Letters to the Editor: A thank-you note
Aquebogue
A thank-you note
I want to thank Kasandra Watkins-Schaeffer and Jeff Schaeffer, owners of Mugs on Main in Riverhead, for allowing me to hold an open mic night for writers the fourth Thursday of every month from 6 to 7 p.m., beginning Thursday, April 24. In a fun and relaxed environment, writers can share their work in a supportive setting. All are welcome, from beginners to seasoned published authors.
Frank Petrignani
Founder, Well Spoken Writers Club
Cutchogue
A sinister scam
Southold Town and its Police Department have done a great job of raising awareness about scammers who prey on our senior community. One of the most sinister, and potentially costly, of these scams is to target the homeowner deed/title so that the perpetrator can falsely file to obtain a mortgage and a pile of cash. Obviously, this creates a financial mess for the homeowner and generally requires costly professional help and lots of time to correct.
As residents of Suffolk County, we are fortunate to have a free government-provided tool that helps to provide awareness of newly recorded filings against our property. This tool resides on the Suffolk County Clerk’s website and is called the Homeowner Watch List (HOWL). I encourage your readers to explore this tool by visiting suffolkcountyny.gov.
John Slattery
Orient
Tariffs and …
Let’s stop calling the result of Trump’s Tariff Wars a self-inflicted wound. It’s a Trump-inflicted wound. A question one might ask is: On which of his bankruptcies is President Trump basing his economic policies? He admits that the tariffs will cause pain but the reality is that his coterie of billionaire and millionaire friends do not sweat the price of eggs or groceries. A scant couple of months ago, the American economy was the envy of the world. Foreign investment was pouring in; businesses were ready to invest. No longer. Investment money is fleeing the U.S. The U.S. economy is based not only on goods but on services at which our economy excels. The Chinese people were blaming Xi Jinping for their economic malaise. Now they’re blaming Trump. Go, Prez, go!
Welcome to the alternative Trump universe, where Jan. 6 was as day of love and the rabble that attacked the Capitol are patriots and those who pursued them are criminals. Where Ukraine started the war with Russia. Where tariffs are not taxes on the poor and middle class even though prices will shoot up as people lose their jobs in an economy wounded by the president’s policies.
Sandra Sinclair
Riverhead
The U.S. Constitution
Two of many religions in our country are celebrating their holy days. The most important and first sentence of the 1st Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” We should thank the founders for the Bill of Rights. Failure to vote and interact with our elected officials will lead to the abolishment of the right to worship or not worship as we choose.
Warren McKnight
Southold
Heartache
I wish someone could explain to me how Republicans in Congress could vote on the budget that will cut benefits on Medicaid. There are so many things to stress about in the Trump administration: the heads of the FBI, HHS, Pentagon, DOGE; manipulated tariffs; our 401ks becoming 201ks; etc. But right now my spirit is crushed by the blatant inhumanity of cuts to Medicaid to fund the tax cuts for the 1%. I cannot fathom how anyone, in Congress or the person behind me in line at Costco, can support this. FDR and LBJ believed that this country had a clear vision that a successful population will contribute to a successful society, hence The New Deal and The Great Society. The road before us is uncertain, but I am trying to believe we can again become the country that cares.
Rosellen Storm
Aquebogue
Riverhead Town Square project
When I read the March 20 update on our long awaited “Town Square,” my jaw literally dropped! An amphitheater, a 72-room boutique hotel, condo complexes for 12 lucky owners. What a plan! Not the green space on the river that I imagined — a community park with benches and trees, a great playground, a science museum, room for a greenmarket and other small events. I thought it would encompass and expand on the East End Arts property, where many of us took our kids for music and art lessons, for parties and pumpkin-carving contests. What a hopeful fool I was! Now this historic property is part of the last phase, and there are already hints at possible problems bringing it up to code. In these uncertain economic times, how is that going to play out?
Once again, the Riverhead boys want to play with the big boy developers, who saw an opportunity when grant money and infrastructure funds became available. One grant morphed into millions more to spend! Town leaders tell us we don’t understand; we have no tax base, they say. So they go with developers who could care less about this town. “Build it and they will come.” Is that what they really believe? Well how is that going? Talk to people who are living in those three- and four-story buildings. Developers take their money and run; management companies sell off their money-losing enterprises and tenants suffer; we end up with half-built projects in litigation. Riverhead as a tourist destination … we will see. So many of us love this beautiful old town. We need leaders who want to conserve and restore Main Street. We need leaders who are more concerned about the needs of the people who live here.
Patricia Capon
New Suffolk
Hope for the future
The April 10 issue of The Suffolk Times brought a much-needed spotlight on our most valuable resource.
The inspiring NJROTC article not only highlighted the wonderful accomplishment of Lt. Sheryll, but brought attention to the extraordinary life-changing opportunities being offered to every student.
Our North Fork robotics team, R.I.C.E., will also be entering, once again, their own world-class competition this month in Houston.
Much needed future careers in the medical profession are being encouraged and supported through the efforts of The Butterfly Effect Project.
Not mentioned in the issue, yet exciting to see, are the number of students participating in CAST and other local programs designed to help others.
Congratulations and continued success to each and every one of our students.
Thank you for a much needed issue of hope and understanding that children are truly our future.
Carol Dinda
Southold
Respecting our area
Who are you and why don’t you care? This is one of the most beautiful areas of the country and some of you just don’t think it deserves your love.
I’m talking about the inconsiderate dog walkers/families that believe just because no one is looking they don’t have to clean up after their pet’s eliminations. It appalls me when I walk through our neighborhoods — along any one of our amazing waterfront beaches or illustrious trails, playgrounds and schoolyards — only to find these eliminations left behind. It is selfish and discourteous.
It is a fineable offense, and you need to be more respectful.
If you are only visiting, you should not come back. If you live here, you are worse.
We should all be more diligent and care about where we live.
Sid Wanerman
Southold
Different paths to aviation careers
Congratulations to Lt. Greg Sheryll on an achievement he credits the Navy Junior ROTC program with making possible for him (“Mattituck Alum pilots F-18, coast to coast,” April 10 4/10/25).
But I’d also like to make students and families — aware if they aren’t — that BOCES offers a non-military pathway to a professional commercial aviation career through its Aviation Professional Pilot Training 1 program.
For our son, Carlos, who graduated from a BOCES aviation program back in 2006, this was the first step toward a richly rewarding and thus far successful aviation career. In fact, having this available was a dream come true, as it allowed him not only to capture a private pilot’s license while he was 17, but to segue into Bridgewater (Mass.) State University, which combined a liberal arts degree with further aviation training.
We will forever be indebted to this program, , to George Dzenkowski and Michael Weisz,among others, who were his inspirational mentors andto former Southold High School principal Mary Fitzpatrickfor allowing him to participate in the program.
I see the NJROTC and the BOCES Aviation Pilot Training Program as two great great pathways to an aviation career for those who are so inclined. We are so fortunate to have both available here in Southold.
Harry Katz
Cutchogue
We do need to talk about this
You know you have won an argument when the other party says, “I don’t want to talk about it.” President Trump, a climate change denier, is erasing any reference to climate change in government agencies and cutting funding for scientific research on this vital topic. The signs of global warming are everywhere, including record-setting heat waves, droughts, extreme precipitation and generational flooding, sea levels rising, wildfires, melting glaciers and the drying of Earth’s land areas. Unless the U.S. changes course, climate change will likely inflict unimaginable suffering on future generations.
The science has been well known since 1859, when John Tyndall conducted first experiment proving the warming effect of carbon dioxide. According to NASA, 99% of climate scientists, 200 global scientific organizations and 11 international science academies concur with this “Statement on Climate Change” from 18 American scientific associations: “Observations throughout the world make it clear that climate change is occurring, and rigorous scientific research demonstrates that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver.”
On Earth Day, April 22, join me at Mattituck-Laurel Library at 5:30 p.m. to learn more about the science of global warming and climate change.
Jack Gibbons
Riverhead
Support the Butterfly Effect Project
We are writing on behalf of First Baptist Church of Riverhead and the Family Community Life Center Inc. to respond to Ana Borruto’s article “Threats force local nonprofit to cancel event” (March 20) and to support Tijuana Fulford’s call for support from community leaders.
The Butterfly Effect Project was created by Ms. Tijuana Fulford to address a need that she saw to help develop confidence and build leadership skills in young girls. She has now added boys to those her organization serves. The fact that the group has grown to over 700 families served demonstrates that it fulfills a need that was not being met.
We felt a strong need to speak out in the face of the negative and hateful comments the Butterfly Effect Project and its young clients have received from those who apparently do not know or appreciate the wonderful work the organization is doing for young people in our community. As those who have worked with it, we know that the Butterfly Effect Project does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, or culture. The organization has chapters for youth in many of our schools, in both the Riverhead Central School District and other school districts on Long Island. We encourage the community at large to find out more about the work of the Butterfly Effect Project. Let’s all support their efforts to develop our children’s self-esteem and the skills that will make them successful adults.
Rev. Charles Coverdale, senior pastor; Shirley Coverdale, president and CEO, Family Community Life Center
