Witchy Woman Of St. James

Witchy Woman

By June Capossela Kempf

The first time I set eyes upon Winnie the Witch, I was sitting in a school bus right behind the driver, serving as a chaperone on my son’s pumpkin pickin’ class trip – 40 years ago.

As we rounded the corner from Edgewood onto 25A heading east, the driver asked me to look for Wick’s farm. “It’s on the left,” he said.

I peered out the window, expecting my search to be futile, given all the farms around, but to my delight, I quickly spotted the huge figure of an old witch, looming high above the landscape, watching over her patch of pumpkins like a mother hen over her chicks. All the kids whooped and hollered as they scampered out of the bus, but instead of making a beeline to the rows and rows of ready to roll pumpkins in the field, they lingered by the big witch that seemed to be watching them under her big bulging penetrating eyes.

“Don’t you want to get a pumpkin?” I asked little Mikey, as he gazed at Winnie.

“I like her,” he said. “I can get a pumpkin anywhere, but I have to come all the way to Saint James to see a big witch like that.”

Mikey finally joined the rest of the class that happily rounded up 46 pumpkins under Winnie the Witch’s shadow; and when it was time to depart, they all turned around to wave goodbye to her - and I thought:

So this is Saint James? What a nice town! What a cool witch!

For all the years between then and now, Winnie was the image that we came to associate with the charming hamlet of Saint James. 

I didn’t get to move here until way after my own kids grew up. In fact, most of those children on that bus then, now have families of their own. At this time of year, they are very likely planning pumpkin picking trips – to somewhere else. And that’s because Wick’s farm is no longer Wick’s Farm and Winnie is now desperately leaning over on her broken broom, looking as if she is pleading for rescue like an abandoned puppy in a TV commercial.

Although Winnie was constructed back in the 70’s out of wood scraps, metal and fiberglass, she seemed to come to life as soon as she was completed and given a name.  She made her debut on the property of farmer, David Wicks (Wick’s farm) and before long became such a colossal sensation, she wound up on Roadside America’s great attraction list.  

For decades, she stood her ground against all kinds of weather and distress, all the while endearing herself to the community and to visiting tourists from far and near. Then came hurricane Sandy and the closing of the farm followed by neglect and decay.  Winnie was left to rot by the side of the road, open to public display, humiliation and ultimate debate. Some view her ominous presence as a gargantuan eyesore - a pox on the community, calling for demolition, while others cherished fond memories of by-gone Halloweens, pleading for restoration.

“We referred to her as Mrs. Halloween,” one young at heart fan sadly testified.

And Mikey never forgot. “I still stop by the roadside and remember the first time I ever saw that big witch, “ he said. “I hate to see her falling apart after all these years.”

Over the years, Winnie had been regularly maintained. She underwent three renovations in her time, but now interest seems to have declined as well as funds. Her days were numbered until two local heroes came forward to rescue her from the wicked wrath of the bulldozer.

Victoria Johnston and Kenny Maher, took up her cause at a time when Saint James began its celebrated revitalization of Lake Avenue. The couple thought that this was the perfect time to set up a beauty treatment for the good witch. But she was not included in the Lake Avenue project and Covid 19 forced many potential backers to scale back. Undeterred, the dedicated duo set up a GoFundMe account with a goal of $30,000. last March 2021. To date they have received less than $4,000. And now Winnie looks like she is about to fall face down into the Saint James mud.

What happened?

 I know, Winnie is not standing on any corner of the targeted Lake Avenue redo, but Saint James is Winnie’s turf too. It just doesn’t seem right that she could just disappear from the very route that cuts right through the heart of Saint James. 

Can Winnie be saved? Or is her restoration just a frivolous waste of money and effort at a time when there are more serious causes to address?

 Well, perhaps that is the very reason her renovation is such a vital investment. We need to preserve an icon like Winnie, if only to lift our spirits or conjure up a pleasant memory as we travel around town these days with all our worries..

Maybe, with a little bit of luck and lots of support, we can help Winnie rise from the depths of decay and once again stand strong and proud, watching over and welcoming future generations of pumpkin pickers into her magical spell. 

And then if the dream comes to pass, don’t be surprised if next Halloween, you see Mikey and his kids attending Winnie the Witch’s long awaited unveiling ceremony-right here in Saint James where she was born.

June Capossela Kempf: Essayist and  Author of : Yo God! Jay’s Story, a memoir  and Lady of the Dollhouse, a YA mystery

Hauppauge's Phyllis Stein Participated In 34th Annual Jewish Scouting Conference

At the 34th Annual North East Region Jewish Committee on Scouting Conference, which was held October 3, 2021 at Alpine Scout Camp in Alpine, New Jersey, JCOS of SCC (Scouts BSA) volunteer Phyllis Stein was presented with a special recognition certificate and award for her continued service to the NER JCOS and to the Jewish Scouting community. Left to right: NER JCOS Chair Phil Sternberg (of the National Capitol Area Council), Phyllis Stein of Hauppauge, and Bruce Streger, past NER JCOS Chair and JCOS of SCC Chair Emeritus (previously of Farmingville and now residing in Florida)Local Suffolk County Council (Scouts BSA) Jewish Committee on Scouting volunteers Barry Kopeloff  (of Port Jefferson Station), Bruce Streger (previously of Farmingville and now residing in Rockledge, Florida), and Phyllis Stein (of Hauppauge), participated  with Scouters from other states in the northeast from Maryland to  New Hampshire.  This was the 34th Annual North East Region Jewish Committee on Scouting Conference, which was held October 3, 2021 at Alpine Scout Camp in Alpine, New Jersey. The Conference was the first in person meeting since March 2019 (the conference planned for March 2020 had to be cancelled due to the start of the Covid pandemic). Members of the NER JCOS opted to hold this year’s conference at an outdoor venue like a Boy Scout Camp in the fall as opposed to their normal indoor spring event.  There were 37 volunteer Scout Leaders and Scout Professionals from ten Boy Scout Councils attending the 2021 NER JCOS Conference. 

The day-long event started with a Bagel Buffet breakfast and celebrated the Jewish Committee’s participation in the Boy Scouts of America that started in 1926. The theme of “Renewed Fellowship” included presentations that covered the history of Jewish Scouting that started in New York City where the first Jewish Troop met at the 92nd Street YMJA. Other interesting presentations covered the history of the Jewish Religious Awards, a recap of this past summer’s National Jewish Committee’s Trek in the mountains at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, and many other topics. Special guest, Mr. Richard Davies, the CEO of the Greater New York Councils welcomed the scouting volunteers to Alpine Scout Camp and spent most of the day as an active participant in the conference.

The conference was a joyous event, filled with learning for participants, and much sharing of recent experiences from the Scout leaders who attended. The “midway” had displays and Scouting memorabilia items. Each participant received two special commemorative event patches and a flash drive with great Scouting resources and information for participants to take back to their local JCOS and local Scout Councils was also available. The President of the National Jewish Committee on Scouting, Mr. Frank Youdelman, joined the conference via Zoom and answered questions from participants.  National JCOS Chaplain Rabbi Art Vernon provided attendees with the invocation, D’var Torah, and prayers before the Kosher lunch meal.  

Several of the attendees were recognized with the Bronze, Gold, and Silver Chai Awards for their continued work with their local JCOS committees, and were presented by NER JCOS Chair Phil Sternberg of the National Capitol Area Council. Bruce Streger, past Chair, and Philip Sternberg presented a” Special Achievement Award  for Service to the Jewish Scouting Community and For Going Above and Beyond to Promote the Highest Level of Jewish Scouting” and for her continued service to the NER JCOS and to the Jewish Scouting community to Phyllis Stein.

It was a great event and everyone was glad to be there in person.  The next NER JCOS Conference will take place in the February/March timeframe either at GNYC’s Alpine Scout Camp in New Jersey or in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  

For more information on joining the JCOS of Suffolk County, Jewish Religious Emblems and workshops, Scout Sabbath Services, Jewish campouts, and more, please contact JCOS Chair Barry Kopeloff at (631) 331-9460 or join us at our monthly JCOS meetings (held the 3^rd Monday of every month at Temple Beth Chai of Hauppauge (870 Town Line Road). 

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP - DA Race Is The Leading Race In Suffolk County

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

BY Karl Grossman

The contest for district attorney is the leading race in Suffolk County this year. 

In a county with a long record of governmental corruption and with such major criminal issues as illegal drug dealing and in recent years the murderous activities of the MS-13 gang, the position of DA is highly important—indeed, some in Suffolk politics have termed it the most important position in all of county government.

DA Tim Sini This year running on the Democratic ticket for DA is the incumbent, Ray Tierney candidate for Suffolk County DA Timothy Sini of Babylon, who was elected DA in 2017 and took office in 2018. He is opposed by Raymond Tierney who is running on the Republican and Conservative lines. 

Mr. Tierney has engaged in a highly aggressive challenge to Mr. Sini.

“DA Tim Sini Has Devoted His Career to Protecting the Safety of Suffolk County,” declares a flier for Mr. Sini, previously the commissioner of the Suffolk County Police Department. “Tim has a track record of fearless prosecutions & historic accomplishments.” 

Not true, Mr. Tierney holds. His campaign literature describes Mr. Sini as “soft on crime, weak on corruption.” Mr. Tierney for 13 years was an assistant Suffolk DA, then a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, and then executive assistant DA in the Brooklyn DA’s office, leaving that post earlier this year to run for Suffolk DA.

Mr. Tierney has lambasted Mr. Sini for being more about appearance than being a hard-hitting prosecutor. He has accused the incumbent of being more concerned with “press releases and splashy press conferences” with “no follow-up,” as he stated in a webinar last month organized by Long Island Metro Business Action (LIMBA).

In the webinar, he specifically claimed Mr. Sini was a “complete failure” in the case of Justin Smith of Smithtown charged with selling fentanyl-laced drugs resulting in overdose deaths on the East End in August. Mr. Tierney said Mr. Sini had opportunities to indict Mr. Smith earlier on drug charges but didn’t. He made a similar allegation of lack of early prosecution regarding Darren Mansfield of Bay Shore later to allegedly murder 22-year-old Frania Espinal of Dix Hills. 

Mr. Sini in his appearance in a LIMBA webinar, two weeks later, said: “He’s just lying about these cases.”

In his presentation, Mr. Sini said “crime is going down” in Suffolk County, spoke of his office having “invested heavily in crime-fighting technology” and his instituting “reforms,” his having “recruited top talent” and having “increased diversity dramatically” in the DA’s office.

Mr. Sini also has a background in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in its Southern District of New York, starting “his career in law enforcement” at it in 2010 and having “prosecuted hundreds of violent gang members, hit men, drug traffickers…and much more,” says his official biography as DA. He then was appointed deputy Suffolk County executive for public safety in 2014 under County Executive Steve Bellone, who nominated him in 2015 to be county police commissioner. 

In his webinar, Mr. Sini spoke the Suffolk DA’s office bringing an “illegal dumping case” that was “the largest” such case in New York State history resulting in 2018 in a 130-count indictment against 30 individuals and nine corporations. Residents who answered an ad offering free clean fill ended up with toxic debris instead. He quoted one defendant, Anthony Grazio, who has since plead guilty, saying “on a wiretap” that “we just dumped plutonium on that guy’s backyard.”

Regarding the MS-13 gang, Mr. Sini said the Suffolk DA’s office was part of an investigation that utilized “200 wiretaps” and led to 96 arrests in Suffolk in 2019. 

Mr. Tierney in his LIMBA webinar spoke of investigating and prosecuting scores of MS-13 cases in his 11 years in the U.S. Attorney’s office. His campaign biography says: “Much of his career was devoted to the trial and conviction of numerous members of the MS-13 street gang for the commission of murders and other violent crimes on Long Island. He drafted and applied for search and arrest warrants, presented evidence to grand juries…and conducted jury trials and sentencing hearings putting hundreds of dangerous MS-13 members behind bars.” Also, it says, he “met with Department of Justice officials regarding long-term international criminal prosecutions, and briefed the Attorney General and President on the status of MS-13 prosecutions both nationwide and in New York.”

In the webinar, Mr. Tierney related that he “grew up” in Commack and now lives with his family “in the Town of Brookhaven.” When I asked for this column about which community in Brookhaven Town, Mr. Tierney said he didn’t want to identify it “because of threats.”

Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books. 

DEC Moves Into Its New Home At Nissequogue River State Park In Kings Park

On Saturday, October 16 community members joined DEC employees planting trees in front of the DEC bldg. Tours of the bldg. were available to the public. On October 7th Governor Kathy Hochul announced the opening of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s new Marine Resources headquarters located in the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s Nissequogue River State Park, Kings Park. The new building, which features a range of sustainable green features, will serve as a central hub for DEC’s Division of Marine Resources and its essential work to manage and conserve New York’s marine fisheries, shellfish, and other protected marine life habitats.  

“From recreational anglers out for a day to commercial shellfish harvesters who have fished our state’s waters for generations, the health of New York’s marine ecosystem is critical to the economic health of our coastal communities,” said Governor Hochul. 

The facility is LEED Silver-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council for energy efficiency construction. It includes water-use reduction and rainwater management features, environmentally conscious and low-pollution-emitting building materials, and facilitates the production of up to 100,000 kWh/year of solar-generated energy. Construction of the new $26 million facility was supported by funding from NY Works and is aligned with the goals of the Nissequogue River State Park Master Plan.   

Nightime view of DEC building at Nissequogue River State Park in Kings ParkSustainable features at the new facility include:   

• Ground- and roof-mounted solar panels equipped to generate more than 100,000 kWh of energy each year;   
• LED lighting, energy-efficient electrical systems, and optimized water process use to reduce consumption;  
• Indoor environmental air quality controls, outdoor heat-reduction materials, and reflecting paint to minimize energy use;  
• Low-impact refrigerants;    
• Environmentally friendly, low-emitting, and recycled construction materials;  
• High-quality indoor daylight and views of natural outdoor spaces to reduce the use of electrical lighting;  
• Green and electric vehicle parking and charging stations for visitors and staff;  
• Bike rack and a connection to a nature trail;  
• Rainwater bioretention and rain gardens to help reduce storm water runoff; and  
• Native and adaptive plants and trees to promote the health of the local ecosystem.  

DEC plays a crucial role in the management of commercial and recreational fisheries, such as striped bass, black sea bass, summer flounder, and blue crabs, among others.  DEC remains committed to protecting vulnerable and encroached marine habitats that include tidal wetlands, bays, estuaries, the Hudson River, Long Island Sound, and Atlantic Ocean. Maintaining healthy marine environments helps to support Long Island’s coastal communities and industries that rely on sustainable and productive marine resources. New York’s marine resources are critical to the State’s economy - supporting nearly 350,000 jobs and generating billions of dollars through tourism, fishing, and other industries. The region’s growing marine economy accounts for approximately 9.7 percent of Long Island’s total gross domestic product. 

DEC oversees the management of shellfish and aquaculture to ensure productive, healthy, and safe shellfish are harvested for consumption from New York’s waters. The new headquarters operates the state’s only U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-certified shellfish microbiology laboratory to ensure that the more than one million acres of shellfish growing areas throughout New York’s marine waters meet the stringent requirements of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP). The lab must complete FDA-approved proficiency testing twice per year to maintain its FDA certification and is evaluated by the FDA every three years for NSSP compliance and recertification.   

“On behalf of the of the Nissequogue River State Park Foundation, I welcome the DEC to the park and look forward to working with the DEC to build a meaningful long-term partnership that will help to create value for all the park constituents,” said John McQuaid, President, Nissequogue River State Park Foundation.   

Nissequogue River State Park connects to Sunken Meadow State Park, allowing visitors to explore 521 riverfront acres of trails, saltwater wetlands, and wildlife habitats. Located on the north shore of Long Island, the park overlooks the Nissequogue River and provides scenic views of the river and the Long Island Sound and provides valuable habitat to a variety of shore birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The park offers a canoe and kayak launch, fishing, birdwatching, interpretive signs, guided tours, and group tours by reservation. In addition to green building features, the new facility offers improved meeting spaces, staff workspaces, and laboratories. The facility also provides opportunities to expand DEC’s environmental education and I FISH NY programs, while enhancing joint initiatives with State Parks, such as I Love My Park Day, First Day Hikes, and Outdoors Day.   

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP - Did The DOD Weaponize Ticks With Lyme Disease

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

The U.S. House of Representatives has just passed a measure calling for a federal investigation into any link between the “possible weaponization of ticks” by the U.S. military and Lyme disease.

Several books and articles have found that there is such a link and have pointed to activities on Plum Island, a mile-and-a-half off Long Island’s Orient Point. Lyme disease is named for Old Lyme, Connecticut, 10 miles from Plum Island, where it was first identified.

The sponsor of the measure is Representative Chris Smith, a Republican in his 21^st term in the House and considered the dean of the New Jersey delegation in the House. Lyme disease has long been a focus; he is co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Lyme Disease Caucus.

His bill, in the form of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, was part of a package of amendments to the annual National Defense Authorization Act which passed the House by a vote of 360 to 66 on September 23. It has been sent to the U.S. Senate for its consideration.

This is the third year in a row such a measure introduced by Mr. Smith has passed in the House. But neither, in 2019 and 2020, received Senate approval. 

“Americans deserve the Truth: Did DOD Weaponize Ticks with Lyme Disease?” was the headline on September 22 in the Congressional Record as the Smith measure came before the House. The Congressional Record is the official account published by Congress of its proceedings.

The piece started with comments made by Mr. Smith: “Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of transparency and accountability my amendment directs the General Accountability Office, GAO, to probe whether the Department of Defense ever weaponized ticks with Lyme disease or any other dangerous pathogen.”

“For years,” it went on, “books and articles have been written credibly asserting that significant research at Fort Detrick,” an Army facility in Maryland, long headquarters for U.S. biological warfare activities, and “Plum Island, and elsewhere, was conducted to turn ticks into bioweapons.”

Mr. Smith cited a 2019 book, Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons by Stanford University science writer Kris Newby. The book “includes interviews with Dr. Willy Burgdorfer, the researcher who is credited with discovering Lyme disease,” he says. “It turns out that Dr. Burgdorfer was a bioweapons specialist. The interviews, combined with access to Dr. Burgdorfer’s file, reveal that he and other bioweapons specialists stuffed ticks with pathogens in a quest to cause severe disability, disease and death.”

“If the investigation concludes our government’s bioweapons program did not contribute to the proliferation of Lyme, we turn the page,” Mr. Smith’s speech concluded. “And if it did, hopefully this investigation and research will contribute to a cure.”

A 1982 book linking Plum Island to experiments with ticks and Lyme disease was The Belarus Secret: The Nazi Connection in America by John Loftus, an attorney who specialized in pursuing Nazis for the Office of Special Investigations of the U.S. Department of Justice. 

A 2004 book about the Plum Island Animal Disease Center—which became a national best-seller—Lab 257: The Disturbing Story of the Government’s Secret Germ Laboratory was authored by Michael Carroll, also an attorney, and made a similar connection. 

In 1993, Newsday ran an extensive article by investigative reporter John McDonald saying documents it obtained through the U.S. Freedom of Information Act declared the mission of the laboratory originally set up by the Army on Plum Island was to work on biological warfare to be directed against animals. The Newsday story began: “A 1950s military plan to cripple the Soviet economy by killing horses, cattle and swine called for making biological warfare weapons out of exotic animal diseases at a Plum Island laboratory, now-declassified Army records reveal.”

In 1995, then U.S. Representative Michael Forbes of Quogue made a surprise visit to the Plum Island Animal Disease Center to demand all records on experiments with ticks. He was accompanied by Mr. McDonald and me. Mr. Forbes represented Suffolk’s lst Congressional District. (He was a Republican later to switch to the Democratic Party.) The center’s then director, Dr. Harley Moon, under intensive questioning by Mr. Forbes, said that “we don’t have any paperwork on that.” Back in Washington, Mr. Forbes continued his pursuit but without success.

Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books.