(HAUPPAGUE, NY) Angela’s House, a local non-profit that assists families caring for children that are medically fragile in the community. Angela’s House held their holiday party in December  the medically frail children, siblings and their parents. The Hauppauge Venturing Youth Group of the Boy Scouts of America volunteered to help make the party a magical event. The photo of the groups shows them in their character costumes.

Local non-profit Angela’s House held their holiday party in December the medically frail children, siblings and their parents.

For more information about Angela’s House, please visit www.angelashouse.org  .  Also, please visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/angelashouse .

ABOUT ANGELA’S HOUSE:
Angela’s House is a 501 C3 non-profit organization that assists families caring for children with special health care needs that are medically fragile, chronically ill or suffering from a life threatening illness. The organization assist families caring for their children at home and for children that can no longer live at home we have Angela’s House. The Policastro family founded this agency 20 years ago following the tragic crisis they lived with their daughter Angela. This parent-based origin has become the approach and philosophy they apply to each family they assist.

(Sayville, NY) Suffolk County Legislator Bill Lindsay III recently appointed Sayville Chamber Past-President and Director, Kay Cameron, to the Suffolk County Downtown Revitalization Citizen’s Advisory Panel, making this the first appointment of Lindsay’s legislative career. Kay has served on this panel under the late Presiding Officer William J. Lindsay since 2006.

“Kay is a remarkable person who has fought to protect our most vital downtowns for the past eight years while also continuing the success of her own business in downtown Sayville,” said Legislator Lindsay III. “Kay’s economic insight and her passion to preserve and re-energize the culture of our Suffolk County communities have made her an ideal candidate for this post.”

Kay began her career in public service as a Registered Nurse, working in numerous hospitals until 1985. In 1982, she established her then part-time jewelry business with only five staffers. As her business, Kay Cameron Fine Jewelry, began to flourish, Kay solidified her roots by renting out 48 Main Street in the beautiful downtown of Sayville in 1987. Her family-operated business has flourished in the same downtown location for more than 25 years due to Kay’s keen business sense and extensive skill in jewelry retail and repair.

Kay and her colleagues on the Suffolk County Downtown Revitalization Citizen’s Advisory Panel have made significant progress in the preservation and expansion of downtowns throughout Suffolk County. The panel has played an integral part in economic development by recommending the creation of a grant program that has helped towns, villages and community organizations expand on their efforts to enhance their downtowns, attract visitors and shoppers into the area, and thereby stimulate economic activity in these important centers.

“Our downtowns are vital for sustainable economic growth and development in Suffolk County,” said Legislator Lindsay III. “Kay’s consistent commitment and advocacy towards revitalization will leave a mark on Long Island’s downtowns that will transcend generations and I thank her for her commitment to serve the residents of our county.”

No More Than 5% of New York’s Physicians Achieve This Designation

(Oceanside, NY) Stephen T. Onesti, M.D., F.A.C.S., chief, Division of Neurosurgery, South Nassau Communities Hospital, has been named a 2014 “New York Super Doctor^®.”  No more than 5% of physicians in the New York metro region have achieved this designation, which is given by Key Professional Media, a leading research and medical ranking organization.

Dr. Onesti, an attending neurosurgeon with Neurological Surgery, P.C. (NSPC), served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Brooklyn’s SUNY Downstate Health Sciences Center from 2003 to 2011.  Specializing in surgery of the spine, Dr. Onesti has published more than 70 peer review journal articles, book chapters and abstracts on spinal surgery and related topics. He has made numerous presentations at national and regional medical meetings, and he co-edited a book on degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine.

A resident of Bronxville, New York, Dr. Onesti is immediate past president of the New York State Neurosurgical Society and a past member of the board of directors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Nassau County Medical Society.  Dr. Onesti is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (F.A.C.S.).  His professional memberships include the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and the New York State Neurosurgical Society.  Among his many honors, Dr. Onesti was previously selected as a New York Super Doctor, and has been named a Castle Connolly Top Doctor: New York Metro Area and a Best Doctor in America.

According to Key Professional Media, in selecting physicians for Super Doctors, the publisher employs a rigorous multi-step process designed to identify physicians who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Super Doctors is a selective yet diverse listing of outstanding physicians, representing consumer-oriented medical specialties.

Key Professional Media invites doctors to nominate colleagues whom they know to be exceptional in their specified field. Physicians are asked to consider the following question: “If you needed medical care in one of the following specialties, which doctor would you choose?” Numerous safeguards are in place to prevent ballot manipulation. Physicians may not self-nominate.

Key Professional Media also searches medical databases, online sources, and publications for physicians who have attained certain credentials, honors or professional achievements. This process also includes physicians in less visible or highly specialized medical treatment areas.  Candidates are evaluated on 10 criteria of peer recognition and professional achievement.  Nominees are then grouped into specialties, and their nominations scored by a blue-ribbon panel of physicians from their respective specialties.

The nominees are awarded a final score based from nominations, research, and blue-ribbon panel review. Only the highest-scoring doctors are included on the Super Doctors list. The Super Doctors list consists of approximately 5% of the physicians within the respective state or region.

South Nassau® Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 435 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,000 employees.  Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services.  In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty and is the only hospital on Long Island with the Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery technologies.  South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons and is an accredited center of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Association and Quality Improvement Program. 

For more information, visit www.southnassau.org.

Drug antidote can prevent accidental overdose deaths

(Long Island, NY) New York State Senate Health Committee Chairman Kemp Hannon (R-Nassau) introduced legislation (Senate bill 6477) today to increase access to Naloxone, the drug-overdose antidote. If timely administered, Naloxone can prevent an overdose death. “It is simple,” said Senator Hannon, “ensuring drug abusers, their family and friends can access Naloxone will save lives.”

Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, Executive Director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD) agrees. “Drug overdoses are completely preventable and too many families on Long Island and statewide are losing a race against time as they struggle to find help for their addicted loved ones. Too many young people never make it through the doors of a treatment center.”

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that every 19 minutes, one person dies from an accidental overdose from prescription drug abuse. In an effort to curb this prescription drug crisis, the legislature enacted the seminal I-STOP legislation in 2012. Due to the success of I-STOP, street access to controlled substances has decline. One unfortunate side effect of this is that drug abusers are turning to other drugs such as heroin, as now the cheaper alternative to prescription drugs.

In 2011, the state enacted good Samaritan protections for witnesses and victims of overdoses. By removing the threat of prosecution, this measure encourages witnesses of an overdose to call 911 before it becomes deadly. “It has been estimated that heroin addiction on Long Island has increased nearly fourfold since 2011. This alarming statistic demonstrates the need for a comprehensive approach to addressing the state’s drug crisis. Ensuring families have access to Naloxone is the next necessary step” said Hannon.

“Overdose prevention programs on Long Island are reaching only a fraction of those who need access to this life-saving drug and in face of a burgeoning opiate crisis, we should be using every tool at our disposal to keep people alive, treat their disease and help them down a path of recovery,” said Reynolds. “We at LICADD commend Senator Hannon for his continued commitment to public health and thoughtful, pragmatic leadership.”

Naloxone, which has no effect on individuals that do not have opioids in their system, is currently available in Nassau County and Suffolk County through EMT programs. In Nassau County EMTs administer Naloxone through their police department’s ambulance service. “Current programs equipping EMTs with Naloxone have proven successful, but more can be done. We have parents in line for Naloxone training programs, but not enough health care practitioners prescribing Naloxone to meet the demand” said Hannon.

Hannon’s legislation would address this by allowing authorized health care professionals to issue non-patient specific orders to certified training programs, who could then distribute the Naloxone kits to individuals upon completion of the training program. “I don’t see a downside here, giving people access to Naloxone will enable them to save their loved ones from tragic accidental overdose deaths.”

Legislation raises income cap for those applying for STAR exemption

(Long Island, NY) Assemblyman Michael Montesano (R,I,C-Glen Head) is co-sponsoring legislation that would raise the income cap for senior citizens applying for Enhanced STAR exemptions. Assembly bill 7793, if passed, would help make home ownership more affordable for seniors by rectifying the fact that the STAR program has not been adjusted for cost-of-living increases over the years.

“Since many of our senior citizens live on fixed incomes, annual rises in property taxes and cost-of-living can create an untenable situation,” said Montesano. “By increasing the income cap for Enhanced STAR benefits, we can provide further tax relief for seniors and help them afford to stay in the homes they have lived and raised a family in for years to come.”

(West Islip, NY) Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center will be hosting “Powerful Tools for Caregivers”, a six-week course unique to the Long Island region. Classes will meet on consecutive Wednesdays from March 19 to April 23, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm in the hospital’s Administrative Conference Room. This series gives caregivers the skills and confidence to better manage their own well-being, while assisting loved ones.

Caregivers will be taught how to reduce stress, improve self-confidence, better communicate feelings and locate helpful resources. Attendees will also learn how to increase their ability to make tough decisions and balance their lives.

For those who would like to attend “Powerful Tools for Caregivers”, a $25 donation is suggested to help defray the cost of The Caregiver Helpbook but is not required to attend class. Preregistration is required. Please call Good Samaritan’s Pastoral Care Department at (631) 376-4444 for more information and to register.

Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center is a 537-bed (including 100 nursing home beds), voluntary, not-for-profit hospital located in West Islip. The medical center, which has more than 3,500 employees and 900 physicians on staff, had nearly 28,000 patient admissions and nearly 100,000 emergency department visits in 2012. Good Samaritan is a member of Catholic Health Services of Long Island. Visit the website at www.good-samaritan-hospital.org.

The medical center supplies residents with the tools necessary to maintain good health. This includes community lectures, screenings, health fairs and other community programs and services.

(Albany) The following statement is from Peter Iwanowicz, executive director of Environmental Advocates of New York, concerning today’s assessment by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis which finds outdated and inefficient power plants cost too much to run:

“The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis report underscores that New York State cannot be wedded to the dirty ways of the past to power its economy and way of life. The report focused on the economic health of the Huntley Generating Station near Buffalo. It found that the price of power, the high cost of coal and consumers’ own efforts to become less wasteful will likely be the death knell of this plant.

“As this report shows, we can no longer afford the price of dirty power, the impacts it has on our environment, or the destruction it has caused to our health. Retiring this plant is in the best interest of ratepayers and it will provide a great needed breath of fresh air for those living near the plant. As the community grapples with the next steps, we now have the opportunity to push for a smarter, cleaner and healthier way to generate and transmit power. The Western New York community can truly lead the way forward.”

Cocaine And Prescription Pills Transported From New York City, Boston And Florida; Investigation Also Uncovers Illegal Animal Fighting Operation; Schneiderman: Drug Trafficking Rings Infect Our Neighborhoods And Tear Apart Our Communities

(BUFFALO) Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and New York State Police Superintendent Joseph A. D’Amico announced today the arrest and indictment of 40 people for operating two different drug trafficking rings that operated throughout Erie, Genesee and Niagara counties. Through parallel investigations that included undercover operations, GPS tracking devices and hundreds of hours of covert surveillance, investigators seized more than $100,000 in cocaine along with large quantities of prescription pills and cash. One of the investigations also led to the discovery of bi-monthly cockfights on an Indian reservation in Niagara County.

“Drug trafficking rings like these infect our neighborhoods and tear apart our communities,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “Today’s arrests strike a significant blow to the drug trade across Western New York. My office, with our strong collaboration with law enforcement partners, will fight to make our communities safer by rooting out large-scale narcotics trafficking networks.”

“It is through the combined efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement that these dangerous individuals are now off our streets and out of our communities,” NYSP Superintendent Joseph D’Amico said. “We worked together identifying these dealers, pinpointing their drug activity and shutting down their enterprises. We remain committed to our partnership with the New York State Attorney General’s Office and other law enforcement agencies to continue to intercept this type of illegal activity and the damage it does to our communities.”

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Acting SAC James J. Hunt said, “The members of this cocaine and crack cocaine distribution crew sold this poison throughout the Niagara Falls area and to traffickers supplying the Tonawanda Indian Reservation, shattering the quality of life along the way. Today’s arrests have put an end to their drug network, arresting crew members at all levels; those who sold crack cocaine and cocaine on the streets, to the resellers, to the suppliers who transported the drugs from Florida to Buffalo concealed in soles of shoes. I commend the dedication and teamwork of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners throughout this investigation.”

As part of a multi-agency investigation code-named Operation Lockport, state and local law enforcement agents led by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) conducted an 18-month-long operation. Two indictments, charging more than 160 combined counts and 25 people, were unsealed in Erie County Supreme Court today.

The investigation led to the seizure of approximately two kilograms of cocaine and more than $60,000 in cash. Members of the narcotics distribution organization would transport the cocaine from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to the City of Niagara Falls.

Investigators believe that the suspects would pack cocaine into the soles and heels of doctored pairs of shoes while transporting it from Florida to New York and then cut up the shoes once in Buffalo to extract it. The shoes, along with box cutters, razor blades and utility knives, were found in a vehicle belonging to Vincent Mundy, of Fort Lauderdale, who was arrested this morning.

The cocaine was subsequently sold to Jermaine Cox and Lamar Johnson of Niagara County and Geraldine Horsefall of Genesee County, all of whom acted as the linchpins of the distribution network. The suspects then resold the cocaine to customers residing in Erie County and on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation.

Geraldine Horsefall, who was assisted in these sales by her children, was also the focal point of a prescription pain pill distribution network. She obtained hydrocodone pills from some of her co-defendants and resold them to individuals in Genesee and Erie Counties. The Attorney General’s Office is conducting a separate investigation into how these prescription pills were originally obtained.

Several other agencies assisted in this investigation, including the New York State Police, the Niagara Falls Police Department, the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Genesee County Drug Task Force. Attorney General Schneiderman commends and thanks these agencies for their work.

In the second investigation, code-named Operation TGIF, the Attorney General’s OCTF and the New York State Police, with the assistance of the Buffalo Police Department, conducted an investigation that recovered nearly 700 grams of cocaine. The suspects in this case arranged to have the cocaine transported to Buffalo from New York City and the Boston area, where it was sold to Lucian Pitre and Juan Fermin, of Buffalo, and Franklin Lara, of the Dominican Republic. These three men, the linchpins of the distribution network, resold it to customers in Erie County. This indictment, also unsealed today in Erie County Supreme Court, charges 15 people with more than 80 counts.

During the course of Operation TGIF, investigators discovered that members of this drug network attended regular cockfights on the Tuscarora Indian Reservation. Undercover investigators observed hundreds of cockfights, including many at which the animals were killed, as well as apparatus, including spurs and razor blades that were affixed to the birds’ legs, tools used to transport or bury the animals and a board listing matchups. Bets were placed on each fight, both between the owners of the birds and between members of the assembled crowd. The owners of the property collected an admission fee from each participant, and a referee was paid per fight. Matthew Dubuc, on whose property the fights occurred, has been charged with in connection with the fighting operation.

“We continue to reduce crime in the city of Buffalo.Since 2006 overall crime is down 25% and its operations like this that have helped play a key role in the reduction in crime,” said Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown. “I want to thank Attorney General Schneiderman and the State Police for this effort and their continued cooperation and collaboration when it comes to public safety and reducing crime IN Buffalo and Western New York. Taking down two major drug trafficking rings sends a very strong message from the Attorney General.”

“I would like to thank Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and New York State Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico for working to keep our neighborhoods safe,” said Mayor Paul Dyster of the City of Niagara Falls. “Today, we’re witnessing the results of different law enforcement agencies coming together and sending a message that narcotics have no place in our community. I look forward to continued collaboration between the Attorney General’s Office, the State Police and the City of Niagara Falls Police Department.”

“The Niagara Falls Police Department is committed to keeping drug dealers and drug traffickers off our streets,” said Bryan DalPorto, Superintendent of the Niagara Falls Police Department. “We were proud to play a role in this investigation – which focused on a large network of illegal activities – and we’re confident that the results will have a very positive impact on our city.”

The Operation Lockport case is being prosecuted by Assistant Deputy Attorney General Kevin J. Kane; the Operation TGIF case is being prosecuted by Assistant Deputy Attorneys General Patricia Carrington and Thomas Schoellkopf. Both cases are supervised by Deputy Attorney General Peri Alyse Kadanoff, under the overall supervision of Executive Deputy Attorney General Kelly Donovan.

Below is a list of suspects charged in connection with today’s indictments.

Charged in connection with Operation Lockport are:

• GERALDINE HORSEFALL, 59, of Pembroke, NY
• ARYLYN HORSEFALL, 33, of Pembroke, NY
• DENNIS KNUEPPEL, 48, of Amherst, NY
• MICHELLE KING, 42, of Akron, NY
• LORI SCHWAB, 33, of Corfu, NY
• DENISE JENNER, 54, of Akron, NY
• CHRISTY WHITE, 38, of Akron, NY
• RENEE DYLAG, 40, of Akron, NY
• DAVID MILKS, 39, of Akron, NY
• GLORIA SHELL, 70, of Buffalo, NY
• ROY VICTOR, 55, of Holland, NY
• ANTHONY BLACKMAN, 32, of Elmira, NY
• RUSSELL BLACKMAN, 28, of Elmira, NY
• JERMAINE COX, 35, of Niagara Falls, NY
• MARQUITTA COX, 38, of Niagara Falls, NY
• ORIE DOCTOR, 41, of Tonawanda Indian reservation
• WILLIAM GRAHAM, 55, of Niagara Falls, NY
• KEVIN KING, 39, of Niagara Falls, NY
• LAMAR JOHNSON, 34, of Lewiston, NY
• STEPHANIE LOMBARDO, 54, of Lewiston, NY
• VINCENTE MUNDY, 59, of Fort Lauderdale, FL
• DURVAL PARKER, 37, of Saint Catherine, Jamaica
• ERIC PARKER, 38, Pembroke, NY
• JAMES SCHMAHL, 34, of Niagara Falls, NY
• COCO SPENCER, age 30, Lockport NY

Charged in connection with Operation TGIF are:

• JONATHAN PEREZ a/k/a Luis Sanchez-Cruz, 37, of New York, NY
• FRANKLIN LARA, a/k/a Jose Rivera Colon, a/k/a Benny Rodriguez, 35, of the Dominican Republic
• LUCIANO PITRE, 36, of Buffalo, NY
• CARMEN PITRE, 45, of Buffalo, NY
• OSCAR RUIZ, 49, of Cheektowaga, NY
• CARMEN SALCEDO, 37, of Lawrence, MA
• ANGEL CENTENO, 47, of Buffalo, NY
• JUAN FERMIN, 48, of Buffalo, NY
• ANABEL SANCHEZ, 42 of Buffalo, NY
• JUAN SANTIAGO, 69, of Buffalo, NY
• CHRISTIAN CUADRADO, a/k/a Christian Rodriguez, 32, of Buffalo, NY
• MATTHEW DUBUC, 42, of Sanborn, NY
• ANTHONY DEJAMES, 32, of Buffalo, NY
• PAUL SETLOCK, 37, of Buffalo, NY
• JASON WOOLLEY, 45, of Boston, NY

The charges against the defendants are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

(Port Washington, NY) With winter in full swing, it is a sure bet that Long Islanders will continue to see our share of snowfall this season. While many people are concerned with keeping the roadways clear and shoveling out their cars, we must not forget to keep local area fire hydrants clear from snow.

The Port Washington Water District is asking local residents to keep an eye on any fire hydrants that may become buried in the wake of a plow. At times snow plows blanket many of the District’s 1,200 plus fire hydrants, making it nearly impossible to locate them quickly in emergency situations.

In the event of a fire, precious time is lost when firefighters have to locate and shovel out fire hydrants before hooking up to them. Port Washington Water District Commissioner Peter Meyer commented, “It’s important to keep the fire hydrant closest to your residence or business clear of snow with an approximate radius of three feet around each hydrant. Consumers should also be extremely careful and aware of vehicle traffic when shoveling snow.”

Meteorologists from the weather service are warning us of additional snowstorms this season. If you cannot move the snow away from a hydrant on your own, please contact Port Washington Water District at (516) 767-0171 and service crew will respond promptly to assist.

For more information about Port Washington Water District, contact Port Washington Water District Superintendent Italo Vacchio by phone, (516) 767-0171, visit the District’s office at 38 Sandy Hollow Road in Port Washington, NY 11050, or visit its Website: www.pwwd.org.

(Long Island, NY) The New York State Department of Labor today released preliminary local area unemployment rates for December 2013, which are calculated following procedures prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state’s unemployment rate relies in part on the results of a telephone survey of 3,100 households (out of more than 7 million) in New York State.

The state’s private sector job count increased by 109,900 from December 2012 to December 2013. As reported last week, the state’s unemployment rate was 7.1% in December 2013. The economy added 10,400 private sector jobs in December 2013, bringing the state’s job count to a record high of 7,503,700.

Local Area Unemployment Rates* (%), December 2012 and December 2013
(not seasonally adjusted)

*Data are preliminary and subject to change
	December 2013*	December 2012
Upstate NY (52-co. area)	6.4	8.4
Metro Areas	6.2	8.1
Albany-Schenectady-Troy	5.4	7.3
Binghamton	6.9	8.8
Buffalo-Niagara Falls	6.5	8.4
Elmira	6.9	8.9
Glens Falls	7.0	9.1
Ithaca	4.1	5.5
Kingston	6.5	8.6
Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown	5.9	7.8
Rochester	6.1	8.0
Syracuse	6.5	8.5
Utica-Rome	6.8	8.9
Non-metro Counties	7.2	9.3
Downstate NY (10-co. area)	6.7	8.2
New York City	7.5	8.8
Suburban Counties	5.1	7.0
Nassau-Suffolk	5.1	7.1
Putnam-Rockland-Westchester	5.1	6.9

The data in the preceding table are not seasonally adjusted, which means they reflect seasonal influences (e.g., holiday and summer hires). Therefore, the most valid comparisons with this type of data are year-to-year comparisons of the same month; for example, December 2012 versus December 2013.

Unemployment rate highlights in December 2013:

Labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, for New York and every other state are based on statistical regression models specified by the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These are the most up-to-date estimates of persons employed and unemployed by place of residence. Estimates are available for New York State, labor market regions, metropolitan areas, counties, and municipalities of at least 25,000.

See State and Area Unemployment Rates (opens in new window)
See Unemployment Rate Map (opens in new window)
See Jobs and Unemployment Fact Sheet (opens in new window)