Hot tip: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, as the first workweek of the year’s last month reaches its tipping point.
Long Island dodged a bullet this week as Winter Storm Chan blasted the interior Northeast with ice and snow – but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been raw on Long Island, or that more wintry fun isn’t on the way (the snowiest LI winter in years, some say). For now, warm yourself – and tip gently into the week’s back stretch – with this toasty innovation review.
Upper crust: That wonderful smell wafting through your house is homemade apple pie, an absolute must on National Apple Pie Day.
Gimme shelter: Today is Dec. 3 and speaking of being dry and keeping warm, we’re leading off with National Roof Over Your Head Day, showing sincere thanks for a human right often taken for granted.
Also referencing basic human rights, we pause today to salute the United Nations’ International Day of Persons With Disabilities, an annual homage to the rights and wellbeing of persons with disabilities across all societal spheres.
Made it myself! With Black Friday, Small-Business Saturday, Secondhand Sunday and Cyber Monday all behind us, we also get innovative today with National Make A Gift Day, when we’re encouraged to create unique presents for our loved ones, instead of swapping the same old store-bought stuff.
And if ever there was a day to go all-in on the whole “homemade” thing, it’s National Apple Pie Day – a celebration so warm, flaky and sweet it’s actually held twice each year (on May 13 and Dec. 3, for those keeping score).
The stars came later: But there were stripes aplenty when the Grand Union flew for the first time in 1775.
Grand gesture: Other famous DIY crafts associated with this date include the Grand Union Flag, the first official banner flown by American colonists in defiance of the British Empire, which was raised for the first time on this date in 1775.
You be Illin’: Also invoking unions, Illinois – boasting the motto “State Sovereignty, National Union” – was admitted as the 21st U.S. State on Dec. 3, 1818.
Bright idea: Other bright ideas associated with Dec. 3 include neon lights, an invention of French physicist Georges Claude that debuted at the Paris Motor Show 115 years ago today.
Color coordinated: Also colorful was the first-ever Technicolor motion picture that didn’t require special projection equipment – “The Toll of the Sea,” which premiered on this date in 1922 at New York City’s Rialto Theatre.
Trans-cending: And it was Dec. 3, 1967, when South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant, placing the heart of a 25-year-old car-accident victim into a 53-year-old grocer with chronic heart disease.
Recipient Lewis Washkansky died from pneumonia complications 18 days later – but his new heart functioned normally until his death.
Forever and ever: English mathematician and cryptographer John Wallis (1616-1703) – an original progenitor of calculus and noted inspiration for Isaac Newton who claimed a piece of eternity by inventing the infinity symbol – would be 409 years old today.
Static Klingon: Bonsall had some growing to do after playing Alexander on “ST:TNG.”
Also born on Dec. 3 were Polish British author Joseph Conrad (1857-1924), who had a real dark side; British Austrian psychoanalyst Anna Freud (1895-1982), who was Sigmund’s daughter and also the founder of child psychoanalysis; American computer scientist John Backus (1924-2007), the “Father of FORTRAN” who changed computer programming forever; smooth-listening American crooner Andy Williams (1927-2012), an Emmy-winning television host especially popular this wonderful time of the year; and retired German figure skater Katarina Witt (born 1965), a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion ranked among the best ever in her sport.
The littlest Klingon: And take a bow, Brian Bonsall! The former red-hot child actor (with recurring roles on the sitcom “Family Ties” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) – who overcame several lesser demons to forge a successful career as a punk rocker – turns 44 today.
Wish the Son of Worf well at editor@innovateli.com, where our inner child thrills at your news tips – and we always act on your calendar-event submissions.
About our sponsor: Sahn Ward Braff Coschignano PLLC is one of the region’s most highly regarded and recognized law firms. Our attorneys are thought leaders, dedicated to achieving success through excellence. With our broad experience in land use, development, litigation, real estate, corporate and environmental law, we have the vision and knowledge to serve our clients and our communities. Please visit sahnward.com.
BUT FIRST, THIS
The Hard Way: A Hard Rock casino is now very likely to rise in the shadows of Citi Field.
The house city always wins: Three downstate casino-gaming licenses – at least one of which seemed destined for Long Island – have landed in New York City.
The New York State Gaming Facility Location Board voted unanimously Monday in favor of downstate casino bids in the Bronx (by Bally’s Corp.) and in Queens (by Resorts World and Metropolitan Park, the latter a joint casino collaboration featuring New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International). The bids were the last standing in a once-fierce competition for the valuable downstate licenses, with several additional hats – including Las Vegas Sands’ $2 billion plan for a world-class casino resort in Uniondale – also in the ring.
Sands, which reached a 42-year lease deal with the Nassau County Legislature in 2024 (and paid Nassau millions in security deposits and nonrefundable fees), pulled out of the running in April – leaving the three NYC-based proposals, which all passed the smell test based on “thousands of pages of complex application material” reviewed by the Gaming Facility Location Board. “We entered this process with a tabula rasa,” the board said in a statement, “and are concluding with three impressive projects that will transform communities, establish career opportunities … and drive much-needed revenue to the [Metropolitan Transportation Authority], public schools and the city.”
IDA-a-rama: Affordable apartments, age-restricted rentals, expanded pharmaceutical operations and more innovations are in play as myriad Long Island industrial development agencies finish the year strong.
On the commercial front, the Brookhaven Industrial Development Agency has closed on an economic-incentives package that will help fourth-generation family business Coco Architectural Grilles and Metalcraft expand its Holtsville operation via the purchase and renovation of a 16,000-square-foot industrial building on Blue Point Road. Slightly west, the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency has issued preliminary approvals for a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes deal that will help Hauppauge-based A&Z Pharmaceutical complete a $6.7 million transformation of underutilized warehouse space into active production space.
Meanwhile, the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency is on a rental-housing tear, greenlighting tax breaks for developers planning 20 market-rate rentals in East Meadow and 96 affordable apartments in Downtown Hempstead, plus issuing final approvals of an incentives package facilitating the replacement of a former North Bellmore Jewish center with 28 rental units for tenants ages 55 and up. Three of the age-restricted apartments will be earmarked for veterans and their families, according to the Hempstead IDA, while the Downtown Hempstead project – which also includes roughly 2,300 square feet of ground-floor commercial space – will offer rents ranging from $2,200 to $4,452 monthly.
TOP OF THE SITE
Artificial applications: A top Long Island mathematics and computer-science professor recognizes the growing job-search risks AI poses to both applicants and hiring agencies – and the rewards, too.
Hang in there: Another new episode of “Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast” is on the way – but don’t wait alone! Almost five-dozen brilliant thinkers (and engaging conversationalists) from across the regional innovation economy are hanging out right here.
VOICES
Between your Thanksgiving feast and your Christmas buffet, there’s plenty of time for a foodie-friendly side quest – and Voices Food and Beverage Anchor Zelory Gregler suggests you check out Food Done It, an experiential-dining startup combining good eats and puzzling scavenger hunts in downtowns across Long Island.
Something you’d like to add? The Entrepreneur’s Edge is open for business! Innovate Long Island’s promoted-content platform provides a direct link from startups, established corporations and nonprofits to our forward-thinking audience – your future clients. Progressive product to promote? Singular service to sell? Sociopolitical position to push? Here’s your chance to shine a bright light on the big picture, the little details and everything in between, from the perspective of your innovation-focused enterprise. Learn more here!
STUFF WE’RE READING
Kazakhstan, we have a problem: A damaged launch pad has left Russia (temporarily) unable to send cosmonauts to space. SpaceNews delays countdowns.
Don’t be bitter: Though you may have no choice, with the “most extreme cold on Earth” barreling into the Northeast. Men’s Journal bundles up.
On their toes: How economic uncertainties (like innovation) create headaches for financial officers. Forbes rethinks strategies.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Curative, a Texas-based health insurance company providing employer-based plans and member-based guidance, raised $150 million in Series B funding led by Upside Vision Fund, DCVC, Justin Mateen, Mike Novogratz, Stanley Druckenmiller’s Duquesne Family Office and Martin Varsavsky.
+ Reema Health, a Minnesota-based health-tech creating human-powered connectivity solutions for hard-to-reach members, raised $19 million in Series B funding led by LRVHealth and Optum Ventures.
+ Minitap, a California-based, artificial intelligence-powered mobile-development platform, raised $4.1 million in Seed funding led by Moxxie Ventures and Mercuri, with participation from EWOR, Tekton Ventures, Amigos Venture Capital and multiple unicorn founders.
+ Axiado Corp., a California-based digital-infrastructure security specialist, raised $100 million in Series C-Plus funding led by Maverick Silicon, with participation from Prosperity7 Ventures, Orbit Venture Partners, Crosslink Capital and Nosterra Ventures.
+ LizzyAI, a New York City-based, AI-native interviewing platform, raised $5 million in Seed funding led by NEA, with participation from Speedinvest and Zero Prime Ventures.
+ Nada, a Texas-based fintech focused on homeowners, raised $10 million in Series A funding led by Interlock Partners, with participation from LiveOak Ventures and Riverwalk Capital Partners.
Like this newsletter? Innovate Long Island newsletter, website and podcast sponsorships are a prime opportunity to reach the inventors, investors, entrepreneurs and executives you need to know – on Long Island, and soon, across New York State (just ask Sahn Ward). Gregory Zeller can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Venezuela Edition)
Hold your fire: Pope Leo XIV would prefer the United States not attack Venezuela.
Not just oil: Why the U.S. is really going to war with Venezuela.
Not a huge fan: What the Pope thinks about the impending military incursion.
Not good for business: Tourism professionals across the Caribbean are holding their breath.
Not big in South America: But Sahn Ward Braff Coschignano, one of the fantastic firms that support Innovate Long Island, is huge across the Greater New York region – and always ready to battle for your best interests on the legal front lines. Check them out.
