smart meters in its 2009 capital budget and an ad-ditional $5 million to expand the program in 2010 and 2011, according to author-ity offi cials. But at a cost of $250 to $300 per meter, a larger revenue source will be necessary to encompass all approximately three million LIPA ratepayers in the smart grid, Law added. He said LIPA also plans to seek a portion of the $4.5 billion fund for energy-effi cient grids in the recently passed federal stimulus bill.

It’s unrealistic to expect a local power authority to have the funding “to cover all the fi nancial risk” of a large-scale invest-ment in Smart grid technologies, Israel said. Particularly benefi cial in a global recession, the $713,000 federal investment will not only cut fossil fuel use and save consumers money, but also create jobs — manufactur-ing and servicing the Smart meters — in the green-energy industry Israel is working to establish on Long Island, he said.

Th e House of Representatives has passed the appropriations bill, and President Barack Obama indicated his willingness to sign it, but the Senate had yet to vote on it as of Monday. Israel said he anticipated that the chamber would pass the spending bill by the end of the week. “If the Senate would do a little more working and a little less talking, we could deliver the check to LIPA immediately,” the congressman said.

Israel’s $713,000 would mark the fi rst time the power authority has received

federal funding, Law said. Nor has thestate traditionally subsidized LIPA, al-though the authority recently secured $50 million through NYSERDA for solarpanel installation, said Vice President of Communications Ed Dumas.

Th e Smart meter funding was an-nounced in the Hauppauge Industrial Park at Globecomm, one of the fi rst participants in the pilot. Th e telecom-munications infrastructure provider’s CEO, David Hershberg, described thefi rm’s Smart meter as a “win-win” for hisshareholders, who will benefi t from lowerelectric bills, and the local environment, which faces fewer emissions from fossilfuels burned to generate the voltage.

“We spend a lot of money on power,”Hershberg said. “Hopefully with this[meter] we’ll spend a little less.”

Th rough the pilot, LIPA offi cials saidthey plan to measure two diff erent Smartcommunication technologies’ ability tocollect meter information and share it andpricing signals with customers in “near realtime,” as well as its ability to detect systemconditions — including load and usage —and remotely control equipment situated along the grid.

“Th rough a secured website, Smart me-ters will allow LIPA customers to see howmuch electricity they are using and at whatrate … encouraging them to change thepattern of how they use electricity with an eye toward lowering their demand, be-coming more energy effi cient and loweringtheir bills,” according to a LIPA release.

Smart meters will not only increase energy-use awareness for the consumer, but also for LIPA — boosting its trouble-shooting capabilities, Law said. For ex-ample, the authority would be able totell a location had lost power without thecustomer calling to report it.

Smart metersContinued from page A1

Gov. David Paterson announced Feb. 27 that the largest solar energy proj-ect in New York State history is mov-ing forward on Long Island, increasing the state’s total solar energy produc-tion threefold. Th e 50 megawatt project would provide enough power to sustain more than 6,500 households and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20,000 tons per year.

“Th is project is not only the largest of its kind in state history,” said Pa-terson at a press conference at Brookhaven National Laboratory, “it is also one of the fi rst of its kind in our nation, proving once again that New York is at the forefront of the renewable energy revolu-tion.” Paterson estimates that clean energy projects across the state will create 50,000 new jobs.

Long Island Power Authority of-fi cials said the results of a competi-tive procurement process resulted in the selection of BP Solar to provide 36.9 MW of solar energy, hosted at BNL. Additionally, enXco will supply 13.1 MW of solar energy from facili-ties constructed and operated on mu-nicipal, school and private properties across Long Island.

LIPA will start negotiations with both developers for 50 MW of solar photovol-taic energy through a power purchase agreement for terms of 20 years with deliveries to begin between June of this

year and May of 2011. Th e solar energy will be produced by the selected devel-opers of the solar photovoltaic systems and will be purchased by LIPA.

“I commend Governor Paterson for challenging LIPA to fi nd ways to har-ness the power of the sun,” said Kevin Law, president and CEO of LIPA. “Th is project will diversify Long Islands ener-gy portfolio, strengthen the local econ-

omy, transform the solar pho-tovoltaic marketplace and reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.”

To support the LIPA solar initiative, the New York State Energy Research and Development Author-ity will provide LIPA with $15 million and will con-tinue to work with LIPA to identify other funds

that may be eligible for use by LIPA to support the project.

“Th is investment is a critical com-ponent of Governor Paterson’s 45 by 15 initiative,” said Francis Murray Jr., pres-ident and CEO of NYSERDA, “meet-ing 45 percent of the state’s electricity requirements through a combination of energy effi ciency and renewable sources by the year 2015.”

“LIPA’s plan to purchase 50 MW of solar electricity is substantial,” said Julia Hamm, executive director of the Solar Electric Power Association. Hamm said as of the end of 2007, only three electric utilities in the U.S. had 30 or more mega-watts of solar electricity on their grids.

Largest NY solar energy project ever coming to BNL

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Photo by Peter Smit

Five local boys, including (l-r) Ward Melville’s Austin Brennan, Port Jeff erson’s Jeff Capobianco, Mount Sinai’s Kevin Smit, Rocky Point’s Matt Dutton, and Mount Sinai’s Thomas Luchsinger, competed in the New York State swimming championships on March 6-7 at Nassau Aquatic Center.

BY FRANK DOWDkatsports@tbrnewspapers.com

Some of the top athletes from winter track competed last weekend at the New York State championships, which were held at Cornell University in Ithaca. Many set records, earned awards and came away with personal best scores.

Competing for Ward Melville were senior Ashley O’Shea, freshman Caroline O’Hea and sophomore Mary Kate Anselmini. O’Shea competed in the 1,500-meter race/walk, fi nishing in second place (7:05.37) to Valley Stream junior Emilija Vaskyte (7:05.03). Port Jeff erson’s Lisa Kutzing holds the state record of 6:28.20, which was set back in 1998.

O’Hea competed in the 3,000-me-ter run, clocking in at 10:22.11. Shelby Greaney of Suff ern won the event at 9:53.99. Anselmini came in ninth place in the 1,000-meter run in 3:03.77.

Mount Sinai senior Christi Nassauer entered the state competition as the Suff olk County pole vault champion. Last weekend, she placed 17th in both the New York State Federation and public high schools with a jump of 9-0. Aft er clearing the fi rst two jumps with ease, Nassauer missed one at 9-9. “Th is is the highest level meet she has competed in,” said Mount Sinai head coach Bill Dwyer. “She did well.”

Mount Sinai junior Janet Mellor placed sixth in the state for the 300-meter dash with a time of 40.85, which was also good for a ninth place fi nish in the federation. “Th is was her best time for this indoor season,” said Dwyer.

Mount Sinai sophomore Janie Turek came away with both silver and bronze medals, as she ran the

1,000-meter race in 2:56.96. Turek fi nished second in NYSPHSAA and third in the federation. “It was a good day for her,” Dwyer said.

He continued, “Th e meet went well. Th e most im-portant thing is that Janie and Janet are looking for-ward to the nationals this weekend coming up.”

Also competing was Smithtown East senior Ashley Beck. Beck is only the second athlete in the past 23 years to represent her school in the high jump competition. “She

is a great athlete,” said Smithtown East assistant coach Helen Flynn.

Beck cleared 5-2, but when it went up to 5-4, she clipped the bar with her foot. If she had been successful at that height, it would have been a personal best for her. “She did very well,” Flynn said. “It

was amazing.” Beck, who is also a gymnast, will compete in the track and fi eld heptathlon event for Sacred Heart University next year.

Shoreham-Wading River senior Ashley Clasen placed fi ft h in the shot put. Aft er she qualifi ed with her best score (41-0) at the qualifying meet, Clasen threw 39-06.75 at states. Last summer, she won the national discus title. Clasen is ranked fourth nationally in the 20-pound weight throw and will be competing in that event at two upcoming national competitions. She has received a scholarship to East Carolina University.

“I think she’s going to the right place because the coach at East Carolina is an excellent throwing coach,” said Shoreham head coach Paul Koretzki. “It’s a great combination. She’s an outstanding worker.”

Swimmers excel at

state meet

Runners take on New York State competition

BOYS’ SWIMMINGBY FRANK DOWDkatsports@tbrnewspapers.com

Five of the strongest boys’ swimmers in Section XI invaded the Nassau Aquat-ics Center last weekend to take part in the annual state championship meet. Ward Melville senior captain Austin Brennan proudly represented his school, while the others competed indepen-dently. He recorded his personal bests in both the 100-yard backstroke (55.43) and 100-yard butterfl y (53.68). Brennan will attend Geneseo next year.

Other athletes competing were Port Jeff erson senior Jeff Capobianco, Mount Sinai seniors Kevin Smit and Th omas Luchsinger, and Rocky Point freshman Matt Dutton.

Aft er not performing well at the 2008 state meet, Capobianco was determined to have a better outcome this year. In his appearance last season, he fi nished the 100-yard butterfl y with a time of 54.0.

“It was a tough meet for him,” said Barry Roff er, who coaches these fi ve boys at the Th ree Village Swim Club. “He re-ally stepped up this year.”

Capobianco did just that, fi nishing eighth in the 100-yard butterfl y with a time of 51.83, a new personal best. He passed his old time of 52.79. “He swam very, very well,” said Roff er.

Capobianco will swim for Lehigh University next year. “He will be a good

SPORTS

Courtesy of USATF

Future is brightHunter Owens, an eighth-grader at Gelinas Junior High School, qualifi ed for the cross country National Junior Olympics.

addition to their program,” Roff er said. With a time of 1:59.65 in the 200-yard

individual medley, Smit broke two min-utes for the fi rst time. He also competed in the 500-yard freestyle event where he fi nished in 4:44.05, dropping six seconds off of his time. Smit worked his way back from a knee surgery last summer. “He did a really nice job,” said Roff er.

Section XI Good Sportsman of the Year award winner Tom Luchsinger made the Mount Sinai community proud of his performance at states. He was a Co-Most Valuable Swimmer of the meet, as he set state records in both the 100-yard butterfl y (48.38) and 200-yard freestyle (1:37.13).

Roff er was impressed with Luchsing-

er’s performance. “He had to swim withan open-back suit and still won,” he said. “He showed a lot of guts and courage.”

Dutton made his fi rst appearance atstates. He completed the 100-yard but-terfl y in 54.40. Roff er believes that Dut-ton has a bright future in the pool. “He is a very good swimmer,” he said. “He’ll be back the next couple of years.”

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With the April 15 deadline for tax season right around the corner, now is the time to be thinking about where to go to fi le your taxes so that you can get the largest possible refund from the fed-eral and state governments. For many, this means fi nding a good accountant or buying the latest income tax com-puter soft ware, but what do those lower and moderate income individuals do? Fortunately, Suff olk County off ers them expert income tax advice absolutely free.

In 2004, I authorized our Depart-ment of Labor to become a certifi ed Vol-unteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site for lower and moderate income residents in order to assist them with fi ling and to counsel them on the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) and other tax credits.

Our estimates show that over 20,000 Suff olk residents who are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit scheme do not apply for them. Oft entimes people can’t navigate through all the tax forms and schedules to claim this money that is rightfully theirs. Or, they are not aware of other tax credits and benefi ts they are eligible for.

In 2007, 154 Suff olk residents fi led returns through this program, with 98 qualifying for the EITC total-ing more than $181,000. In many cases volunteers also

discover a number of other benefi ts, suchas a federal Child Tax Credit or educa-tion credits, that applicants were eligible for but did not know about.

In total, federal refunds of more than $261,000 and state refunds of more than $83,000 were fi led for enrollees in the program, an average return of $2,237.

Th e good news for all is that this refund money goes back to Suff olk resi-dents, and therefore back into the local economy.

I highly recommend all eligible Suf-folk residents taking advantage of this program as soon as possible to ensure they receive the greatest refund possible. VITA volunteers will be able to assist residents now through April 15 at the

Labor Department’s One-Stop Employment Center, 725 Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge. Although walk-ins are handled, appointments are preferred and bilingual service is available. Residents can call 853-6544 for further information.

Be careful with our parksWe have radically mixed feelings regarding

County Executive Steve Levy’s plan unveiled last week to seek corporate sponsorships and advertising at county facilities — in the name, of course, of addressing his particular level of government’s fi scal woes. Granted, think-ing outside the box is needed and welcomed in times of crisis, and we have no doubt this proposal qualifi es under that label. If Levy can tap into a signifi cant pot of gold to keep taxpayers from reaching deeper into their pockets at precisely the time when they can least aff ord it, terrifi c — up to a point.

Levy’s proposal is to solicit “targeted marketing” at county parks, golf courses, campgrounds and hiking trails. His request seeks off ers of “advertising, displays, signs or corporate sponsorships throughout the county’s expansive parks and recreation system.” Responses are to be directed to the Suff olk County Naming Rights Committee — we didn’t know either that the county had such an animal.

Our ambivalence toward Levy’s idea comes in the breadth of his request. Golf courses already consist of acres of advertising, begin-ning at the pro shop but included in every foursome walking the fairways — golfers decked out in their Titlist Golf Ball caps and Jack Nicklaus shirts and carrying their Wilson golf bag with the large logo proclaim-ing that golfer’s choice and who willingly provides free advertising for the company. A modest sized billboard on the trail to the fi rst tee; a logo attached to each ball washer; some golf attire clothing company name displayed across the front of each golf cart — why not? Th e advertising is already there, encourage more of it to ease the burden on the citizenry, possibly providing the funding needed to keep the courses operating.

But — billboards in campgrounds and along hiking trails? We don’t think so. Th e whole idea, is it not, of those facilities is to get away from the norm, from civilization so to speak, for a few hours or days. Th e last thing any nature-loving hiker would toler-ate along her favorite trail through some of the few pristine acres still left on Long Island is an advertisement for hiking boots staring her in the face at the beginning of her walk. Campers and hikers are trying to get away from it all, not just most. We urge the county executive to tread very carefully into this new venture. Let’s not ruin the valuable county facilities he’s trying to save. Let’s not sell out completely to the corporate mentality that says everything — the Mets new home, the Ducks ballfi eld, Jones Beach theater and the rest — must have an international corporate giant’s name plastered on the side of it. (We shall miss Shea Stadium, named for — would you believe — a person?!)

Be careful, Mr. Levy, how you treat our parks, our woods, our open spaces.

I think that I shall never see, A billboard lovely as a tree.Perhaps, unless the billboards fall,I’ll never see a tree at all.

Ogden Nash1933

Plenty of substanceTO THE EDITOR:

As someone who reads the Times Beacon Record newspapers regularly, it seemed to me aft er reading last week’s editorial (“Substance please,” March 5), that you do not read your own newspaper nearly as carefully.

You charge that both candidates for Brookhaven supervisor have not shared substance with the voters. Yet, your own coverage of Democrat Mark Lesko dem-onstrates that in just two months as a candidate, he has been running a very substantive campaign on the issues.

You reported on Mark’s Brookhaven Initiative for Growth (BIG) plan to create jobs, stimulate the local economy and improve land-use planning in the town (“Brookhaven’s BIG Plan,” Feb. 19). You also reported on Mark’s proposal to crack down on code enforcement and improve quality of life by creating a Brookhaven com-munity court (“Supervisor hopeful calls for community court,” Jan. 29). Your editorial notes that you are inter-ested in learning more about the candidates’ positions on protecting open space. Had you attended Mark’s endorse-ment event with the Sierra Club on Feb. 23, which was held in Port Jeff erson, approximately fi ve minutes from your offi ce, I think you would have been very impressed by the environmental agenda he discussed.

Voters don’t have to take my word for it; they can go to your website to read those articles or to Mark’s website at www.leskoforsupervisor.com to learn more about his many substantive proposals for Brookhaven. And I hope that everyone will take the time to vote in this very important election on March 31. Th e direction of Brookhaven’s future depends on it.

Marsha LauferSetauket

Marsha Laufer is chairwoman of the Brookhaven Town Democratic Committee.

Is God your co-pilot?TO THE EDITOR:

Th is is in response to the letter of last week (“Teach the children well,” March 5) in which the writer seemed to draw a connection between people who don’t think it was God that saved Flight 1549, and people who would back their car into her new one and not even leave a note.

Being a person in the former group but defi nitely not in the latter, I know she is wrong.

But it made me curious, so I asked Google where the evidence lies: “Do religious people behave better?” It turned up several references to research by Gregory Paul in 2005 which studied religiosity and social behav-ior in 18 democracies.

The opinions of columnists and letter writers are their own. They do not speak for the newspaper.

EDITORIAL OPINION

Th e following reference (from Journal of Religion & Society) quotes Paul, who concluded that, on a societal level, “In general, higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates [venereal disease], teen pregnancy, and abortion,” while “None of the strongly secularized, pro-evolution democracies is experiencing high levels of measurable dysfunction.”

Paul also noted that, similarly, in the United States, the South and Midwest are higher in the above occur-rences than are the overall less-religious Eastern states.

Google also spouted research about good behavior on a personal level. It found that people behave better when they think they’re being watched, even if by a pair of eyes printed on a poster. Th at might explain some of what motivates religious people to behave well. But it also refl ects positively on atheists who, when they do their good deeds, do them without the benefi t of feeling the eyes of God upon them.

I hope the writer — and everybody who agrees with her — will observe more carefully and maybe rid themselves of the old, destructive notion that the world would be a better place if only those godless folks would get religion.

Sylvia KirkPort Jeff erson

Another classic stationDEAR MR. MCKINNEY:

I couldn’t agree more with your comments about WQXR and the fading away of classical music on radio (“Classic music struggles to survive,” March 5).

However I wish you had mentioned our other classical music source in Suff olk County, namely WSHU 91.1 FM Public Radio. Our main transmitter and translators cover the whole of Suff olk County, all the way out to Montauk Point. We have classical music programming every weekday from 9 am to 4 pm, and again from 8 pm to 5 am. On Sundays we have Baroque music from 8 am until 1 pm and my own classical program (temporarily hosted by Lauren Rico while I am away) Sunday Matinee,from 1 until 6. Th is is also broadcast on WSUF 89.9 FM.

Th is is a pretty impressive line up of classical music, I think. You can see details at http://www.wshu.org

People sometimes think of us a Connecticut station, but half our listeners and supporters are on Long Island (where I am based) and we have a studio at Suff olk Coun-ty Community College in Selden. If you get a chance in future, please mention WSHU to your readers. We are non-profi t, and need all the listeners we can get!

David BouchierWSHU essayist and music host

Income tax assistance for lower income residents

Your turn

BY COUNTY EXECUTIVE STEVE LEVY

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When an older man fathers a child, regardless of the age of the mother, there seems to be a small but increased risk that the child may score less well in intelligence tests. And although the risk is still quite small, such a child may also have an increased chance of birth defects and neuropsychiatric conditions like schizophrenia, au-tism and bipolar disorders. Th ese results of a broad scientifi c study involving 33,500 children born in the United States between 1959 and 1965 are causing a sea change in medical perspective.

Until now, the age of the mother has been considered of paramount importance, espe-cially since the biological clock of women is limited while the ability of men to father children continues as they age. With these results, it would appear that men too have a “clock” that begins ticking in their mid-30s. Evidence suggests that the chance of a successful pregnancy falls slightly aft er the father turns 35 and more so, although the risk is still quite small, aft er 40 years of age. Th is information is of particular

relevance today, when more men are delaying fatherhood until their 40s. For example, in 1993, in England and Wales, about 25 percent of births within marriage were to fathers ages 35-54, but by 2003, the number had risen to 40 percent. And according to the National Center for Health Sta-tistics in the U.S., in 2004 about 24 in every 1,000 men aged 40-44 fathered a child — an increase of 18 percent from the previous decade.

Further, the children of older mothers in the study tend to fare better in intelligence tests than the children of younger mothers.

John McGrath of the Univer-sity of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, led the primary study. “We report, to our knowledge for the fi rst time, that the off spring of older fathers show subtle impair-ments on a range of neurocogni-tive tasks during infancy and childhood. Th e patterns of these fi ndings were relatively consistent across ages and across neuro-cognitive domains,” according to McGrath. However, there was no further study to show if these

children catch up with their peers later in life.

So what’s going on here?For starters, women are

born with all the cells that will evolve into future eggs. Th ese eggs undergo 22 divisions in the womb. Men, however, produce new sperm cells throughout their lives. By age 20, sperm cells have divided 150 times and by age 50 some 840 times. With division there can be “copy error mutations,” or environmentally induced mutations, which in turn could lead to developmental problems. Th at could explain why the man’s age at fatherhood is relevant to the outcome of the pregnancy.

Further, children of older mothers, while less at risk from cell mutation, may perform better also because they receive the ben-efi ts of a more nurturing home environment. Th ey are on the right side of the heredity/environ-ment question on both counts.

A study recently published in the Archives of General Psychia-try concludes that the off spring of older fathers have a higher risk

of autism than that of younger fathers. If the father is over 40, the risk, though still small, is six times higher than if the father is under 30.

Researchers at Columbia Uni-versity found that men aged 50 and over are three times as likely to father a child with schizo-phrenia compared to men 25 and under. And men aged 45-49 are twice as likely to have a child with this illness. Th e researchers estimated that “as many as one in four cases of schizophrenia may be caused by the age of the father.” Th is conclusion is based on a study of 88,000 people.

And in Sweden, in a study at the Karolinska Institute, the con-clusion was that the older a child’s father, the more likely he or she was to have bipolar disorder. Children of men 55 years and up were 1.37 times more likely to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder than those of men 20-24. Please note that these are still small risks overall.

Th e risk of preterm birth increases with paternal age, according to a March

2005 issue of Epidemiology. Be-cause of increased risk of genetic abnormalities in the off spring of older fathers, the American So-ciety for Reproductive Medicine has limited semen donors to 40 years or younger, and in the U.K., 39 is the top age.

Men aged 50 and older are four times more likely to have a child with Down syndrome.

Some famous older fathers include the likes of Michael Douglas, Mick Jagger and Rupert Murdoch.

Perhaps society should look more kindly on older women who partner with younger men. It’s an idea that tickles me.

Male ‘biological clock’ ticking too

BY LEAH S. DUNAIEFvtimes@tbrnewspapers.com

Between you and me

TIMES BEACON RECORDNEWSPAPERSWe welcome letters, photographs, comments and story ideas. Send your items to PO Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733 or email to leelutz@tbrnewspapers.com. Or drop by our news offi ce at 185 Route 25A, Setauket. Th e opinions of our columnists are not necessarily those of the paper.Times Beacon Record Newspapers are published every Th ursday. Address: PO Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733. Telephone: 631-751-7744Web • www.northshoreofl ongisland.com Contents copyright 2009.

EDITOR AND PUBLISHERLeah S. DunaiefGENERAL MANAGERJohness KuiselEXECUTIVE EDITORLee LutzEDITORLee LutzLEISURE EDITOREllen BarcelSPORTS EDITORKatherine ConsorteONLINE EDITORPatricia Proven

ASSOCIATE EDITORAlyssa CutlerEDITORIALJohn BrovenJennifer ChoiJoseph DarrowMichael DownerArlene GrossRobert LeunerPatricia ProvenLisa SteuerJohn WestermannDave Willinger

PHOTOGRAPHYAlyssa CutlerJohn GriffinRobert O'RourkART AND PRODUCTIONDIRECTORDavid R. LeamanART AND PRODUCTIONJanet FortunaBeth Heller MasonWendy Mercier

ADVERTISING DIRECTORKathryn MandracchiaADVERTISINGMary ChirichellaRobin LemkinBarbara NewmanElizabeth ReuterLaura SatchwillNancy SolomonTed TaylorLynn TunneyMinnie Yancey

CLASSIFIEDS DIRECTOREllen SegalBUSINESS MANAGERSheila MurrayCREDIT MANAGERDiane WattecampsCIRCULATION MANAGERAlyssa CutlerBUSINESS OFFICESandi GrossMeg MalangoneSUBSCRIPTION MANAGERTerri Caruso

R.C. Murphy Junior High School wins 1st and 2nd prizes in Science Bowl

Teams from R.C. Murphy Junior High School won fi rst and second places at the Regional Middle School Science Bowl held March 7 at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory. One hun-dred students from 15 Long Island middle schools par-ticipated in the question-and-answer academic tourna-ment designed to test students’ knowledge of life science, physical science, mathematics, earth science, and general science.

Commack Middle School won third place in the Sci-ence Bowl academic contest, and Long Island Lutheran Middle School won fourth place.

Longwood Junior High School won fi rst place in the hydrogen fuel-cell model car competition, in which stu-dents design, build and race model cars using energy from a hydrogen fuel-cell. Th e team’s car raced down the 10-meter track in 4.37 seconds. Th e team from Bellport Middle School took second place, with 4.87 seconds to send their car down the track, and Eastport-South Man-or Middle School took third place, with their car speed-ing down the track in 5.0 seconds.

Th e Regional Science Bowl at Brookhaven Lab is part of the National Science Bowl coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Offi ce of Science. In 2008, more than 3,000 students participated in 36 regional events throughout the nation. By participating in this Jeopardy-style academic contest and model hydrogen fuel-cell car competition, students are encouraged to excel in science

and math and to pursue careers in those fi elds.Each student in the winning teams received a medal,

and each winning team received a trophy for its school. R.C. Murphy Junior High School will represent the Long Island region in the National Science Bowl, which will be held in Washington, D.C., from April 30 to May 5. Th e U.S. Department of Energy will fund the team’s trip.

One of 10 national laboratories overseen and pri-marily funded by the Offi ce of Science of the U.S. De-partment of Energy, Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and en-

vironmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientifi c facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE’s Offi ce of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability com-pany founded by the Research Foundation of SUNY, for and on behalf of SUNY Stony Brook, the largest aca-demic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle Memo-rial Institute, a nonprofi t, applied science and technol-ogy organization.

Courtesy BNLWith their coaches Robert Haas (right) and Patrick McManus (left) are the R.C. Murphy Junior High School fi rst-place winners of the Middle School Science Bowl at Brookhaven Lab: (from left) John Connor, Akilesh Tangella, Kirpal Kochar, Upasna Malhotra, and Harrison Li.

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