(Long Island, NY) Recently Legislators Bill Lindsay III (8^th District) and Rob Calarco (7^th District) honored and thanked Kathy Heinlein of Bayport for her outstanding service as the President of the Bayport-Blue Point Chamber of Commerce.

Pictured L to R: Legislator Rob Calarco (7th District), Bayport-Blue Point Chamber President Kathy Heinlein, and Legislator Bill Lindsay III (8th District). Photo Credit: Suffolk County.

In addition to serving as President of the Bayport-Blue Point Chamber of Commerce from 2013-2015, Kathy has been greatly involved in her community, serving as: President of the Captree Boatman’s Association, Coordinator of the Bayport Blue-Point Community Festival, Coordinator of the Bayport Blue-Point Senior Citizen Dinner, Member of the School Board, and Member of the Bayport Blue-Point St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee.

“As the leader of the Chamber of Commerce, Kathy has been a strong advocate and a valuable asset for the residents and businesses within Bayport and Blue Point,” said Legislator Bill Lindsay III. “I cannot thank Kathy enough for her keen focus on economic and social development and her unwavering dedication to our community.”

“Kathy has been an outstanding asset to the Bayport-Blue Point Chamber of Commerce,” said Legislator Rob Calarco.  “Her leadership, organizational skills, and tireless energy has benefitted both the Chamber and the community.  We will miss Kathy and I thank her tremendously for her service.”

(Long Island, NY) Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today issued the following statement on the Second Circuit’s decision affirming United States District Judge Denise Cote’s finding that Apple orchestrated a conspiracy among publishers to raise the price of E-books:

“The Court’s decision shows that even the biggest, most powerful companies in the world must play by the same rules as everyone else. This victory takes us a major step toward recovering $400 million that Apple illegally overcharged E-book readers. We will continue to work with our colleagues in other states to ensure that all companies compete fairly with the knowledge that no one is above the law.”

The E-book antitrust cases involved lawsuits brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, 33 states and territories, as well as a related class action. New York, together with Texas and Connecticut, played a leading role in the state A.G. cases during the damages phase of the litigation.

In the damages phase of the case, 33 states and territories, plus private counsel in a related class action, had negotiated a settlement under which the amount that Apple must pay E-book consumers was contingent on what happened in Apple’s appeal of Judge Cote’s finding of liability. If this affirmance becomes final, consumers nationwide will receive $400 million restitution. New York consumers are expected to receive approximately seven percent, or about $28 million, of that amount.

Any amount received by consumers pursuant to the settlement with Apple will be in addition to those amounts already recovered from several E-book publishers. E-book purchasers nationwide have already received compensation from $166 million in settlement funds paid by the five publishers involved in the conspiracy – Penguin Group (USA), Inc. (now part of Penguin Random House); Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC d/b/a Macmillan; Hachette Book Group Inc.; HarperCollins Publishers LLC, and Simon & Schuster Inc. Many E-book consumers received these funds through automatic credits sent by Amazon and other E-book retailers.

For New York, this matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Bob Hubbard and Linda Gargiulo; Antitrust Bureau Chief Eric Stock, and Executive Deputy Attorney General Karla G. Sanchez; as well as Andrew Amend, Steven Wu, and New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood.

(Long Island, NY) Peconic Landing is excited to announce the launch of a new community outreach effort it calls “Art For Lunch.” An extension of its art accessibility program, Peconic Landing is inviting the public to visit its sculpture garden during lunch hours Monday through Thursday all summer long. Guests are encouraged to pack a picnic, stop in and enjoy its interactive sculpture garden tour featuring 18 different works of art displayed across campus.

Made possible by a newly incorporated welcome kiosk, Peconic Landing now has an official starting point for the tour where visitors will find the directives needed to take advantage of its interactive component. Visitors can also find copies of a map of the grounds at this location. Prior to the launch of “Art for Lunch,” visitors had minimal access to information about the garden without the help of a personal guide.

Peconic Landing is excited to announce the launch of a new community outreach effort it calls “Art For Lunch.” Photo Credit: Peconic Landing.

“The addition of this new technology streamlines the tour, making it possible to open it up to the greater community at their leisure,” said Robert J. Syron, president/CEO of Peconic Landing.  “Feel free to sit down and enjoy lunch while taking in the sculptures scattered across campus.”

The tour is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting July 1 through October. Guests are invited to bring their own lunch and are asked to park at Brecknock Hall where the welcome kiosk is located. Press the button on the new, solar-powered kiosk and the tour will begin.

An extension of its art accessibility program, Peconic Landing is inviting the public to visit its sculpture garden during lunch hours Monday through Thursday all summer long. Photo Credit: Peconic Landing.

The kiosk is the newest addition to Peconic Landing’s “Art Without Barriers,” a program designed to ensure people with vision loss have the opportunity to enjoy art. Made possible through grant funding provided by the Mattituck Lions Club, the tour features descriptive narration available via a free smartphone download. The descriptive audio was produced using standards developed by the American Foundation for the Blind. Visitors can listen to an audio depiction of individual pieces and are invited to touch the sculptures to get a sense of their texture and design. Braille catalogs are also available and for those without smartphones, iPods are available upon request.

This interactive technology recently earned Peconic Landing the 2015 LeadingAge New York Innovation of the Year Award, which was presented to the organization July 9 by its president/CEO James W. Clyne, Jr.

Guests are encouraged to pack a picnic, stop in and enjoy its interactive sculpture garden tour featuring 18 different works of art displayed across campus. Photo Credit: Peconic Landing.

The official “Art for Lunch” kick-off tour took place on June 29 when more than 40 guests from Suffolk Independent Living Organization and the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind embarked on the tour, many of them for the first time. Frank Krotschinsky, director of Suffolk County’s Office for People with Disabilities, was in attendance as well as sculpture artist Robert Strimban who was also on hand to describe his inspiration behind his piece entitled “Solitude.”

“The exhibit is one of the few that allows guests to reach out and touch the art,” said Dominic Antignano, Peconic Landing’s cultural arts curator. “For those with a visual or hearing impairment, it takes the descriptive audio experience to the next level. Art is not just a visual experience.”

Peconic Landing will also be featuring a new addition to the garden knows as “Wildebeests,” which were recently donated to the organization from a private collection. All of the pieces on display were created by local and internationally recognized sculptors. Peconic Landing is proud to feature these works of art across campus.

Audio narratives are available as free downloads to any smartphone from Peconic Landing’s own iTunes channel. For more information, to reserve an iPod or to schedule personal guided tours please contact Dominic Antignano at (631) 477-3800 ext. 229.

Peconic Landing is an innovative, not-for-profit CCAC-CARF-accredited continuing care retirement community (CCRC) located on the waterfront in Greenport, N.Y., on the North Fork of Long Island. Among its long list of achievements, Peconic Landing is the only equity-based LifeCare community in the state of New York. It is a member of LeadingAge and LeadingAge New York and embraces a healthy, active lifestyle infused with a sense of exploration, creativity and generosity of spirit.

(Long Island, NY) On July 11 and 12, the First Presbyterian Church of Southold, New York will celebrate its 375th year anniversary, as well as the founding of the town of Southold. Both events occurred in 1640, when the Rev. John Young and his congregation arrived from New Haven, Ct, to found the first settlement and congregation on Long Island.  The celebration will feature an art and artisan fair. (Information found here: http://www.fpcsouthold.org/.)

The event will also present the premiere performance of a poem commissioned by the Church, written and performed by spoken word poet, Susan Dingle, the founder of Poetry Street and co-author of The Poetry of Well-Being. Dingle is also a descendent of one of the original Southold settlers.

“It is an honor to be asked to represent the Church’s vision of its calling today from the perspective of its history,” says Dingle, a member and Deacon of FPS. In researching the history of the church, she found that, except for the minutes of the Ladies Sewing Society in 1866, women didn’t have a voice. It seems poetic and fitting that part of the church’s celebration will include the sewing of a communion table cloth for family Sunday.

The poem combines images of the church’s history, such as the iron triangle first used to call settlers to worship, with images and experience of the church’s contemporary calling. The old triangle will ring once again to open the event at 11a.m. and there will be a tour of the old burying ground cemetery.

Susan Dingle has performed her poetry at the National Museum of the Marines in Quantico, Va., at Calverton National Cemetery, Brick Presbyterian Church of NYC and First Baptist Church of Riverhead, as well as at the Nyorican Poets Café, and elsewhere on Long Island. A graduate of the Program for Writers at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Susan was published in the American Poetry Review, Partisan Review, Ohio Review, Feminist Studies, and audit/poetry.  She is also a therapist in private practice, bringing creative writing to survivors of trauma and substance abuse, and performing her one-woman show about her recovery for audiences in the treatment community and beyond. She is available for interview.

(Long Island, NY) A juried art show in Port Jefferson this summer that will benefit the Fortunato Breast Health Center will feature works inspired by the personal transformation, hope, love, fear, loss and victory associated with breast cancer.

John T. Mather Memorial Hospital is teaming up with the North Shore Art Guild, the Village of Port Jefferson and the Port Jefferson Conservancy to present “Artists United Against Breast Cancer”, a juried art show at the Port Jefferson Village Center from August 30, 2015 to Saturday, October 31, 2015.

The show will have as its theme “Victors of Survival, A Celebration of the Warrior Within Each of Us”.

“Victors of Survival is not just about breast cancer. It’s about personal transformation, the person you become having faced the experience,” said Mac Titmus, Vice President of the Art Guild and coordinator of the show. “It’s about the emergence of the warrior within you, and the struggle that brings it forth. It’s about you, the artist, and how you choose to transform that passion into expression.”

Artists do not need to be a cancer survivor or family member of a survivor to participate. This exhibition is open to all visual artists. Deadline for applications is July 31 at noon. More information and application at http://northshoreartguild.com/BreastCancer.html.

About the North Shore Art Guild
The North Shore Art Guild (NSAG) was established in 1991 by dedicated artists who endeavored to promote the arts and inspire the community. By showcasing seasoned artists and introducing new and upcoming members to the community, NSAG’s membership has grown to nearly 150 artists, all working in various mediums.

NSAG is funded through membership dues, exhibitions and sponsors who believe in fostering public interest in the arts. Its aim is to seek new venues and sponsors in an effort to develop, provide and maintain a professional visual arts presence. 

More information is at http://northshoreartguild.com/.

About Mather Hospital
John T. Mather Memorial Hospital is an accredited 248-bed, non-profit community teaching hospital dedicated to providing a wide spectrum of high quality healthcare services to Suffolk County residents, showing compassion and respect and treating each patient in the manner we would wish for our loved ones. Mather has earned the prestigious Magnet® recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), which recognizes healthcare organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Mather also has received seven consecutive top “A” ratings from The Leapfrog Group for patient safety, and was ranked among the top hospitals in New York State by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals.

For further information about Mather Hospital, visit www.matherhospital.org or “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/matherhospital.

(Long Island, NY) The Long Island Music Hall of Fame has announced the awarding of four student scholarships to graduating Long Island, Brooklyn and Queens high school students who will be pursuing college music studies in the 2015-16 academic year.

“Long Island Music Hall of Fame is honored to have the opportunity to assist in the education of high school seniors who are pursuing a future in music,” said LIMHof Education Chairman, Tom Needham.

The awardees are:

Ethan Fields – 2015 graduate of Islip High School – French horn and voice. He has participated in NYSSMA all state groups, including the vocal jazz ensemble in 2013, symphonic band in 2014 and the All Eastern symphonic band in 2015. He’s also been a member of Metropolitan Youth Orchestra and participated in all school-based music groups as well.  Ethan will be attending SUNY Fredonia College in the fall for Music Composition and Sound.

He says of himself, “Overall, my career goal is to become both a composer and a sound technician. I would love to write music for performance and media. This would allow me to be surrounded by music and musicians constantly and be up to date on everything that happens in the music world.”

Crystal Kim – 2015 graduate of Plainview- Old Bethpage JFK High School – cello. She was the principal cello chair of the NAfME All-National Honors Orchestra in Nashville, the second chair of All-Eastern Music Conference in Providence and was a member of the New York All-State Symphony Orchestra. She was named one of 20 Newsday Scholar –Artists.

She said, “People always ask me why I want to do music rather than pursue an academic career in science or math. Music seems to be just about the most difficult of fields out there because there is never a right answer. There are so many interpretations of the same pieces so they can be right or wrong depending on what each performer thinks. It is up to them to decide which one is the correct answer. For me, this is a thrilling challenge. Although it is not easy to put myself under the spotlight and wait to be criticized, but I just can’t wait for the moment when I am on stage and I can play effortlessly and still let out a rich and full sound from my instrument….I plan to become a cellist in a major orchestra upon graduation….”

Sarah Miller – 2015 graduate of Locust Valley High School– cello and piano. She was an alternate in the 2013 All-State Orchestra and is a 2014-15 LI Arts Alliance Scholar Artist Award of Merit winner. She attends the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division and serves as principal cellist with the Manhattan Youth Orchestra. She has performed at Lincoln Center in the 31^st Annual Young Musicians Concert where she presented Handel-Halvorsen’s Passacaglia from memory.

Her student statement reads, “Next year I will be attending the Cleveland Institute of Music in order to pursue my dreams of becoming a professional cellist. Seeking a BA in Cello Music performance…aiming to attend a top school to earn a Master’s degree as well. My main goal is to become a performer who makes an impression on audiences that changes their outlook on music.”

Patrick Wilhelm – 2015 graduate of Locust valley High School – vocalist. He studied at the Julliard Pre-College Division during the 2014-15 academic year. He has received a grant from the George London Foundation and was accepted as one of 14 new freshmen to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he’ll receive a full academic scholarship. He’ll study this Summer with Dalton Baldwin in southern France.

He says, “I have been passionate about opera singing for several years and have come to the conclusion that I want to achieve two key goals from a career in professional singing. At a more macro level, these goals include a revitalization and re-installation of “antique” music into regular repertoire. Then on a more personal level, I would like to live a life where I am able to financially support myself doing what I love and share my passion with others. (I) perform baroque music (and am) seeking a career in music performance.”

Long Island Music Hall of Fame (LIMHoF) is a 501(c)(3) museum organization dedicated to the idea that Long Island’s musical heritage is an important resource to be celebrated and preserved for future generations.  Since 2010, it has awarded nearly $20,000 in scholarships to individual music students, non-profit music organizations and selected members of area youth orchestras. In 2013, a special scholarship was awarded to a selected student at Hofstra University. Visit them at http://www.limusichalloffame.org/.

For more information about the Long Island Music Hall of Fame and its scholarship program, contact LIMHoF Executive Director Joseph Jankowski at 516-938-1626 or info@limusichalloffame.org.

Policy Changes Will Help Address the Needs of Unbanked and Underbanked Communities

(Long Island, NY) Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced that JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. has committed to modifying its policies to permit consumers greater access to mainstream financial services. Chase has modified the procedures it uses to screen consumers who apply for checking accounts, thereby permitting more consumers to open accounts. Chase, which offers the option of a prepaid debit card, known as the Liquid Card, to consumers who do not qualify for a checking account, will also allow those consumers to pay bills online or have Chase mail checks for them at no additional charge. These changes will enable card users to pay their rent, utilities, and other bills without having to resort to high-cost alternative financial services like check-cashing outlets and money transmitters.

“It is critical that low-income Americans—and New Yorkers in particular—have access to mainstream banking services,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “These new actions on the part of Chase Bank will help expand access to low-cost financial services for consumers across the state. I look forward to working with additional banks to help consumers avoid financial services laden with fees and other penalties.”

The commitment by Chase comes as part of an initiative launched by the Attorney General in 2013 to expand access to mainstream banking for unbanked and underbanked communities. In earlier agreements with the Attorney General, three major banks—Citibank, Capital One, and Santander—agreed to overhaul their use of ChexSystems, a consumer-reporting agency that screens people seeking to open checking or savings accounts. Such databases disproportionately affect lower-income Americans, often punishing them for relatively small financial errors. As a result, many consumers must resort to alternative banking services to carry out basic financial transactions like cashing payroll checks and paying bills—services that cost them hundreds, if not thousands of dollars each year in extra fees. Those agreements, like today’s commitment by Chase, expanded the array of mainstream financial services available to consumers.

Studies show that more than 3 million New York households are either “unbanked,” meaning that no family member has a bank account, or are “underbanked,” meaning that they have a bank account but also rely on high-cost alternative financial services.

Chase uses a consumer-reporting agency called Early Warning Systems to screen consumers who apply for checking accounts. Pursuant to the Attorney General’s initiative, Chase has modified its screening procedures to further expand access to checking accounts for certain consumers who have resolved or paid off prior accounts that were overdrawn or who were unable to pay back their prior accounts because of a previous bankruptcy. Consumers who do not qualify for a checking account are generally not rejected outright but instead are offered the option of opening a Liquid Card account. Customers who maintain their Liquid Card accounts in good standing for six months are then permitted to open a conventional checking account.

Chase has committed to making changes to the Liquid Card by the fourth quarter of 2015. Those changes will permit consumers to pay bills and mail checks at no additional cost.

This matter is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Melvin Goldberg of the Consumer Frauds Bureau and Special Counsel Jessica Attie of the Civil Rights Bureau. The Civil Rights Bureau, led by Chief Kristen Clarke, is part of the Division of Social Justice, which is led by Executive Deputy Attorney General for Social Justice Alvin Bragg. The Consumer Frauds Bureau, led by Chief Jane M. Azia, is part of the Division of Economic Justice headed by Executive Deputy Attorney General Karla G. Sanchez.

(Long Island, NY) Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify the man who stole electronics from a Setauket store.

A man entered Walmart, located at 3990 Nesconset Highway, placed more than $600 worth of electronics in a cart and left the store without paying on May 31 at approximately 1:25 p.m. When confronted in the parking lot by a store employee, the man fled the scene on foot and the merchandise was recovered.

Suffolk County Police are seeking the public’s help to identify the man who stole electronics from a Setauket store. Photo Credit: SCPD.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

(Long Island, NY) The Third Squad reports the details of a Robbery which occurred on Monday, June 29, 2015 at 9:01 P.M. in Great Neck.

According to detectives, a male victim, 54 was approached in a parking lot by two male black suspects wearing hooded sweatshirts and masks covering their faces. One of the suspects pointed a black handgun at the victim and demanded his watch.

Nassau County Police reports the details of a Robbery which occurred on Monday, June 29, in Great Neck. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle.

The victim complied giving the suspect the watch before the suspects fled on foot westbound through the rear parking lot of the building. No injuries were reported.

Detectives ask anyone with information about this incident to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.

(Long Island, NY) Major Case Bureau detectives are investigating a Bank Robbery that occurred on Monday, June 29, 2015 at 5:44 P.M. in Hicksville.

According to detectives, a male black suspect entered the Chase Bank, located at 284 N. Broadway, and approached a teller window. He produced a demand note and verbally threatened the use of a firearm. The teller complied giving the suspect an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect was last seen on foot, southbound on N. Broadway. There were five employees present at the time. No injuries were reported.

Nassau County Police are investigating a Bank Robbery that occurred on Monday, June 29, in Hicksville. Photo Credit: NCPD.

The suspect is described as 25 years of age, 5’ 6” tall, medium complexion with a thin build wearing sunglasses, a black baseball cap with a white NY, a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

A male black suspect entered Chase Bank, produced a demand note and verbally threatened the use of a firearm. The suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. Photo Credit: NCPD.

Detectives believe this to be the same suspect from a bank robbery which occurred on Saturday, June 27, 2015 in Rockville Centre and request anyone with information regarding this incident to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.