The South Shore Press 3/18

ROBERT CHARTUK

The war in Iran was good news for Gov. Kathy Hochul: it gave her someone else to blame for the high energy costs brought on by her own policies. After years of pushing aggressive Green New Deal mandates that have handcuffed New York’s economy, she has found a convenient foil in President Trump to deflect from the economic pain created in Albany.

For years, Hochul and her progressive colleagues have insisted their climate agenda would lead to a cleaner future without placing an unreasonable burden on residents. In reality, the state’s rush toward electrification and the rapid phaseout of fossil-fuel energy has caused steeply rising electricity and heating costs. Despite warnings from even inside Hochul’s own administration that costs would rise, Democrats

Iran War Gives Hochul an Excuse for New York’s High Energy Costs

refused to abandon their ruinous climate dream.

Now that energy costs are spiking even higher, the governor is eager to point to the war in Iran as the reason people are struggling with their electric bills. But New Yorkers know the truth: their energy costs were climbing long before President Trump decided to teach the mullahs a lesson. Albany’s mandates and unrealistic timelines were already squeezing family budgets, and relief was nowhere in sight.

Affordability be damned, the state’s political leadership continues to increase spending at a pace far beyond what taxpayers can handle. Their latest budget plan hikes spending by more than $13 billion, pushing the total well past $260 billion. For a state that already ranks among the most expensive places in the nation

to live, this relentless growth in government raises an obvious question: When will taxpayers get a break?

Instead of reducing spending or reconsidering policies that have driven up the cost of living, Albany’s answer often involves creating new subsidies, rebates, and programs meant to soften the blow. Those measures may provide temporary relief, but they do nothing to address the underlying problem—government decisions that make energy, housing, and everyday life more expensive.

The reality is simple. New York’s affordability crisis was not caused by events overseas. It was created much closer to home, in the halls of the Capitol, where political ambition and ideological energy policies have collided with the financial reality faced by millions of taxpayers.

Leaked Memo Raises Alarm Over NY Energy Costs

By Stefan Mychajliw

A leaked memo from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is intensifying debate in Albany over the cost and feasibility of the state’s climate mandates, with Republican lawmakers warning the policies could significantly increase energy costs for residents and businesses.

The memo outlines projected costs tied to the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), including estimates that gasoline prices could rise by as much as $2.23 per gallon and that some households could see energy costs increase by more than $4,000 annually if the policies move forward without changes.

Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt said the memo confirms long-standing concerns about the state’s energy agenda.

“New Yorkers simply cannot afford the Democrats’ green energy mandates,” Ortt said.

Several lawmakers said the memo validates years of warnings about the cost of

implementing the climate law.

Senator George Borrello said the findings reinforce concerns that the policy could have major economic impacts. “This law is unaffordable,” Borrello said.

Senator Dean Murray pointed to the financial pressure many residents are already facing due to rising energy costs.

“The cost of New York’s ‘green energy’ mandates will be devastating to residents

and small businesses across the state,” Murray said.

Republican lawmakers also criticized the goals of the climate law, arguing the mandates may not be realistic under current conditions.

“The CLCPA and Cap-and-Invest are financially unsustainable for working families, seniors, and small businesses,” said Senator Mario Mattera.

Others said the projections highlight the potential impact on household budgets and the need for changes to the state’s energy policies.

“Families could face gasoline prices exceeding five dollars per gallon and thousands of dollars more each year to heat their homes,” said Senator Anthony Palumbo.

The memo’s release has prompted renewed calls from Republican lawmakers to repeal certain mandates and reevaluate the state’s energy policies as the debate over affordability and climate goals continues in Albany.

COVERING ALL OF SUFFOLK

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By The South Shore Press

Sometimes the truth and exposure of corruption arrive from the most unexpected places.

Yes, THE George Santos Found the Fraud in New York Nonprofit

filing was so severe that the accounting firm issued a rare “disclaimer of opinion,” stating that financial records simply did not exist to verify the organization’s finances.

In this case, the South Shore Press columnist who first exposed troubling financial irregularities at Buffalo’s Seneca Babcock Community Association was our very own George Santos.

You know him well. George’s own past has made him one of the most interesting, thought-provoking, polarizing, and controversial figures in American politics.

Sure, we get it, that irony is impossible to ignore.

But that interesting irony does not make facts disappear. As the old political saying goes, “Facts are stubborn things.”

Whatever one thinks about Santos, the underlying reporting about Seneca Babcock is accurate and deeply troubling.

Public records reviewed by the South Shore Press revealed years of missing required nonprofit filings, including gaps in annual audited financial statements that charities receiving public funding are legally required to submit.

One audit attached to a late

By Stefan Mychajliw

What would you do if you knew you were going to die?

Sadly, my incredible father in law Ray did. He knew the end on this mortal coil was near. There was no panic, fear, nor anger. He loved.

In the weeks since his passing on February 25th, 2026, Roman “Ray” Kowalyk soaked up every last minute living life and loving his family.

He faced death with grace, honor, humility, courage, and his fighting spirit never diminished. It s a blessing that Ray suffers no more from a devastating cancer diagnosis that took him so very quickly. He passed peacefully at home, surrounded by the love of those dearest to him. I’m forever grateful for our last moments together, where he sat on his couch with me and showed me his many awards and proclamations from Ukraine. Ray received the highest civilian honor from a nation he loved, right up until his dying days.

Much of my father-in-law’s remarkable life story was only fully discovered by us after his passing. Ray wrote his own

This is New York State’s version of the Somali Learing Center scandal all over again. Santos flipped the switch, turned on the light, and exposed fraud, waste, and abuse that existed only in the cover of darkness, causing the non-profit to collapse spectacularly.

Then came the most alarming development.

Within 24 hours of the Santos story becoming public, the nonprofit’s longtime Executive Director resigned and the organization announced it was shutting down most of its programs.

The consequences are devastating.

Seneca Babcock is not just a neighborhood recreation center. It is a critical social services hub for New York State’s second largest city.

Its expansive network includes daycare centers serving working families, many of them single mothers, in communities already

suffering from a severe childcare shortage.

The organization also provides daily meals and programming for senior citizens who depend on those services.

South Shore Press Reporter Stefan Mychajliw explained how personal this issue is for him and his family. “My brother and his wife donated $3 million of their own money to help build the new Seneca Babcock Community Center,” he noted.

Mychajliw’s late mother’s name is on the building. “I grew up in that neighborhood and l know firsthand how important these programs are for struggling families,” he said.

That is why what happened here cannot simply be dismissed as sloppy bookkeeping.

When millions of taxpayer dollars are involved and financial records appear to be missing, the situation demands more than speculation. It demands answers and accountability.

The only credible way forward is a full forensic audit and a federal criminal investigation into the finances of the Seneca Babcock Community Association.

Such an investigation would determine whether this collapse resulted from gross incompetence or something far more serious involving fraud, waste, or abuse of public funds.

When non-profit fraud was exposed in Minnesota, politicians desperately tried to cover up the wrongdoing. Only after the Feds and Congress got involved did an unprecedented corruption scandal come to light.

This leads to one burning, unanswered question: if just one

non-profit agency in Buffalo is guilty of failing to file federal taxes and neglecting to file annual audited financial statements as required by law, how many more across New York State are there?

If nothing improper occurred, a federal investigation would clear those involved.

But if wrongdoing occurred, the people of New York State, from Brookhaven to Buffalo, especially the seniors, children, and families who relied on these programs, deserve accountability.

“Ray” Kowalyk, Father-In-Law of SSP Contributor Stefan Mychajliw

obituary, sharing details about his life that we only found out about after it was posted online.

A humble and private man, he rarely spoke of his extraordinary upbringing and accomplishments.

Ray was born in 1949 in a labor camp in Neu-Ulm, Germany, and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1950 aboard a military ship before becoming a proud American citizen.

A lifelong member of the Ukrainian-American community, Ray was devoted to CYM Buffalo, St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, the Dnipro Ukrainian Cultural Center, ODFFU, OUN, and the Ukrainian-American Sportsman Club.

Professionally known as “The Plant Dr.,” Ray built a respected career in horticulture before founding Trident Landscapes & Consulting.

Following the 2014 Euromaidan Revolution, he dedicated years to supporting Ukrainian soldiers and hospitals. For these efforts, he received numerous honors, including one of Ukraine’s highest civilian recognitions.

His living room was always full of big boxes, ready to he

shipped to Ukraine. They contained clothing, medical supplies, money, anything that was needed on the front lines in the war against a brutal, murderous dictator in Vladimir Putin.

One of the greatest blessings of my life is that Ray was Ashley’s earthly father. For that gift, I will forever be grateful. The strength, compassion, and devotion he poured into her are

part of the beautiful legacy he leaves behind.

Ray loved America, cherished Ukraine even more, and carried a deep pride for his heritage and community. Most of all, he adored his grandchildren beyond measure. Our kids were his joy, his light, and his living hope.

Our Ukrainian community did him right. Hosted a huge

“living memorial” where Ray got to hear firsthand how much he was loved and respected. For most, that moment comes after your passing. Before he left us, I made him a promise: to honor and cherish Ashley, Maksym, Emeryk, and Victoria until my last breath. His legacy of love now lives on through them.

By Stefan Mychajliw

Asian Jade Society Honors Legislator Mazzarella

Suffolk County Legislator Jim Mazzarella was recognized at a recent ceremony hosted by the Suffolk County Police Asian Jade Society, where he received this year’s Public Safety Award.

The Asian Jade Society, a fraternal organization of Asian-American law enforcement officers, works to strengthen relationships between police and the Asian-American community while promoting safety, cultural awareness, and civic engagement throughout Suffolk County.

Mazzarella expressed his appreciation for the honor and praised the organization for its dedication to both public safety and community unity.

“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the Suffolk County Police Asian Jade Society for honoring me with this year’s Public Safety Award,” Mazzarella said. “Their remarkable work in promoting public safety and supporting our law enforcement officers is truly commendable. One of their core missions is to build bridges between cultures, advocating for inclusion, respect, and safety. I am immensely proud of their efforts and genuinely humbled to be considered for this prestigious award.”

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico attended the event and spoke about Mazzarella’s commitment to his district and his role in county government.

“A wonderful event that I was happy to attend on behalf of my friend Legislator

Jim Mazzarella, who was among the honorees for the evening,” Panico said. “Jim is a dedicated legislator who knows his district, knows the issues and is a very solid representative for County government.”

Founded in 2014, the Suffolk County Police Asian Jade Society has grown into a prominent Asian-American organization on Long Island.

The group promotes recruitment into military, law enforcement, and government service while also working to preserve cultural heritage and strengthen civic participation.

Through community workshops, cultural festivals, youth engagement programs, and partnerships with the Suffolk County Police Department, the organization continues to enhance cultural awareness and build stronger relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

The Society also honored Senator Monica R. Martinez, James M. Gruenfelder, President of the Suffolk County Superior Officers Association, attorney Gregory Caggiano, Esq., and the late Dr. Ahmed Elkoulily.

Center Moriches Parade Honors

Longtime Community Volunteer

By Robert Chartuk

Crowds lined Main Street as the Bay Area community gathered to celebrate the annual Center Moriches St. Patrick’s Day Parade, one of the hamlet’s most popular traditions.

The 22nd annual parade stepped off on a brisk March day, featuring local organizations, civic groups, marching bands, and decorated floats that made their way through the downtown corridor in a festive celebration of Irish heritage and community pride.

Virginia “Ginny” Tyson served as this year’s grand marshal. A lifelong Center Moriches resident, Tyson has spent decades contributing to the community through education and public service. She graduated from Center Moriches High School and later earned degrees in elementary education and early literacy from Dowling College.

Over the years, Tyson has played a major role in local civic life, serving 12 years as a member of the Center Moriches School Board and 32 years as a trustee of the Center Moriches Library Board. Her longtime commitment to the community made her a fitting choice to lead this year’s parade. The parade is organized each year

by The Chamber of Commerce of the Moriches, which selects a grand marshal based on character, integrity, and a long record of service to the com -

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munity. The event also featured Irish Princess Clara Tebbens, who serves as both a captain and first singles player on the Center Moriches Girls Varsity Tennis Team. One of her greatest passions is music as she is a top-ranked All State Tenor saxophonist and plays in ensembles across Long Island and New York. She is also the ex-offico student member on the Board of Education.

Two prominent Center Moriches residents also marched in the procession: Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico and Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine.

Several past grand marshals returned to take part in the celebration, including Gerri Sapanaro, Joe McHeffey, Mark Danowski, Lee Sinnickson, Art Gerhauser, and George Keller, adding to the sense of tradition that has become a hallmark of the event.

The parade continues to grow as a community gathering, drawing families and visitors to Main Street each year to honor Irish culture and hometown pride. Celebration focal points were Buckley’s Irish Pub, Sea Cove Restaurant, and the Country Cottage Diner where Amy Weinhauer and Jill Vigliarolo kept guests warm with good cheer.

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LOCAL

By The South Shore Press

WFHS Cosmetology Students Offer Salon Services to Suffolk County Police Officers

William Floyd cosmetology students transformed their classroom into a salon as they welcomed officers from the Suffolk County Police Department’s 7th Precinct for a day of complimentary styling. Guided by instructor Karisa Beyer, the students sharpened their skills while giving local law enforcement blowouts, braids, and curls.

The collaboration gave students practical experience with real clients while also building connections with community members. “A huge thank you to the 7th Precinct, especially Deputy Police Commissioner Belinda Alvarez-Groneman, for their continued support and partnership with our students and the Cosmetology program,”

said Beyer.

The William Floyd Cosmetology Academy is part of the district’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program and offers a two-year licensing course that includes 1,000 hours of instruction in hairstyling, coloring, haircutting, skin care, nail technology, make-up, braiding, chemical texturizing and hair extensions. Students learn in a classroom equipped like a professional salon and can qualify for New York State Cosmetology exams upon completion of the program.

The CTE program at William Floyd High School features eight academies across various fields such as automotive technology, culinary arts and medical assisting. It also provides five business and technology pathways including accounting

and engineering. The district has produced alumni recognized for contributions in scholarships, education leadership and community service according to the official website.

The William Floyd School District operates ten schools serving more than 9,400 students from kindergarten through twelfth grade according to the official website. The district has received recognition for its music program as one of the top communities for music education and its business department was named Department of the Year by the Business Teachers Association of New York State according to the official website.

The district fosters collaboration among students, parents, educators and community members to promote student

development across intellectual, emotional and physical areas in a supportive environ-

ment according to the official website.

Library Event Examines Women Under British Rule

By Stefan Mychajliw

A conference at the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library later this week will examine how women on Long Island lived, worked and endured during the American Revolution, when the island spent more than seven years under British occupation.

The program, titled “Women and the American Revolution on Long Island,” is scheduled for Friday at the library, located at 407 William Floyd Parkway in Shirley, running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

After the 1776 Battle of Long Island, British forces controlled the region for more than seven years, longer than anywhere else in the country. During that time,

many women were forced to house British officers, saw farms and food confiscated, and struggled to main-

tain households amid wartime uncertainty.

Library Director Lonna Castro

said the event aims to highlight stories often overlooked in traditional accounts of the Revolutionary War and to explore the challenges women faced while supporting families and communities.

Four historians and researchers will present talks examining different perspectives on women’s lives during the era, including the experiences of enslaved women, Quaker pacifism, household survival and the daily realities of communities living alongside military camps.

Presentations will feature historian Natalie A. Naylor, archivist Melanie Cardone-Leathers, Friends Academy archives director Karly Hoenzsch and culinary historian Diane Schwindt, whose

research explores domestic life, culture and food traditions of the eighteenth century.

Joseph Maiorana, president of the library’s board of trustees, said the program also connects local residents with Long Island’s role in the nation’s founding as the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of independence.

The conference will include a continental breakfast, refreshments and a networking dessert reception featuring treats inspired by eighteenth century recipes. The event is free and open to the public, though registration is required through the library website: CommunityLibrary.org.

Organizers encourage residents, students and history enthusiasts to attend Friday.

10th Annual Clover 5K Set for East Moriches

By The South Shore Press

Runners and walkers are invited to take part in the 10th annual Debbie Moschello 4-Leaf Clover 5K Run/Walk, scheduled for Saturday, March 21 at East Moriches Middle School.

The event begins at 9 a.m., rain or shine, at the school located at 9 Adelaide Avenue in East Moriches. The annual race is organized by the Seatuck Cove Rotary Club and serves as one of the group’s major fundraisers supporting scholarships and community assistance programs.

Rotary Club President Ro Gencarelli said the event has grown into an important tradition for the organization and

the local community.

“This is our tenth year running the race,” Gencarelli said. “The money we raise goes right back into the community. Almost every year we’ve been able to give five $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors from the schools in our district.”

Those scholarships rotate among students from the Westhampton Beach, East Moriches and Eastport-South Manor school districts. Gencarelli said many recipients have shared how the funds helped them purchase books or cover part of their college tuition.

Proceeds from the race also help the Rotary Club provide assistance to local families during the holidays. Each year the club adopts families in need

and provides gifts and necessities for parents and children during the Christmas season.

“If we have any funds left after the scholarships, we use that money to help families around Christmas time,” Gencarelli said. “This year we helped two families with several children, and sometimes we also assist a senior citizen who may need a little extra help.”

The race was renamed last year in memory of Debbie Moschello, a longtime Rotary member and club secretary who passed away. Moschello worked as a nurse and served at Camp Paquatuck, and the race now honors her commitment to community service.

Organizers hope to attract about 200 participants this

year. Early registration is already underway, with dozens of runners signed up in the first

weeks. Participants can register online at events.elitefeats. com/264leafclover.

SANTOS UNCENSORED

BY GEORGE SANTOS

Last week the team at the South Shore Press uncovered something that should send chills down the spine of every New Yorker who still believes in basic accountability: a Minnesota-style “learning center” scandal unfolding not in Minneapolis, but right here in Buffalo, New York. And what happened next tells you everything you need to know about how Albany works.

Instead of launching a serious investigation, instead of demanding answers, instead of protecting taxpayers, New York Attorney General Letitia James rushed out a statement declaring there was no foul play and no criminality involved. Let that sink in for a moment.

A nonprofit that apparently failed to properly file financial reports for years—nearly a decade according to records reviewed by our team—becomes the subject of a press investigation. Within hours of scrutiny, the organization begins collapsing. Leadership steps aside. Programs shut down. Questions explode across Western New York. Yet somehow the Attorney General’s office concluded almost instantly that nothing improper occurred. If that sounds absurd, it’s because it is. There is simply no conceivable way that any responsible law enforcement agency could review nine years of financial records, audits, tax filings, board documentation, and compliance reports in the short window between the publication of the investigation and the Attorney General’s public dismissal of wrongdoing. You don’t need to be a forensic accountant to understand that.

Even a basic nonprofit compliance review takes weeks. A serious investigation can take months. A criminal inquiry can take years. But in New York,

under one-party Democrat rule, apparently all it takes is a few hours to declare a politically inconvenient scandal closed. That’s not oversight; that’s a cover-up.

And one has to ask why. Perhaps it has something to do with the man running the nonprofit—Brian Pilarski, a Democrat town councilman on the Cheektowaga Town Board who, until our investigation went public, served as executive director of the Seneca Babcock Community Association.

At the center of this controversy is that very organization, a Buffalo nonprofit that received taxpayer funding while apparently failing to maintain proper financial documentation and required filings. Auditors reviewing the organization’s books issued one of the most alarming warnings an accounting firm can produce: a “disclaimer of opinion.”

For readers who don’t speak accountant, here’s what that means. The auditors could not verify the organization’s finances because the records they needed did not exist or could not be produced. Not incomplete. Not messy. Missing.

The auditors stated plainly that detailed accounting records had not been maintained and that supporting financial data simply wasn’t available. If that doesn’t trigger an investigation, what does?

These are precisely the kinds of red flags regulators are supposed to catch before a crisis explodes. Yet apparently nobody in Albany was watching—or worse, they were watching and chose to look the other way.

Under New York law, large nonprofits that raise or spend substantial amounts of money are required to file annual financial disclosures with the Attorney

The Buffalo Nonprofit Scandal: Another Albany Cover-Up in Plain Sight

General’s Charities Bureau. Those filings exist for one reason: to prevent exactly this kind of situation. They allow regulators to track finances, identify irregularities, and intervene if funds are being misused.

So the obvious question every taxpayer should be asking is simple: where was the Attorney General’s office during the years when these filings allegedly weren’t happening? Where were the compliance notices? Where were the enforcement actions? Where were the investigations?

If a small business owner in New York fails to file paperwork with the state, the government responds almost immediately with fines, penalties, and enforcement threats. But a taxpayer-funded nonprofit operating for years without proper records? Apparently that didn’t raise any alarms in Albany.

Perhaps the most telling detail in this entire story is what happened after the South Shore Press investigation went public. Within 24 hours, the nonprofit effectively imploded. Brian Pilarski resigned. Programs began shutting down, leaving hundreds of families without crucial services. Operations unraveled, and dozens of employees suddenly found themselves without jobs.

Organizations that are functioning properly do not collapse overnight because a newspaper asks questions. Healthy institutions respond with transparency. They produce records. They hold press conferences. They answer the public. But this organization didn’t do that. It collapsed.

That should have been the first signal to regulators that something serious might be wrong. Instead, the Attorney General rushed to declare the opposite.

Which brings us to the most troubling question of all: why

was the Attorney General’s office so quick to dismiss the possibility of wrongdoing? No serious investigation had been conducted. No forensic accounting had been completed. No subpoenas had been issued. Yet the public was told there was nothing to see.

That kind of reflexive dismissal raises legitimate questions about whether politics is interfering with oversight. New York has become a state dominated by one-party rule. Democrats control the governor’s office, the attorney general’s office, the legislature, and most major cities. When power becomes that concentrated, accountability often becomes optional. Political allies get the benefit of the doubt. Investigations slow down. Questions get brushed aside. And taxpayers get left holding the bag. Even if we assume—for the sake of argument—that no criminal activity occurred, the situation still exposes a staggering failure of oversight.

Think about what we’re being asked to believe: a nonprofit allegedly failed to maintain proper financial documentation for years, auditors couldn’t verify the books, required filings were missing, and yet the state agency responsible for overseeing chari-

ties somehow missed all of it.

If that’s true, then the Attorney General’s office has a serious problem on its hands, because oversight is literally its job. You cannot claim to be the watchdog of nonprofit accountability while simultaneously claiming ignorance when a major nonprofit collapses under the weight of missing records.

At some point the question stops being about the nonprofit. It becomes about the regulators themselves.

The Buffalo nonprofit scandal isn’t just a local story. It’s a window into how government accountability has eroded in New York State. When reporters uncover problems before regulators do, that’s a failure. When organizations collapse within hours of scrutiny, that’s a warning sign. And when the Attorney General rushes to dismiss concerns before an investigation can even begin, that’s a red flag every taxpayer should notice.

New Yorkers deserve a government that asks tough questions — not one that shuts them down. Because if this situation is brushed aside without real answers, one thing is certain: It won’t be the last time.

Repowering Plants Signals Shift in State Energy Policy

By Robert Chartuk

A years-long push by Sen. Mario Mattera to slow New York’s aggressive climate mandates appears to be gaining traction as National Grid examines plans to modernize three major Long Island power plants with cleaner, more efficient natural gas technology. The concept would involve replacing aging steam turbines in Northport, Port Jefferson, and Island Park with modern combined-cycle generators capable of producing more electricity while burning less fuel. The upgrades are expected to reduce emissions while improving grid reliability and lowering wholesale power costs.

For years, Mattera, the ranking

member of the New York State Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, has warned that the aggressive mandates embedded in the state’s sweeping climate law—the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act—risk driving up costs and destabilizing the grid if reliable generation is retired too quickly.

“This is about making sure we’re spending ratepayers’ money properly,” Mattera said in an exclusive interview with the South Shore Press. “Rates are skyrocketing under an experiment that put all of the money into one basket—wind, solar, and battery storage. Obviously, they’re not enough to meet our energy needs.”

The senator has consistently argued that renewable energy alone cannot meet Long Island’s growing electricity demand without a foundation of dependable generation and upgraded infrastructure.

He has long advocated repowering existing facilities using natural gas technology paired with carbon-capture systems, a strategy he says would provide reliable electricity while lowering emissions compared with older plants.

Combined-cycle systems burn natural gas to spin a turbine and generate electricity. The hot exhaust from that process is then used to create steam, which spins a second turbine and produces even more power instead of letting

the heat go to waste. Advanced scrubbers remove practically all of the greenhouse gases.

“I say retool our existing power plants with combined cycle and carbon capture,” he said. “That is the right way to go.”

National Grid operates the

plants under contract with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), which is responsible for overseeing Long Island’s electric system and evaluating options to meet future energy needs while maintaining affordability for ratepayers.

The renewed discussion about modernizing Long Island’s aging plants comes as the Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind turbine projects were put on hold by the Trump administration, citing high costs and safety concerns. Recognizing the susceptibility of the grid, Gov. Hochul is touting nuclear energy, an energy source that comes with long lead times, high costs, and environmental opposition.

By Robert Chartuk

Debate over New York’s next state budget is intensifying in Albany as Long Island lawmakers warn that soaring spending and new taxes could saddle suburban taxpayers with billions in costs while funneling more state money toward programs that benefit New York City.

The lopsided budget proposed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature calls for approximately $272 billion in total spending, more than $9.2 billion above Gov. Kathy Hochul’s executive plan and more than $13 billion higher than last year’s state budget. The plan has drawn sharp criticism from suburban legislators who say the Democrats are accelerating a spending spree that will deepen New York’s affordability crisis.

Assemblyman Joe DeStefano said the proposal reflects a government increasingly disconnected from the financial pressures facing residents across Long Island and other suburban communities.

“The Assembly Majority’s one-house budget plans to increase state spending to unheard of levels,” DeStefano said. “The disconnect

Albany Budget Plan Sparks Long Island Backlash

from reality has never been more apparent. Instead of confronting the affordability crisis head-on, this proposal continues the rapid growth of government spending and pushes the state further down an unsustainable path.”

DeStefano said the state should instead focus on reducing the tax burden and addressing issues such as energy affordability and public safety.

“At a time when our state should be tightening its belt and focusing on public safety, energy affordability, and lowering the tax bur -

den, Albany is moving in the opposite direction,” he noted.

“We are seeing billions more in spending layered onto an already bloated budget, with little transparency and even less accountability.”

The proposed spending plan has also reignited tensions over whether statewide taxpayers should subsidize New York City’s broken finances. Hochul has proposed bailing out the Mamdani administration with by more than $1.5 billion, a move that Long Island lawmakers say unfairly shifts the cost of New York

City’s financial malfeasance onto suburban and upstate residents.

Sen. Dean Murray said families across the state should not be asked to cover the consequences of fiscal decisions made by city officials. “Hardworking families across New York should not be forced to subsidize fiscal mismanagement in New York City,” Murray said.

Sen. Anthony Palumbo echoed that concern, pointing to policies that have dramatically increased spending in recent years. “The fiscal deficit New York City now faces is the direct result of poor decisions by city officials,” Palumbo said. “New York City does not have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem.”

Palumbo and Murray noted that the city’s budget has surged to nearly $116 billion, rivaling the entire budget of some states, and has grown by more than $40 billion over the past decade. They argue that providing a bailout would only encourage further spending increases while forcing suburban taxpayers to shoulder the cost.

Assemblyman Ed Ra, recently named leader of the Assembly Republican conference

and a longtime Long Island legislator, said the broader spending framework reflects a pattern that has defined Albany budgeting for years.

“Albany Democrats are playing the same old song, and their one-house budget looks like a ‘greatest-hits’ list of new taxes,” Ra said. “Their answer to every problem continues to be the same: spend more, tax more, and hope the numbers work out later.”

Ra warned the $272 billion proposal relies on risky assumptions about tax revenues while continuing policies that drive businesses and high earners out of New York. “At some point, Albany needs to recognize that taxing and spending is driving — not fixing — the state’s affordability crisis,” Ra said.

Lawmakers on both sides of the debate expect weeks of negotiations before a final spending plan is approved ahead of the April 1 budget deadline. For many suburban officials, however, the core concern remains unchanged: that Albany’s spending priorities increasingly favor New York City while Long Island taxpayers are forced to foot the bill.

Will Senate Republicans Kill The SAVE Act?

By Neil W. McCabe

The SAVE America Act is President Trump’s number one legislative priority this year, and Senate Republicans are dangerously close to killing it.

In a president’s second term, it is extremely common for the chief executive to focus on foreign affairs, as we have seen with Trump’s protective tariffs and military action against regimes in Venezuela, Iran, and possibly Cuba.

In domestic policy, Trump has basically made one request of Capitol Hill: the SAVE America Act, his election integrity bill.

In the first year of his second term, Trump’s top priority was the One Big Beautiful Bill, an all-encompassing collection of budget, tax, and policy priorities that most importantly preserved—and in some cases expanded—the tax cuts in his 2017 tax bill.

Then Majority Leader John R. Thune (R.-S.D.) proposed to the president that he pursue two bills. The first would include immigration and border security funding, along with a tax and regulatory package to support the oil industry. Thune told Trump the second bill would include all of his tax

cuts and other priorities.

Trump basically told Thune: I have seen this movie already. I know how it ends.

During the president’s first administration, it was routine for Republican leaders and their attendant consultants, lobbyists, and former staffers to get what they wanted, while Trump was left waiting. In the end, Trump forced Thune to accept and pass

the OBBB so that everyone would be taken care of in one shot.

Now comes the SAVE America Act. Its main provision is to require voter ID and for the cleaning of voter rolls through the states to remove illegal aliens, voters who have moved to other states, and the dead. The bill would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.

The bill passed the House narrowly, 218-213, with Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar the only Democrat to cross the aisle for passage. In the Senate, two votes are required. The first vote is on whether to end debate.

Thune has already said he does not have the 60 votes needed to end debate. Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate, and Vice President J.D. Vance can only

vote in the case of a tie. Of course, Thune could eliminate the 60vote requirement to end debate. It is a Senate rule; it is not in the Constitution.

Before 1917 there was no formal way to end debate. When senators kept talking on the Senate floor to block President Woodrow Wilson’s bill to arm Merchant Marine ships, Senate leaders created a two-thirds vote requirement to end the filibuster, or endless debate, and invoke cloture.

In 1975 Senate Democrats lowered the requirement to 60 votes so they could overcome Republican opposition to their programs. In 2013 Senate Democrats again changed the rules so that only a simple majority was needed to end debate on presidential appointments, except for Supreme Court nominees.

In 2017 Senate Republicans removed that exception so they could confirm Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, so both hands are dirty. Thune and his GOP colleagues know Senate rules were not brought down the mountainside by Moses. They know election integrity is what both Trump and the MAGA base want. The question is: What will they do about it?

LOCAL

By Robert Chartuk

The Dr. Calabro Lodge #3011 Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America recently held its 2nd Annual Scholarship Gala, marking the organization’s third anniversary and its ongoing commitment to education and community service. Lodge President Leonardo Saburro welcomed members, guests, and community leaders to the celebration, which highlighted the lodge’s scholarship program and its mission to support future leaders.

Dr. Calabro Lodge Hosts Scholarship Gala

During the event, State Senator Dean Murray and Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano were honored for their support of education and community initiatives. Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine also joined lodge members and supporters in celebrating the organization’s achievements and continued growth. The lodge was named for Dr. Paul “Frank” Calabro, a local physician who started Bayview Hospital in Mastic Beach and gave so much of himself to the community.

HISTORY LESSONS

BY RICHARD ACRITELLI

“As our team was withdrawing, after my order to do so, two of our American aircraft collided on the ground following a refueling operation in a remote desert location in Iran. Other information about this rescue mission will be made available to the American people when it is appropriate to do so.”

President Jimmy Carter explained the failed merits of “Operation Eagle Claw” to rescue the American hostages held by the Iranians on April 24, 1980. There was national dismay felt by many Americans that most likely cost Carter the presidency against Ronald Reagan. For months the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini refused to release the American hostages. Carter made a difficult decision approving a rescue plan that had little chance of success.

The rescue was expected to be carried out by helicopters with little knowledge of the terrain and how this type of aircraft would function in the desert. Whereas the military was motivated to free the hostages, there was no definitive information on their location in Tehran. Immediately there were problems after the helicopters and planes landed in Iran at “Desert One,” where they were surprised and forced to capture a full bus load of people who stumbled upon this site. Surprised again, an Iranian oil tanker emerged and, when it refused to stop, it was blown up with an anti-tank weapon. The blast lit up the sky, hurt the cover for American troops, and yet another Iranian vehicle stumbled onto this location and left.

Perhaps the largest challenges were seen by American helicopters, as two were forced to turn back because they had issues with their flight instruments. A third arrived at Desert One, but it faced hydraulic problems. The other helicopters made it to this position, but they battled sandstorms that delayed their arrival. Matters con-

FOG

OF WAR AND HUMANITY

BY RICHARD ACRITELLI

A powerful personal story of war, sacrifice, and recovery unfolded on a recent episode of The Fog of War and Humanity, the podcast hosted by historian and author Richard Acritelli for the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County.

Acritelli’s guest, Army veteran Trisha Northover, spoke candidly about the experiences that shaped her life—from growing up between Brooklyn and Kingston, Jamaica, to serving as a combat medic during the war in Afghanistan.

Northover was born in Brook-

Past Americans’ Struggles Against Iranian Opposition

tinued to deteriorate, as there were only five operational helicopters that lacked the ability to carry out this raid.

The commander aborted this assault, the helicopters refueled to reach the USS Nimitz, and the bus load of civilians was released. As the aircraft were about to depart, a helicopter’s blade hit an EC-130 that was carrying the fuel for this mission. Both blew up, killing five airmen and three Marines, and there were the charred remains of American aircraft in the Iranian desert.

Poor coordination, a lack of intelligence, mechanical failures, and almost no luck was present to guide this operation. A shaken Carter told Americans, “It was my decision to attempt the rescue operation. It was my decision to cancel it when problems developed in the placement of our rescue team for a future rescue operation. The responsibility is fully my own.” Reagan was infuriated over the lack of leadership that Carter presented over this botched mission that he called an “embarrassment” to this nation.

The hostage crisis finally ended on January 20, 1981, during the inauguration of new President Ronald Reagan. Speaking to the American people, Reagan did not

mention Iran, but after 444 days, the fifty-two hostages boarded a plane to depart Tehran. The State Department created a newsreel of the events that occurred in the nation, and many of the hostages were surprised by the American hockey victory over the Soviet Union during the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Games in New York. Reagan was known for his foreign policy strengths against the Soviets and other foreign adversaries, but he faced hardships in the Middle East. In August 1982, the United States supported a peacekeeping operation in Lebanon. There were eight hundred American Marines, along with French and Italian military forces, who were deployed during the Lebanese Civil War between the warring factions of Christians and Muslims. For seven years, the fighting in Lebanon pushed the Israelis, Syrians, and the United Nations to intervene to help the instability of this nation. This once beautiful country was ravaged by fighting that is currently seen today through the recent Israeli military attacks against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

On September 10, the Marines pulled out of Beirut, only to arrive back on September 29 to prevent hostilities after Christians killed

Palestinians. Reagan ordered the redeployment of the American military to help ensure the withdrawal of Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat from Beirut and for the remaining Palestinians to be protected by these Western forces. The American military presence was widely targeted, and on April 18, 1983, a suicide bomber hit the American Embassy in Beirut and killed sixty-three people, including seventeen Americans. Eight members of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who worked to provide necessary information to help protect the American ground forces were among the deaths.

The earliest foundations of Hezbollah claimed responsibility for this attack’s main goal of pushing the American Embassy out of Lebanon and hurting the 1,800 Marine Corps presence. Although these Americans were on a peacekeeping operation, this terrorist group that is still aided by Iran sought the large-scale death of our soldiers.

On October 23, 1983, a dump truck loaded with over twelve thousand pounds of explosives crashed through checkpoints and a security perimeter to kill American service members. This vehicle hit the Multinational Force (USMNF) that was stationed at Beirut International Airport. Some forty-three years ago, at 6 a.m., the explosives from this bomb destroyed a four-story Marine Battalion Landing Team headquarters that killed 241 and injured sixty Americans, who were mostly Marines. American security was consistently threatened well before this assault, and the ground commanders lacked credible intelligence to help protect their personnel.

The collection of suitable intelligence was a deadly problem for the Marines, as at one point there were over one hundred reports to warn the officers about terrorism against them. These Americans were in a vulnerable position as

they were exposed and not fully protected against aggressors. At the same time that Americans were assaulted, another suicide bomber hit a building housing French paratroopers that killed fifty-eight of their soldiers. Reagan spoke to a saddened nation and stated, “For several years, Lebanon has been torn by internal strife. Once a prosperous, peaceful nation, its government had become ineffective in controlling the militias that warred on each other. Sixteen months ago, we were watching on our TV screens the shelling and bombing of Beirut, which was being used as a fortress by PLO bands. Hundreds and hundreds of civilians were being killed and wounded in the daily battles.”

Four months later, parts of this multinational force departed from Lebanon, and the last Marines left Beirut on February 26, 1984. The Iranians used their earliest “proxies” to exert control over the Middle East and to pressure the withdrawal of Western forces.

Twenty years after the Beirut bombing, Americans still sought justice against this terrorism that was directed by the Iranian government. On May 30, 2023, a federal judge stated that Iranian-backed Hezbollah willingly carried out this attack against the American military and government figures. This ruling allowed families of these lost Americans to sue the Iranian government for their role in supporting this deadly terrorism. Four years later, a U.S. District Judge ruled that Iran was responsible to pay $2.65 billion to these families. After additional lawsuits, in 2013, another American judge approved the release of $1.75 billion from a seized New York Citibank account to compensate the survivors of these Iranian-backed attacks.

Next week’s story will address the continued acts of terrorism and hostage taking against Americans in the Middle East.

Veteran Finds Peace Through Long Island Sailing

lyn to West Indian parents but spent most of her childhood in Jamaica, where she attended the disciplined Immaculate Conception High School. After graduating, she returned to Long Island and studied communications at C.W. Post, part of Long Island University, while living in Huntington.

Her plans for a media career changed after the September 11 attacks. Deeply affected by the tragedy and the loss suffered by people close to her, Northover enlisted in the U.S. Army and shipped out for basic training in 2004.

She trained as a combat med-

ic and served at several posts, including Fort Bliss in Texas, Camp Hovey in South Korea, and Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point. From there she deployed to Afghanistan in 2010, where she was stationed in Helmand Province at Camp Dwyer, one of the most dangerous regions of the war.

Working in a combat support hospital, Northover treated soldiers suffering from devastating battlefield injuries while medical teams stabilized patients before evacuation to Germany for advanced care.

Years later, the emotional toll of those experiences remains part of her life. Northover spoke openly about living with post-traumatic stress disorder and the challenges many veterans face when returning home.

Part of her recovery has come through Sail Ahead, a nonprofit organization that uses sailing as a form of therapy for veterans.

Founded by Sean Duclay, the program has taken thousands of veterans onto Long Island waters, offering camaraderie, focus, and healing.

For Northover, the ocean has

become a place of reflection and renewal. She now returns each season to sail, continuing a journey from war toward peace.

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

BY KARL GROSSMAN

It has returned—the federal government’s interest in expanding offshore oil drilling.

The waters off Long Island are not in the plan, as of now. As the headline late last year in Newsday read: “Plan for New Oil Drilling Off Fla. and Calif. Coasts.”

Two days later, The New York Times ran a piece with more details about the federal plan for “new oil and gas drilling across nearly 1.3 billion acres of U.S. coastal waters, including a remote region of the high Arctic where drilling has never taken place.”

The “plan to hold as many as 34 sales of leases” involves “an area more than half the size of the United States,” it said.

It’s been decades since I broke the story of offshore oil drilling proposed off Long Island, which led to writing about the federal plans then to drill up and down the Atlantic Coast.

It was 1970, and I was doing investigative reporting at the daily Long Island Press. A fisherman out of Montauk told me about seeing a ship in the Atlantic Ocean east of Montauk, one similar to those he had seen searching for oil in the Gulf of Mexico when he was a shrimper there.

I telephoned oil company after oil company to inquire about this, and each gave a firm denial about having any interest in looking for petroleum off Long Island. Then, as I was leaving the office, an editor yelled out that Gulf Oil was calling back. The PR man from Gulf said yes, his company was looking for oil and gas off Long Island—and was involved in a consortium of 32 oil companies, including those which had earlier issued denials.

It was my first experience in oil industry honesty—an oxymo-

Oil Drilling Off Long Island?

ron. I broke the story and stayed on it. In 1971, I got onto the first offshore oil drilling rig set up in the Atlantic, across the border in Canada. Shell Canada invited the Suffolk County Legislature for a visit. Strong opposition to offshore oil drilling off Long Island was happening, with the legislature in the lead, joined by environmentalists, then New York State Assembly Speaker Perry B. Duryea Jr. of Montauk, and area congressional representatives.

The legislators had listed my name as part of the delegation. However, on the tarmac of the airport in Sydney, Nova Scotia, a Shell Canada executive came over to me and said: “You don’t think you’re going to get on this helicopter, Mr. Grossman.”

The group of Suffolk County

UNDERCOVER NEW YORK

BY KATHRYN NOCERINO

Did you know that the desert scenes of Rudolph Valentino’s 1926 film, “Son of the Sheik,” were filmed on Fire Island, at Smith Point? Crews from Famous Players-Lasky crossed a temporary bridge over Great South Bay put up by an early real estate developer—and con artist—named Frederick J. Quimby. People called it “Quimby’s Bridge.”

Quimby bought up land and named it “Tangier Manor” after the colonial official “Tangier” Smith, who owned the local St. George’s Manor and all the land between there and Smithtown. Unfortunately, Quimby ran off with the proceeds and was later arrested in Kansas City.

The filmmakers thought the

then-towering sand dunes were an excellent substitute for the Arabian desert. Loss of coastline and poor land management have since reduced them to almost nothing. Even though the Army Corps of Engineers and the town spend tons of money and sand every year, the ocean is now creating breaches that join the sea to Long Island’s mainland.

We once owned a small mirror with a photo on one side, a souvenir of my father’s brother Bill’s marriage to a lovely young woman named Dolly Brancato.

The shot was done like the famous Richard Avedon photo of Rudolph Valentino and his thenwife, “Natacha Rambova” (née Winifred Kimball Shaugnessy),

legislators intervened, with the late Legislator John Wehrenberg of Holbrook telling the Shell Canada executive, “If Karl isn’t going, we’re not going.” There was a stand-off. The men from Shell Canada huddled. And I went on the chopper. The visit was instructive—it was clear on the rig, with its equipment in preparation for a blowout and oil spill, that offshore drilling is a dicey proposition. There were spherical capsules to eject workers in the event of an accident. And a rescue boat went round and round, 24 hours a day. The man from Shell Canada told me: “We treat every foot of hole like a potential disaster.”

I thought of those movies, with scenes of a “gusher” at an oil rig and it raining oil on happy workers. But on an offshore rig,

that “gusher” would be raining oil on the sea, and life in it. And then the oil would move to shore. The Shell Canada executive gestured to the Nova Scotia shore and said that peat moss was being stockpiled to try to absorb any spilled oil. On Long Island, he said, “You’d use straw.”

For years, I went to hearings—in Boston, Trenton, and elsewhere—about the Atlantic offshore oil drilling plan, and traveled down the coast to the Florida Keys, its turquoise waters on the agenda for drilling, too. There were also hearings on Long Island. And action was taken by states to block oil drilling in state waters (in New York, three nautical miles out) and by Congress in federal waters (which extend 200 nautical miles).

Then State Assemblyman Fred

W. Thiele Jr. of Sag Harbor, co-sponsor of a 1979 state bill, said at the time: “Tourism is a major economic driver for Long Island; we also have a very viable commercial and recreational fishing industry. The proposal for offshore oil drilling threatens both our economy and our environment.”

Oil spills—then and now—are routine in offshore oil drilling. The largest offshore oil rig spill ever was the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. According to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website about it: “The 87-day Deepwater Horizon oil spill released 3.19 million barrels (134 million gallons) of oil into the ocean. … Oil rose from the wellhead on the seafloor,” spreading over “1,300 miles of shoreline across five states. … The cumulative extent of the surface oil slick during the course of the spill totaled 43,300 square miles (approximately equal to the size of Virginia).”

“Offshore Drilling 101” is an online report of the Natural Resources Defense Council beginning: “Offshore drilling is risky business. It can have devastating impacts on oceans and coastal communities. It is also expensive. But fossil fuel companies are willing to pay the price to access the potentially large reserves under the sea floor.”

It continues that “large swaths of our federal waters remain for sale. Until we stop sacrificing public waters to fossil fuels, we’ll continue to see disastrous oil spills … and the acceleration of our climate crisis.”

Will the federal government— with the Trump administration adopting “drill, baby, drill” as a saying—again consider waters off Long Island and the Atlantic Coast for oil drilling?

The Sheik of Smith Point

in profile with bared shoulders. I must say that, in it, they could have passed for doubles of the movie stars.

We later gave the mirror to a relative who did not appreciate it. Quimby’s Bridge collapsed in 1927 and was not replaced until 1959 by a modern version. That bridge itself is now overdue for replacement.

Valentino divorced Rambova. He died young of appendicitis and was mourned for many years, a black-veiled “mystery woman” leaving a single red rose at his mausoleum in Hollywood every year.

William Floyd Parkway, originally an unlit two-lane road, leads to the new bridge at its southern end. I have a second

We are delighted to welcome our new café vendor,

* Opening Saturday, February 21 * Grand Opening Celebration: Saturday, March 7

Q:ASK NANCY

BY NANCY BURNER, ESQ.

My husband recently passed away with stock holdings in his estate. How do I manage these shares?

A:Often, executors and fiduciaries can face challenges while trying to marshal estate assets. While cash assets held in checking and savings accounts can be more straightforward to transfer to an estate, navigating a decedent’s interest in shares of stock can be a daunting task. Though the fiduciary has a responsibility to properly manage all shares that do not have beneficiaries designated, it may be difficult to start the

process or communicate with the right representatives.

If you are an executor in this situation, you should first determine whether the stocks are held in a brokerage account or whether the stocks are held directly with the issuing company. If the assets are held in an investment account, you should promptly notify the brokerage to advise them of the passing, as well as your role as fiduciary. The brokerage will typically require you to complete a form that opens a new account in the name of the estate. You will also be required to submit a death certificate, as well as the Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the Surrogate’s Court, which allow you to act.

Alternatively, if the stocks are held with a transfer agent (i.e., EQ Shareholder Services or Computershare), you must do some additional diligence to determine the decedent’s account number and the precise number of shares for each company. If you do not have this information, the transfer

Stocks and Probate

agent may send it to the last mailing address they have on file. Once you have all details, you must complete a form for each stock company authorizing a transfer to the estate. As with the brokerage, you must submit a death certificate and your Letters Testamentary to proceed, as well as the original stock certificate, should you have one.

Occasionally, if the holdings exceed a certain monetary value, the brokerage or transfer agent will require you to obtain a special certification called a “Medallion Signature Guarantee” from a financial institution. This Medallion is similar in function to a stamp from a notary public and verifies that you are legally authorized to transfer the stocks to the estate account. Banks and credit unions will offer a Medallion guarantee at no cost to their account holders, but be sure to check with the institution to determine which documents are needed for the seal.

When all documents are

submitted to the brokerage and the estate account is opened, you may transfer the stocks “in kind” to each beneficiary, or you may sell all stocks and distribute the proceeds as cash to the beneficiaries. If you choose to liquidate the stocks, you should be aware that the stocks may be subject to capital gains tax if their value has increased since the decedent’s date of death. However, a direct transfer of stock to each beneficiary does not create a taxable event, and accordingly, no taxes would be due from this method.

Marshaling shares of stock can be quite challenging, especially if the decedent did not keep diligent records of their holdings. Nonetheless, fiduciaries have a responsibility to efficiently marshal all estate assets, including stocks. Coordinating with an experienced estate attorney can simplify a complex process and ensure that all assets are collected and distributed in an effective manner.

Frank Oswald, Esq. is an

associate attorney at Burner Prudenti Law, P.C., focusing his practice areas on Trusts and Estates. Britt Burner, Esq. is the Managing Partner at Burner Prudenti Law, P.C., focusing her practice areas on Estate Planning and Elder Law. Burner Prudenti Law, P.C. serves clients from New York City to the East End of Long Island with offices located in East Setauket, Westhampton Beach, Manhattan, and East Hampton.

LIBRARY LIVING

BY TARA D’AMATO Assistant

Seed and Spice Library –Free Seeds, Sample Spices So many people love gardening, and the library is here to help you grow your own vegetables and flowers. Home grown vegetables taste great and are a fun family project. At each branch we have a SEED library where you can get free seed packets to grow at home. Visit any MMSCL branch in person and choose from a selection of seasonal seed varieties. All have been selected to grow in our area. All you need is a library card. You can take a limited number of packets per visit, just head to the Adult Services Desk to get some seeds. They are yours to keep and grow.

We will also be highlighting a variety of seasonal and international spices throughout the year. If you enjoy cooking and exploring new recipes, check out the spice library at the Main branch. Past spices we have explored include zaatar, pink pepper, and dill. Sign out a packet of spice, grab a free recipe booklet that includes a history of the spice and its origins, and try out your cooking skills with a new spice.

Verma Tax and Accounting Solutions Takes a Proactive Approach

By Staff Report

Before opening his doors in 2016, Aman Verma took an uncommon step: he asked people what frustrated them most about their accountants.

“The same thing kept coming up,” Verma recalled. “They only hear from their accountant when it’s time to file taxes.”

Determined to change that experience, Verma built his firm around a proactive philosophy. Instead of waiting for tax season, his team monitors changes in tax law year-round and reaches out to clients to schedule planning meetings, helping them take advantage of new opportunities and reduce liabilities before deadlines arrive.

The Week in History

“Clients often hear from us in summer or fall—not just April—so we can plan ahead for deductions, credits, and new regulations,” Verma noted. What began as a one-person operation in Smithtown has grown into a four-member team serving clients locally and nationwide. The firm offers comprehensive accounting and tax services—bookkeeping, payroll, business and personal returns, partnerships, nonprofits, estates, and trusts—everything except auditing. With CPAs on staff and Verma’s wife, an enrolled agent, the firm holds full IRS and New York State credentials. A Lake Grove resident who grew up in Dix Hills after moving to Long Island from India at age three, Verma earned his Bachelor of Science in

Business and Accounting with honors from the University of Phoenix. Although he initially studied pharmacy, Verma discovered his true calling in accounting, drawn by a passion for tax strategy and helping clients navigate complex laws. “I love being able to show someone how the tax code can work for them,” he said. Deeply rooted in the community, Verma serves on several local boards, including the Smithtown Performing Arts Board and youth sports organizations, and as PTA treasurer. During COVID, he launched a nonprofit supporting families in need. Family remains central to both his life and business, reflecting the values that continue to guide Verma Tax and Accounting Solutions as it grows.

South Shore Press Investigation Spurs Call For Statewide Nonprofit Probe

By C.R. Mercer

A major investigation by the South Shore Press into troubling financial irregularities at a government-funded nonprofit has triggered a rapidly unfolding political response in Albany, including a formal request from a Long Island legislator urging state officials to launch a sweeping investigation into similar agencies across New York.

Less than 24 hours after the South Shore Press published its investigation into the Seneca Babcock Community Association, the Erie County nonprofit’s longtime executive director resigned, and the agency announced it would shut down most of its operations.

The sudden collapse has intensified scrutiny of the organization and raised broader concerns about oversight of nonprofit agencies that receive millions of dollars in taxpayer funding.

Public records reviewed by the South Shore Press showed the nonprofit failed for years to file required audited financial reports with the state Attorney General’s Charities Bureau, despite laws requiring annual disclosures from large charities receiving government funding. Records appeared to stop after 2004 and did not resume until 2020, when the organization filed a report covering the 2017 tax year.

That filing included an extraordinary warning from the accounting firm that prepared the financial statement. The audit from Bonadio & Co. LLP issued what accountants call a “disclaimer of opinion,” meaning the auditors could not verify the organization’s finances.

“Detailed accounting records have not been maintained and supporting data was not available,” the auditors wrote.

Within hours of the South Shore Press report being published, Executive Director Brian Pilarski resigned. Shortly afterward, the nonprofit announced it would begin shutting down programs that served thousands of residents.

The developments prompted Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano, a Republican who represents the Third Assembly District, to send a formal letter to Attorney General Letitia James calling for a broader investigation.

“In light of the closure of the Seneca Babcock Community Center, I am writing to encourage you to investigate similar organizations throughout New York State to ensure that proper reporting guidelines are being followed,” DeStefano wrote. He noted that the timing of the nonprofit’s collapse after the newspaper’s investigation raised serious concerns.

“The fact that the organization’s executive director resigned soon after reporting irregularities were exposed by a local newspaper, and that the nonprofit announced it would shut down major operations almost immediately afterward, raises serious concerns that warrant a thorough investigation to rule out potential criminal behavior,” he wrote.

The Assemblyman warned that the situation may point to a larger systemic problem. In Minnesota, a massive fraud scheme known as the “Feeding Our Future” scandal siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars through nonprofit programs intended to serve vulnerable communities. Investigators later determined that the total amount of fraud connected to the case could reach into the billions.

“The multi-billion-dollar fraud uncovered in Minnesota gives us reason to believe that similar schemes could be operating in New York,” DeStefano wrote, noting that New York spends far more on social service programs than Minnesota, raising the possibility that the scale of potential abuse could be even greater.

“If we confirmed that one major nonprofit in Western New York did not file audited financial reports as required by law with your office, how many more have not done the same across our state?” DeStefano wrote.

DeStefano said the issue ultimately comes down to protecting taxpayers.

“New Yorkers deserve confidence that funds intended to serve children, seniors, and struggling families are being used responsibly and transparently,” he wrote. “It is incumbent upon state officials to assure the public that taxpayer dollars are not being stolen.”

The Assemblyman copied Governor Kathy Hochul and State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli on the request, urging their offices to coordinate with the Attorney General on a comprehensive review of nonprofit organizations receiving significant public funding.

“At a minimum,” DeStefano wrote, “this critical and alarming situation highlights the need for a comprehensive and thorough review of nonprofit organizations across New York to ensure that they are complying with financial reporting requirements and properly safeguarding taxpayer dollars.”

With the Seneca Babcock organization now shut down and questions mounting about years of missing financial records, DeStefano said the investigation should move quickly.

“We must root out fraud, waste and abuse wherever it exists,” he wrote, “and ensure that every dollar intended to help vulnerable New Yorkers is accounted for.”

LEGAL NOTICES • LEGAL NOTICES • LEGAL NOTICES

Public Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF SUFFOLK

CMG MORTGAGE, INC.,

Plaintiff, Against COREY LEMAY A/K/A COREY M. LEMAY, et al, Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 10/23/2017, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, at Brookhaven Town Hall, 1 Independence Hill, Farmingville, NY 11738, on 4/13 /2026 at 11:00AM, premises known as 30 Balsam Drive, Medford, New York 11763, and described as follows: ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Brookhaven, County of Suffolk and State of New York. District 0200 Section 870.00 Block 03.00 Lot 030.002 The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $318,054.88 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 604459/2015 Thomas Joseph Demayo, Esq., Referee. MCCABE, WEISBERG & CONWAY, LLC, 10 Midland Avenue, Suite 205, Port Chester, NY 10573 Dated: 2/19/ 2026 File Number: 15-311761 CA

L16472- 3/11/2026, 3/18/2026, 3/25/2026, & 4/1/2026

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice of Formation of SHIJIA QIAO AWAKENING COACHING LLC, a limited liability company. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of the State of New York (SSNY) on 12/01/ 2025. Office located in Suffolk County. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC to SHIJIA QIAO, 96 ROSEMARY LN, CENTEREACH, NY, 11720, USA. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

L16473- 3/11/2026, 3/18/2026, 3/25/2026, 4/1/2026, 4/8/2026 & 4/15/2026

PUBLIC NOTICE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF SUFFOLK HSBC BANK USA, N.A., AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE FOR THE REGISTERED NOTEHOLDERS OF RENAISSANCE HOME EQUITY LOAN ASSET-BACKED NOTES, SERIES 2005-2,against- HIDETAKA KOSHITA, ET AL.

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Suffolk on August 5, 2024, wherein HSBC BANK USA, N.A., AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE FOR THE REGISTERED NOTEHOLDERS OF RENAISSANCE HOME EQUITY LOAN ASSETBACKED NOTES, SERIES 2005-2 is the Plaintiff and HIDETAKA KOSHITA, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the BROOKHAVEN TOWN HALL, 1 INDEPENDENCE HILL, FARMINGVILLE, NY 11738, on April 1, 2026 at 10:30AM, premises known as 66 WOODLAND DRIVE, MASTIC BEACH, NY 11951; and the following tax map identification: 0200-980.70-10.00-027.000 F/K /A 0209-027.00-02.00-027.00 F/ K/A 0200-980.70-02.00027.000.

ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE TOWN OF BROOKHAVEN, COUNTY OF SUFFOLK AND STATE OF NEW YORK. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 207810/ 2022. Annette Eaderesto, Esq.Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.

L16463- 2/25/2026, 3/04/2026, 3/11/2026, & 3/18/2026

PUBLIC NOTICE

Supplemental Summons and Notice of Object of Action Supreme Court Of The State Of New York County Of Suffolk ACTION TO FORECLOSE A MORTGAGE Index #: 613545/ 2024 Towd Point Mortgage Trust 2018-2, U.S. Bank National Association, As Indenture Trustee Plaintiff, vs Kimberly A. Unger, County Of Suffolk, Jonathan Dembrow As Administrator And As Heir To The Estate Of Nat J. Dembrow, Jessica Zimmerman As Heir To The Estate Of Nat J. Dembrow If Living, And If He/She Be Dead, Any And All Persons Unknown To Plaintiff, Claiming, Or Who May Claim To Have An Interest In, Or General Or Specific Lien Upon The Real Property Described In This Action; Such

Unknown Persons Being Herein Generally Described And Intended To Be Included In Wife, Widow, Husband, Widower, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assignees Of Such Deceased, Any And All Persons Deriving Interest In Or Lien Upon, Or Title To Said Real Property By, Through Or Under Them, Or Either Of Them, And Their Respective Wives, Widows, Husbands, Widowers, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assigns, All Of Whom And Whose Names, Except As Stated, Are Unknown To Plaintiff, People Of The State Of New York, United States Of America On Behalf Of The IRS John Doe (Those Unknown Tenants, Occupants, Persons Or Corporations Or Their Heirs, Distributees, Executors, Administrators, Trustees, Guardians, Assignees, Creditors Or Successors Claiming An Interest In The Mortgaged Premises.) Defendant(S). Mortgaged Premises: 2909 Falcon Avenue Medford, NY 11763 To the Above named Defendant: You are hereby summoned to answer the Complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Supplemental Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff(s) attorney(s) within twenty days after the service of this Supplemental Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Supplemental Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. The Attorney for Plaintiff has an office for business in the County of Erie. Trial to be held in the County of Suffolk. The basis of the venue designated above is the location of the Mortgaged Premises. TO Jessica Zimmerman As Heir To The Estate Of Nat J. Dembrow, Defendant In this Action. The foregoing Supplemental Summons is served upon you by publication, pursuant to an order of HON. Susan Betsy Heckman Torres of the Supreme Court Of The State Of New York, dated the TwentyFourth day of February, 2026 and filed with the Complaint in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Suffolk, in the City of Riverhead. The object of this action is to foreclosure a mortgage upon the premises described below, originated by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. dated March 11, 2008, executed by Kimberly A. Unger to secure the sum of $277,095.00. The

Mortgage was recorded at Book 21690, Page 655 in the Office of the Suffolk County Clerk on April 2, 2008. The mortgage was subsequently assigned by an assignment executed December 9, 2015 and recorded on June 23, 2016, in the Office of the Suffolk County Clerk at Book 22713, Page 418. The mortgage was subsequently assigned by an assignment executed February 17, 2016 and recorded on June 23, 2016, in the Office of the Suffolk County Clerk at Book 22713, Page 419. The mortgage was subsequently assigned by an assignment executed February 20, 2018 and recorded on June 13, 2018, in the Office of the Suffolk County Clerk at Book 22934, Page 475. The mortgage was subsequently assigned by an assignment executed February 20, 2018 and recorded on June 13, 2018, in the Office of the Suffolk County Clerk at Book 22934, Page 476. The mortgage was subsequently assigned by an assignment executed January 11, 2019 and recorded on April 3, 2019, in the Office of the Suffolk County Clerk at Book 23016, Page 961. The mortgage was subsequently assigned by an assignment executed December 4, 2020 and recorded on December 22, 2020, in the Office of the Suffolk County Clerk at Book 23211, Page 394. The mortgage was subsequently modified on November 18, 2022. The property in question is described as follows: 2909 Falcon Avenue, Medford, NY 11763 NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this Foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. DATED: February 27, 2026 Gross Polowy LLC Attorney(s) For Plaintiff(s) 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100 Williamsville, NY 14221 The law firm of Gross Polowy LLC and the attorneys whom it employs are debt collectors who are attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained by them will be used for that purpose.

89338

L16471- 3/11/2026, 3,18/2026, 3/25/2026, & 4/1/2026

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice of Formation of ETL Advisors, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 202602-19. Office location: Suffolk County. SSNY designated as agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to INC AUTHORITY RA, 42 BROADWAY, FL. 12200, NEW YORK, NY, 10004, USA. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

L16469- 3/4/2026, 3/11/2026, 3/ 18/2026, 3/25/2026, 4/1/2026, & 4/8/2026

PUBLIC NOTICE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF SUFFOLK

Index No. 604396/2026 Date Summons Filed: 2/17/2026

MIRELLA G. CARCHI Plaintiff designates Suffolk County as the place of trial. The basis of venue is Plaintiff's residence. Plaintiff, SUMMONS -againstPlaintiff resides at 52 Pauls Path, Coram New York 11727. EDWIN A CARCHI, Defendant. ACTION FOR DIVORCE To the above named Defendant: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer on Plaintiff's Attorney within twenty (20) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service, where service is made by delivery upon you personally within the State of New York, or within thirty (30) days after completion of service where service is made in any other manner. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint.

Dated: February 13, 2026

Jan Gomerman, Esq. Attorney for Plaintiff 807 East Jericho Turnpike Huntington Station, NY 11746 631-549-1777

L16477- 3/18/2026, 3/25/2026, & 4/1/2026

PUBLIC NOTICE

MIDDLE ISLAND FIRE DISTRICT NOTICE OF ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION SUBJECT TO PERMISSIVE REFERENDUM NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Middle Island Fire District, in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, at a meeting thereof, held on the 5th day of March, 2026, duly adopted, subject to permissive referendum, a Resolution, an abstract of which is as follows:

L16459- 2/25/2026, 3/04/2026, 3/11/2026, & 3/18/2026

THE CLASSIFIEDS

PUBLIC NOTICE

Expenditure for truck repairs, not to exceed $11,500.00 from the Fire Apparatus & Equipment Reserve Fund. Dated: Middle Island, New York March 5, 2026 BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS OF THE MIDDLE ISLAND FIRE DISTRICT IN THE TOWN OF BROOKHAVEN, SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK Chrissy Rosenfeld, District Secretary

Expenditure for truck repairs, not to exceed $11,500.00 from the Fire Apparatus & Equipment Reserve Fund. Dated: Middle Island, New York March 5, 2026 BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS OF THE MIDDLE ISLAND FIRE DISTRICT IN THE TOWN OF BROOKHAVEN, SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK Chrissy Rosenfeld, District Secretary

L16478- 3/18/2026

L16478- 3/18/2026

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

MIDDLE ISLAND FIRE DISTRICT NOTICE OF ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION SUBJECT TO PERMISSIVE REFERENDUM

MIDDLE ISLAND FIRE DISTRICT NOTICE OF ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION SUBJECT TO PERMISSIVE REFERENDUM

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Middle Island Fire District, in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, at a meeting thereof, held on the 5th day of March, 2026, duly adopted, subject to permissive referendum, a Resolution, an abstract of which is as follows:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Middle Island Fire District, in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, at a meeting thereof, held on the 5th day of March, 2026, duly adopted, subject to permissive referendum, a Resolution, an abstract of which is as follows:

Expenditure for the purchase of diagnostic computer equipment, with necessary and related equipment, not to exceed $12,000.00 from the Fire Apparatus & Equipment Reserve Fund. Dated: Middle Island, New York March 9, 2026 BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS OF THE MIDDLE ISLAND FIRE DISTRICT IN THE TOWN OF BROOKHAVEN, SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK Chrissy Rosenfeld, District Secretary

Expenditure for the purchase of diagnostic computer equipment, with necessary and related equipment, not to exceed $12,000.00 from the Fire Apparatus & Equipment Reserve Fund. Dated: Middle Island, New York March 9, 2026 BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS OF THE MIDDLE ISLAND FIRE DISTRICT IN THE TOWN OF BROOKHAVEN, SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK Chrissy Rosenfeld, District Secretary

L16479- 3/18/2026

L16479- 3/18/2026

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice of Formation of BROOKE FOLK MEDIA, LLC, a limited liability company. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of the State of New York (SSNY) on 12/02/ 2025. Office located in Suffolk County. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC to 277 MIDDLE COUNTRY RD PMB 1004, SELDEN, NY 11784. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of BROOKE FOLK MEDIA, LLC, a limited liability company. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of the State of New York (SSNY) on 12/02/ 2025. Office located in Suffolk County. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC to 277 MIDDLE COUNTRY RD PMB 1004, SELDEN, NY 11784. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

L16467- 3/4/2026, 3/11/2026, 3/ 18/2026, 3/25/2026, 4/1/2026, & 4/8/2026

L16467- 3/4/2026, 3/11/2026, 3/ 18/2026, 3/25/2026, 4/1/2026, & 4/8/2026

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF SUFFOLK WELLS FARGO

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF SUFFOLK WELLS FARGO

BANK N.A. FKA WACHOVIA

BANK N.A. FKA WACHOVIA

BANK N.A. Plaintiff, Against ANTHONY NARDELLI, MICHELLE NARDELLI A/K/A

BANK N.A. Plaintiff, Against ANTHONY NARDELLI, MICHELLE NARDELLI A/K/A

MICHELLE L. NARDELLI, et al

MICHELLE L. NARDELLI, et al

Defendant(s)

Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 12/17/2025, I, the

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 12/17/2025, I, the

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undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, at Brookhaven Town Hall, 1 Independence Hill, Farmingville, NY 11738, on 3/31 /2026 at 10:00AM, premises known as 31 Old Saddle Rd., Ridge, NY 11961, and described as follows:

undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, at Brookhaven Town Hall, 1 Independence Hill, Farmingville, NY 11738, on 3/31 /2026 at 10:00AM, premises known as 31 Old Saddle Rd., Ridge, NY 11961, and described as follows:

New York, at a meeting thereof, held on the 5th day of March, 2026, duly adopted, subject to permissive referendum, a Resolution, an abstract of which is as follows: Expenditure for the purchase of diagnostic computer equipment, with necessary and related equipment, not to exceed $12,000.00 from the Fire Apparatus & Equipment Reserve Fund. Dated: Middle Island, New York March 9, 2026 BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS OF THE MIDDLE ISLAND FIRE DISTRICT IN THE TOWN OF BROOKHAVEN, SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK Chrissy Rosenfeld, District Secretary

L16479- 3/18/2026

PUBLIC NOTICE

ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Brookhaven, County of Suffolk, State of New York. District 0200 Section 295.00 Block 03.00 Lot 021.004 The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $507,702.05 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 063977/2014 Donna England, Esq., Referee. MCCABE, WEISBERG & CONWAY, LLC, 10 Midland Avenue, Suite 205, Port Chester, NY 10573 Dated: 2/4/2026 File Number: 403-1135 CA

ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Brookhaven, County of Suffolk, State of New York. District 0200 Section 295.00 Block 03.00 Lot 021.004 The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $507,702.05 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 063977/2014 Donna England, Esq., Referee. MCCABE, WEISBERG & CONWAY, LLC, 10 Midland Avenue, Suite 205, Port Chester, NY 10573 Dated: 2/4/2026 File Number: 403-1135 CA

L16459- 2/25/2026, 3/04/2026, 3/11/2026, & 3/18/2026

L16459- 2/25/2026, 3/04/2026, 3/11/2026, & 3/18/2026

Notice of Formation of BROOKE FOLK MEDIA, LLC, a limited liability company. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of the State of New York (SSNY) on 12/02/ 2025. Office located in Suffolk County. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC to 277 MIDDLE COUNTRY RD PMB 1004, SELDEN, NY 11784. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

L16467- 3/4/2026, 3/11/2026, 3/ 18/2026, 3/25/2026, 4/1/2026, & 4/8/2026

PUBLIC NOTICE

BANK N.A. FKA WACHOVIA

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NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF SUFFOLK WELLS FARGO

BANK N.A. Plaintiff, Against ANTHONY NARDELLI, MICHELLE NARDELLI A/K/A

Notice of formation of Clear & Carry, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York SSNY on February 7,2026. Office located in Suffolk. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC 36 Kent Drive Shirley, NY 11967. Purpose: any lawful

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L16462- 2/25/2026, 3/04/2026, 3/11/2026, 3/18,2026, 3/25/ 2026, & 4/01/2026

L16462- 2/25/2026, 3/04/2026, 3/11/2026, 3/18,2026, 3/25/ 2026, & 4/01/2026

Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 12/17/2025, I, the

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THE FANTASY BASEBALL EXPERIENCE

By Tom Barton

For years, the question surrounding Mike Trout in fantasy baseball was simple: how early should you draft him? Now the conversation has shifted to something far more complicated — what exactly should fantasy managers do with him?

Trout was once the ultimate fantasy baseball cheat code. For nearly a decade, the Los Angeles Angels superstar was a true five-category contributor and an easy No. 1 overall pick in drafts. His combination of power, speed, and consistency made him one of the safest and most dominant players in fantasy sports. But that era appears to have passed, as injuries and reduced stolen base totals have changed how managers value him.

In many drafts this year, Trout is coming off the board in the eighth or ninth round. The general understanding among fantasy managers is that he will likely miss a portion of the season and no longer contributes much on the base paths. That uncertainty has pushed him down draft boards and created frustration for some owners who remember investing early-round picks in him in the past.

However, what often gets overlooked is Trout’s production when he is actually in the lineup. Even with injury concerns, he remains one of the most productive hitters in baseball on a per-game basis. Last season, Trout still managed to hit 26 home runs while scoring 73 runs and driving in 64 RBIs in just 130 games. Those numbers remain extremely valuable, especially considering how far his draft stock has fallen.

The key for fantasy managers may be viewing Trout differently than they did in his prime. Instead of expecting a full season, owners can plan around the possibility that he will miss time. By pairing Trout’s production with a solid mid-level replacement player when he is injured, the combined statistics can still provide excellent value. A reasonable projection using that strategy could easily reach 30 or more home runs, around 90 runs scored, and roughly 80 RBIs.

Those numbers typically represent a player drafted within the first five rounds. While injuries remain a legitimate concern, Trout’s discounted draft price could make him one of the most intriguing value picks in fantasy baseball this season.

BETTING WITH BARTON

BY TOM BARTON

With the arrival of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, it is once again the time of year when analysts and sports outlets begin publishing trends and statistics from past tournaments. For decades, those numbers helped shape bracket picks and betting strategies. However, the landscape of college basketball has changed dramatically in recent years, particularly with the introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities for players.

Because of NIL and the expanded transfer portal era, the traditional formula that allowed underdog programs to build momentum and develop Cinderella runs has become far less common. In previous years, mid-major teams could develop experienced rosters capable of upsetting powerhouse programs. Today, many of those standout players are quickly recruited away by power conference schools offering greater financial opportunities and national exposure. Even established leagues like the Big East Conference are feeling the effects of the shifting landscape. Conference champion St. John’s Red Storm

Do We Have New Bracket Betting Rules? Are We Forgetting Mike Trout?

men’s basketball team earned a No. 5 seed but was sent across the country in the bracket. The league also placed just two teams in the tournament field, and both landed in the same region — a reminder that conference influence continues to shift.

Some long-standing tournament betting trends also appear to be changing. The once-popular strategy of automatically selecting No. 12 seeds to upset No. 5 seeds may not be as reliable as it once was. Last year’s tournament featured a rare “chalk” bracket in which many higher seeds advanced without the usual wave of early upsets. This season’s betting lines also show how heavily favored the top teams are. It marks the first time since the mid-1980s that all four No. 2 seeds entered the opening round as at least 20-point favorites. The parity seen in recent years may be fading, as powerhouse programs continue to consolidate talent. Still, some historical trends remain worth noting. Over the last 16 tournaments, No. 5 seeds have won roughly 60 percent of their matchups against No. 12 seeds, meaning the lower seed still pulls off the upset about

40 percent of the time. Meanwhile, No. 4 seeds have gone 9–3 over the past four tournaments. Betting data also shows that favorites coming off a loss have historically performed well against the spread.

Other trends may influence bracket decisions as well. Since 2011, No. 15 seeds have reached the Sweet 16 just as often as No. 9 or No. 12 seeds, highlighting how unpredictable the tournament can be. Conferences also carry reputations: the Mountain West Conference has struggled to advance past the first weekend, while the Ivy League has quietly hovered near a .500 record in tournament games since 2011.

One statistic that continues to surface every March concerns the Big Ten Conference. Despite consistently sending multiple teams to the tournament, the league has not won a national championship since 2000 and has gone 0–8 in national title games during that span.

As the tournament begins, one thing remains certain: while history provides clues, the modern era of college basketball makes predicting March far more complicated than ever.

SPORTS

By Tom Barton

The United States men’s national Paralympic ice hockey team added another chapter to its historic run this week, defeating the Canada men’s national para ice hockey team to capture the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy.

With the victory, Team USA continued its remarkable dominance in Paralympic sled hockey, securing its fifth consecutive gold medal in the event. The achievement further solidifies the United States as the premier power in the sport on the international stage.

The win also completed a clean sweep for American hockey teams at major international competition this season. Along

Team USA Paralympic Team Wins Gold

with the Paralympic sled hockey team’s gold medal, both the United States men’s national ice hockey team and the United States women’s national ice hockey team also captured gold medals in their respective tournaments. The combined success means Team USA went a perfect 3–0 against Canada in championship matchups, highlighting the depth and strength of American hockey across multiple levels of competition.

Team USA’s sled hockey program has built a reputation for excellence over the past decade, consistently performing at the highest level in international play. Their latest victory continues a dominant stretch that has seen the Americans remain at the top of the Paralympic podium for

multiple Games. The sustained success reflects the program’s commitment to elite training, strong player development, and a culture that emphasizes teamwork and resilience.

Canada entered the championship game as one of the United States’ biggest rivals in international sled hockey, making the matchup one of the most anticipated contests of the tournament. However, Team USA rose to the occasion once again, delivering a championship performance that secured the gold medal and extended their historic streak.

With five straight Paralympic gold medals, the U.S. sled hockey team has firmly established a dynasty in the sport. The victory not only adds another medal to the program’s legacy but also

underscores a broader moment of American hockey dominance on the global stage, as all three

A Familiar Face Returns to the Flock

U.S. national teams finished their seasons standing atop the podium.

By Tom Barton

The Long Island Ducks announced that infielder Austin Dennis will return to the team for the upcoming season. Dennis will begin his second season with the Ducks, his third in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and his eighth year in professional baseball.

“We liked a lot of things we saw from Austin last season,” Ducks manager Lew Ford said in a team statement. “He’s got a terrific bat combined with excellent speed, and he’s a versatile defender, having played three infield positions and all three outfield positions. We’re excited to welcome him back to

Long Island.” Dennis joined the Ducks late in the 2025 season, appearing in

nine games during the stretch run. In that time, he batted .263 with two RBIs, six runs scored,

10 hits, two walks and five stolen bases while playing errorless defense at shortstop and in center field.

The 28-year-old began the 2025 campaign with the New York Boulders, where he earned All-Star honors in the Frontier League. Dennis led the league in hits (139) and runs scored (97) while ranking second in games played (95), fifth in stolen bases (43) and sixth in both batting average (.342) and triples (four).

A native of Florida, Dennis began his professional career in the Houston Astros organization, playing two seasons there from 2018 to 2019. He later joined the Kansas City Royals system in 2021, reaching as high as Triple-A. Across

190 games in affiliated baseball, he batted .242 with six home runs, 69 RBIs, 102 runs scored, 28 doubles, five triples and 43 stolen bases while posting a .320 on-base percentage.

The Middle Tennessee State University product later spent five seasons with the Boulders, finishing among the Frontier League’s all-time top five in several categories, including games played, batting average, hits, runs scored and stolen bases.

“I’m very excited to be back on Long Island,” Dennis said. “The atmosphere there was fantastic every game. My goal this year is to stay healthy and help bring a championship to the Ducks.”

New York Teams Strike Early in Free Agency

By Tom Barton

As the National Football League opened its free agency window, both New York teams acted quickly in changing their rosters for the better. The New York Jets made the biggest splash by bringing in a familiar name when they traded for the Las Vegas Raiders starting quarterback Geno Smith. After nine seasons away, Smith returns to New York after the Jets gave up a 2026 sixthround pick to the Raiders in exchange for Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick. Smith is expected to step in as the Jets’ starting quarterback as the team’s rebuild continues.

The move came just one day after the Jets addressed their

defense by trading for star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and extending him to a three-year, $40 million contract. The team also added several pieces on defense, signing defensive end Joseph Ossai, defensive tackle David Onyemata, edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare, and safety Dane Belton. Perhaps the biggest leadership addition came with the signing of veteran linebacker Demario Davis, who brings experience and stability to a completely revamped side of the ball.

Meanwhile, the New York Giants also made several moves of their own. Big Blue brought in a player favored by Jim Harbaugh when they landed tight end Isaiah Likely. The talented tight end often played second

fiddle during his time with the Baltimore Ravens, but when given the opportunity, he consistently showed flashes of his upside and playmaking ability.

The Giants then released linebacker Bobby Okereke and moved quickly to fill the position by signing Tremaine Edmunds. They continued to add offensive pieces by bringing back wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins and adding offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor to strengthen the line. Defensively, the Giants added veteran cornerback Greg Newsome II along with defensive back Ar’Darius Washington as they continue reshaping their roster heading into the upcoming season.

SPORTS

By Tom Barton

When fans across the country begin filling out their brackets for the upcoming NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, many on Long Island will notice several familiar names.

Local supporters will be watching closely as Hofstra Pride men’s basketball and LIU Sharks men’s basketball both prepare to go dancing in March. They will join other New York programs, including the St. John’s Red Storm men’s basketball and the Siena Saints men’s basketball, giving the state strong representation in this year’s tournament field.

Despite its name, Long

Long Island Represented In the Tournament

Island University is located in Brooklyn. The Sharks earned an automatic berth into the tournament before the conference championship game due to Mercyhurst Lakers men’s basketball being ineligible during its NCAA reclassification period. Still, the Sharks were not satisfied with simply receiving the bid.

Under head coach Rod Strickland, LIU went on to win the Northeast Conference championship game on its home floor, making a statement before heading into the national tournament. The victory sends the Sharks back to the Big Dance for the first time since 2018.

For Hofstra, the journey back to the tournament car -

ries an especially emotional storyline. The Pride are headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001, when the program was led by head coach Jay Wright.

Today, the team is coached by Speedy Claxton, who once played for Wright at Hofstra. After securing the tournament berth, Claxton was visibly emotional on the court, celebrating the moment as he led his alma mater back to the national stage.

For Long Island basketball fans, the upcoming tournament will offer more than just bracket predictions — it will feature several teams with strong local ties and compelling stories.

Bellport Wrestlers Excel at the State Tournament

By Tom Barton

Three wrestlers from Bellport High School delivered outstanding performances at the New York State Wrestling Championships, earning top honors and All-State recognition.

Boys varsity wrestler Camryn Howard captured his second state championship as a sophomore, completing a dominant run through the tournament without allowing a single point to be scored against him. With the victory, Howard adds another milestone to an already remarkable career. He is now a two-time state champion, a four-time Suffolk County

champion and All-State selection. Howard has also achieved success on the national and

international stages, earning a USA Wrestling Fargo Nationals championship and becom -

ing a double champion at the Pan American U16 Championships.

Girls varsity wrestler Aaliyah Morrow also reached the top of the podium, earning her first state championship after scoring 39 offensive points during the tournament while holding her opponents scoreless. In addition to her state title, Morrow is a two-time county champion and a two-time AllState honoree, continuing to establish herself as one of the top wrestlers in the state.

Fellow girls varsity wrestler Caitlin Maragioglio earned All-State recognition with a third-place finish at the state tournament. Maragioglio’s strong performance adds to

Bay Shore Wins LI Championship

an already impressive resume that includes being a twotime county finalist, a county champion, and a two-time All-State selection. She has also earned All-American honors at the USA Wrestling Fargo Nationals.

All three wrestlers are dedicated not only to their sport but also to their academics, each maintaining a grade point average above 100.

The athletes were celebrated by the South Country Central School District this week with a parade that stopped at each of the district’s schools. District officials also congratulated the wrestlers on social media and wished them continued success in the future.

By Tom Barton

The Bay Shore Marauders boys’ basketball team captured the Long Island championship once again, defeating a familiar opponent in the Baldwin Bruins boys’ basketball team 66–62 on Wednesday night at Farmingdale State College.

Bay Shore controlled the game from the opening tip, leading wire to wire against the defending Long Island champions. Although the Marauders maintained the lead throughout, Baldwin continued to battle and kept the contest close in the closing moments. The Bruins trimmed the deficit to just two points in the final seconds, putting pressure on Bay Shore to secure the victory at the free-

throw line.

That is when Corey Faines delivered in the clutch. Faines calmly knocked down two critical free throws late in the game to seal the 66–62 win for the Marauders and secure the Long Island title. He finished as the game’s leading scorer and played a pivotal role in ending Baldwin’s run as defending champions.

Bay Shore’s offensive performance was particularly impressive against a Baldwin defense that had stifled opponents throughout the season. The 66 points allowed by the Bruins marked the second-highest point total they surrendered all year. The only team to score more against Baldwin this season was the Smithtown West

Bulls boys’ basketball team, which put up 72 points in a win on opening day. In addition to claiming the championship, the Marauders also snapped Baldwin’s 16-game winning streak. History also favored Bay Shore in the matchup. The victory marked the Marauders’ 20th win of the season and brought back memories of their previous meeting with Baldwin in the Long Island championship game two years ago. That victory was significant for the program, as it marked Bay Shore’s first Long Island title since 1981.

With the championship secured, Bay Shore now turns its attention to the next round of the state tournament. The Marauders will face the Mama-

A

SPORTS

By Tom Barton

Miller Sets Two New School Records

Swimmers from Ward Melville High School made a strong impression at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Swimming and Diving Championships, delivering standout performances while also rewriting portions of the school’s record book.

The Patriots were represented by Landon Emmerich, Ayush Mojumdar, Brendan Miller, Bryce Baranowski and Gordon Khamraev, who combined to represent the program on the state stage.

One of the team’s highlights came in the 200-yard medley relay, where Miller, Khamraev, Baranowski and Emmerich teamed up for a strong show-

ing. The quartet finished 17th overall in New York State, capping off a successful season for the relay group while competing against many of the top swimmers from across the state.

Miller also delivered one of the most impressive individual performances of the championship meet. The standout swimmer placed fourth in the 200-yard freestyle and followed with a fifth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke, demonstrating his versatility in the pool.

In the process, Miller also set new school records in both events, adding another milestone to an already memorable performance. His record-setting swims not only highlight-

ed his individual talent but also showcased the continued strength of the Ward Melville swimming program.

The strong results at the state championships marked a significant accomplishment for the Patriots, who competed confidently in one of the most competitive meets of the season.

Performing on the state stage requires both preparation and composure, and Ward Melville’s swimmers delivered on both fronts. Their efforts reflected the dedication and hard work that has defined the program throughout the season.

With several talented swimmers contributing to the team’s success, Ward Melville once again proved it can compete

ESM’s Laezza Earns Two Medals

By Tom Barton

After capturing the Section XI Girls Indoor Track and Field Championships title in February, standout distance runner Maddie Laezza continued her impressive season on the state stage.

Laezza competed in both the 3,000-meter and 1,500-meter races at the NYSPHSAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, which were held in early March at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island.

On the opening day of competition, Laezza delivered a strong performance in the 3,000 meters, running a personal-best time of 9:38.91. The

By Tom Barton

The Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2026, recognizing a distinguished group of athletes, coaches, officials, and contributors who have made lasting impacts on sports across Suffolk County. The class will be honored during an induction ceremony on May 21 at 6 p.m. at Flowerfield.

“This induction class is one of the deepest and most impactful we’ve ever assembled,” said Chris R. Vaccaro, president of the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame.

The 2026 class features a wide range of accomplished individuals. Among the inductees are Keiron Bigby, an NFL player and Super Bowl champion from Central Islip, New York, and Bryan Bonin, the longtime Commack, New York baseball coach recognized as a community legacy honoree. Also included are former NFL player and coach

mark placed her fourth overall in a highly competitive field

and earned her All-State and All-Federation honors. The race featured many of the top distance runners from across New York, making Laezza’s finish one of the most notable performances of the meet.

Laezza returned to the track on the second day to compete in the 1,500 meters and once again rose to the occasion. She posted another personal-best time of 4:35.80, an effort that helped her defeat six athletes who had entered the race ranked ahead of her.

The performance secured Laezza a second All-Federation medal during the championship meet and capped off an outstanding two days of

Suffolk’s New Hall of Fame Class

Mike Buck of Sayville, New York and respected girls basketball coach Claude Byer from Amityville, New York.

Additional inductees include John DiClemente, a longtime Section XI official from Central Islip, and Ken Ericksen, the U.S. Olympic softball coach and Ward Melville High School alumnus. Former NFL player Sean Farrell of Westhampton Beach, New York and John Franzone, senior vice president of game presentation and production for the Tampa Bay Lightning, are also part of the class.

The inductee list continues with standout lacrosse player Nick Galasso of West Islip, New York, former NFL player Les Goodman of Port Jefferson, New York, and WNBA star Arella Guirantes of Bellport, New York. Sports broadcaster Alan Hahn, longtime Mattituck athletic director Michael Huey, and NHL

goaltender Keith Kinkaid of Farmingville, New York will also be honored.

Other inductees include Monika Kost of Lindenhurst, New York, pioneering marathon runner Nina Kuscik, and baseball pioneer Horace McGarity as a historic honoree. The class also features coach Kerrigan Miller, lacrosse standout Jamie Ortega, coach Steve Rebholz, softball All-American Kim Ryan, MLB pitcher Marcus Stroman, Army athletic director Tom Theodorakis, and NCAA wrestling champion Pete Yozzo. The North Lindenhurst Fire Department Racing Team will also be honored for its service contributions.

Founded in 1990, the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization dedicated to recognizing individuals who have made substantial contributions to sports in Suffolk County.

competition against the state’s top runners.

Her back-to-back personal-best performances highlighted a season defined by steady improvement and strong finishes in high-pressure races. After already claiming a county championship earlier in the winter, Laezza’s results at the state meet further established her as one of the premier distance runners in Suffolk County.

Competing against elite athletes from across New York, Laezza demonstrated both endurance and determination on the state stage, turning in two of the fastest races of her career when it mattered most.

By Tom Barton

The boys swimming team from Sachem High School East turned in an impressive performance at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Swimming and Diving Championships last weekend.

According to the school’s social media accounts, the team “delivered standout performances and represented the program with energy, teamwork and pride” throughout the championship meet.

One of the highlights came from the 200-yard medley relay team, which featured Connor Frank, EJ Garmon, CJ Schilling and David Spooner, with Logan Frank serving as the relay alter-

Sachem Swim Impresses On the Big Stage

nate. The quartet finished 23rd in the state, capping off a memorable season for the group.

The relay team also secured a place in the program’s record books. Their time of 1 minute, 39.44 seconds set a new school record in the event, marking one of the program’s most notable achievements this season.

Frank also delivered an outstanding performance in his individual races. The sophomore finished 14th in New York State in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 52.02 seconds and placed 21st in the 100-yard backstroke in 52.99. His strong showing highlighted both his individual talent and the depth within the Sachem East swimming program. Throughout the champion-

ship meet, the team brought strong energy to the pool deck, constantly cheering on teammates and creating an atmosphere of unity and support that reflected the culture of the program.

The meet also marked a milestone moment for Garmon, a senior who will continue his swimming career next year at Mount Saint Mary’s University. His leadership and dedication have been instrumental to the team’s success.

With several key contributors expected to return next season, Sachem East is already looking ahead with optimism as the program builds on this year’s accomplishments and aims for another trip to the state stage.

The Pins Keep Falling for Suffolk Girls Bowling

By Tom Barton

Bowlers from Section XI delivered an impressive showing this week at the New York State individual girls bowling championships, placing four athletes among the top six finishers and highlighting the strength of Suffolk County’s bowling programs.

Leading the way was standout bowler Brooke Andresen, who finished second overall in the state competition. Andresen’s performance paced a dominant effort from Section XI competitors, who consistently found themselves near the top of the leaderboard throughout the tournament. Her runner-up finish marked one of the best performances of the event and helped set the tone for Suffolk County’s

strong presence.

Close behind Andresen was Trishna Desai, who secured a third-place finish after another strong outing on the lanes. Kaylee Dwyer followed with a fourthplace finish, while Meeya Leaderman rounded out the impressive showing by placing sixth overall.

With four athletes finishing in the top six, Section XI clearly demonstrated the depth of talent across its programs.

In addition to her strong third-place finish, Desai also earned special recognition at the tournament. She was presented with the event’s Sportsmanship Award, an honor given to athletes who demonstrate outstanding respect, integrity, and positive conduct during competition.

The recognition added another

highlight to an already memorable performance for the Suffolk County bowlers.

Officials from Section XI praised the group’s accomplishments and the continued success of local bowling programs. In a statement shared on the organization’s social media accounts, Section XI wrote, “An amazing accomplishment for Section XI and a proud moment for Long Island bowling.”

The results reflect the continued growth and competitiveness of high school bowling across Suffolk County. With multiple athletes finishing among the state’s best, the performance reinforced Section XI’s reputation as one of the premier regions for high school bowling talent in New York.

Silbert and Vuono Place Top Five in NYS

By Tom Barton

Bowlers from Section XI delivered another strong showing this weekend at the New York State Division I boys bowling individual championship held at Strike ‘N Spare Lanes. Several competitors from Suffolk County finished near the top of the standings, continuing a successful run for Long Island bowlers at the state level.

Leading the way was Johnathan Vuono, who placed second overall in the tournament. Vuono posted an impressive total of 1,366 pins across the competition and recorded the highest single game by any Long Island competitor during the event. In Game 3, Vuono rolled a remarkable 278, a performance that

vaulted him up the leaderboard and kept him firmly in contention for the state title throughout the day. His consistency and ability to produce high scores under pressure highlighted one of the top performances of the tournament.

Also finishing among the top competitors was Alex Silbert of Eastport-South Manor High School, who secured a fifthplace finish in the state championship. The senior delivered one of the most exciting stretches of bowling late in the event, mounting a strong comeback that propelled him up the standings. Silbert’s best game came in Game 3, when he rolled a 267 to spark his surge toward the top five.

Another strong performance came from Andrew Schaefer of Commack High School. Schaefer finished just outside the top ten, placing 13th overall with a total series of 1,295 pins. His consistent scoring kept him competitive throughout the tournament and added to Section XI’s overall success.

With multiple athletes finishing near the top of the standings, Section XI once again demonstrated the depth of talent in Suffolk County bowling. The performances by Vuono, Silbert, and Schaefer helped showcase the strength of the region’s programs and continued a trend of Long Island bowlers competing at a high level on the state stage in New York.

SPORTS

By Tom Barton

The Smithtown Central School District has begun its third consecutive year of Unified Sports programming, continuing to expand opportunities for student-athletes across the district. This week, the district’s Unified Bowling team opened its season with a match against John Glenn High School at Lucky Strike Lanes.

What began as a small initiative has grown into one of the district’s most popular extracurricular programs. Participation has increased significantly thanks to the strong support from student volunteers in the Athletes Helping Athletes clubs, along with athletes participating through the FAST and Special Education programs at Smithtown High School East and Smithtown High School West.

Head coach Emily Fey said the

By Tom Barton

The William Floyd Colonials boys basketball saw its season come to a close this weekend after a hard-fought battle in the NYSPHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament quarterfinals.

William Floyd dropped a 72-64 overtime decision to the Corning-Painted Post Hawks boys basketball in a game that remained intense from start to finish. Despite the disappointing result, the Colonials showed determination and resilience, pushing the contest beyond regulation before falling in the extra period.

JJ Smith led the Colonials with another standout performance.

Unified Bowling Team Rolls Into Third Season

team now carries a roster of 22 athletes, marking the highest participation total since the district launched its Unified program. The growth has brought not only more competitors but also a wave of new energy and enthusiasm to the team.

Unified Sports programs are designed to bring together students with and without intellectual disabilities, allowing them to compete side by side on the same team. The model promotes inclusion, teamwork and sportsmanship while creating meaningful experiences for everyone involved.

The district is also preparing to expand the program even further this spring. In late April, the district will launch its first Unified Basketball season, adding another opportunity for students to take part in the growing initiative.

District officials say the new

program will allow even more students to participate in athletics while strengthening the sense of community throughout the schools. The addition of basketball will also help the Unified program reach more athletes than ever before.

The Unified League continues to demonstrate that athletics can bring students together in ways that extend far beyond the playing surface. The games remain competitive and energetic, but the emphasis on teamwork, encouragement and inclusion often leaves the biggest impression.

For many involved, the experience represents the best qualities of high school sports — competition, camaraderie and character — all on display at the same time.

William Floyd Fights Until the End

Smith scored 22 points while also contributing five rebounds and two assists, continuing the strong

play that helped carry William Floyd deep into the postseason.

Sharod Sutton Jr. was close

behind, finishing with 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists. His all-around effort helped keep the Colonials within striking distance throughout the tightly contested matchup.

Multi-sport standout Ja’Quan Thomas added 10 points to give William Floyd a third player in double figures. Jesse Durham contributed seven points and six rebounds, while Josiah Wade added four points. Evan Commodore rounded out the scoring with a free throw and grabbed three rebounds.

Although the Colonials fell short of advancing, the season marked a historic achievement for the program. The team reached the state tournament for the first time in school history,

a milestone that highlighted the group’s dedication and teamwork throughout the year.

In a statement following the game, the William Floyd School District praised the team’s effort and accomplishments.

“They truly gave it their all and left it out on the court today,” the district said. “It was an amazing season and the team built memories that will last a lifetime. Congratulations to the coaches, student-athletes and their families on an amazing season and their first-ever appearance in the state championships.”

Despite the loss, the Colonials’ deep postseason run ensured that this season will be remembered as one of the most successful in program history.

Port Jefferson’s Director of Physical Education Honored

By Tom Barton

The Port Jefferson School District announced this week that its Director of Physical Education, Mr. Sherrard, was recognized for outstanding leadership and contributions to physical education and athletics during the annual Suffolk Zone Professional Awards Dinner. The event is hosted by the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NYS AHPERD), specifically its Suffolk Zone chapter. The annual dinner honors educators and professionals who have demonstrated excellence, dedication, and service in the fields of health, physical education, recreation, and athletics across Suffolk County, New York.

During the ceremony, Sherrard

was honored alongside colleagues and leaders in the profession for his continued commitment to promoting student wellness and strengthening athletic programs

within the district. The recognition highlights his efforts to foster a positive culture of physical activity and healthy living for students throughout the school community.

Under Sherrard’s leadership, the district’s physical education and athletics programs have continued to grow and evolve. Students across all grade levels have been provided with expanded opportunities to develop lifelong healthy habits while learning the importance of teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship. His work has also focused on supporting teachers, coaches, and student-athletes by creating a collaborative environment that prioritizes both physical fitness and character development.

In addition to the Suffolk Zone recognition, the Port Jefferson School District recently honored Sherrard during its latest Board of Education meeting. District leaders publicly congratulated him on receiving the award and expressed their appreciation for his dedication and leadership within the school community.

School officials noted that recognitions such as this highlight the critical role educators play in shaping student experiences beyond the classroom. Through physical education and athletic programming, educators help students build confidence, develop healthy lifestyles, and learn skills that extend far beyond school sports.

The Port Jefferson School District congratulated Sherrard on the well-deserved honor and thanked him for his continued commitment to supporting students, staff, and the broader school community. His recognition serves as a reminder of the lasting impact that dedicated educators can have on both student wellness and the success of school athletic programs.

SPORTS

By Tom Barton

The William Floyd Colonials girls’ varsity basketball team is moving on in the New York state tournament after delivering a dominant performance in the quarterfinal round. The Colonials made a major opening statement by defeating the Corning-Painted Post Hawks 61–30 in the quarterfinals of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Basketball Championships. The decisive victory showcased the depth and confidence that has defined William Floyd’s season, as the team controlled the pace from start to finish. By doubling up their opponent on the scoreboard, the Colonials sent a clear message to the rest of the state tournament field that they are a serious championship contender.

William Floyd entered the postseason after putting together an impressive regular season, finishing with a 19–5 overall record and a 13–3 mark in division play. Throughout the year, the Colonials showed flashes of dominance, including a nine-game winning streak that helped establish them as one of the top teams in their class. That momentum was on full display in the quarterfinal, where William Floyd executed on both ends of the floor. The Colonials pushed the tempo offensively while maintaining tight defensive pressure, forcing difficult shots and limiting Corning-Painted Post scoring opportunities throughout the contest. By halftime, William

The Colonials Make a STATEment

Floyd had already built a comfortable lead and never allowed the Hawks to threaten a comeback.

The standout performance of the night came from Milania Farrow, who delivered a career-high 30 points to lead all scorers. Farrow was particularly effective from beyond the three-point line, knocking down six shots from long range and energizing the Colonials’ offense each time Corning-Painted Post attempted to close the gap. Her perimeter shooting helped

stretch the defense and created additional scoring space for her teammates. J. J. Stewart added 10 points, finishing second on the team in scoring and providing key baskets during several important stretches of the game. Gabrielle Bell-Eleazer, Chloe Campbell, and Taleah Coppola each contributed five points to the balanced effort, while Savannah Pantry and Jayla Thomas chipped in three points apiece to round out the scoring for William Floyd in the convincing victory. The offensive balance

highlighted the team’s depth and chemistry.

With the victory, the Colonials now advance to the semifinal round of the NYSPHSAA Basketball Championships, moving one step closer to a state title. William Floyd is scheduled to face the Aquinas Institute of Rochester girls’ basketball team on Thursday, March 19, at 2:30 p.m. at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York. Aquinas enters the matchup with a strong reputation, setting the stage for what

The Bulls are Long Island’s Best

could be one of the most competitive games of the tournament. The winner of the semifinal will earn a place in the New York State championship game, raising the stakes for both programs. If the Colonials continue to play with the same confidence, defensive intensity, and offensive rhythm they displayed in the quarterfinal, they will have a strong opportunity to keep their championship hopes alive and extend an already impressive postseason.

By Tom Barton

The Smithtown West Bulls boys basketball captured their first-ever Long Island title Wednesday night, defeating the South Side Cyclones boys basketball 65–50 in the Class AA Long Island Class AA Championship at Farmingdale State College.

Smithtown West pulled away with a dominant fourth quarter, scoring 25 points to seal the victory and cap off a historic night for the program.

“This game was the perfect testament to who we are,” Bulls head coach Mike Agostino said after the game. “We played hard, we moved the ball and we were there for each other.”

Senior standout Michael Cascione led the way with a gamehigh 30 points. The performance carried even more meaning as the championship fell on Cascione’s 18th birthday.

“It doesn’t get better than this,” Cascione said. “This is the best day of my life.”

His brother, Jax Cascione, added 12 points to provide additional scoring support. Tim Bannell finished with 11 points, while Evan Lutzer chipped in five. Casey Burton added four points and Luke Brown rounded out the scoring

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