No. 1090: SUNY sustains (climatically), Albany sues (again) and Long Island leaders get real (estate)

 

Shelter from the storm: Welcome to Friday, intrepid innovators! The end of another bustling (and blustery!) workweek has arrived – and with it, the very first weekend of Fall 2026.

Yes, traffic is already building on roads heading east, where Long Island’s vineyards, apple orchards, pumpkin patches and farmstands are preparing for their busiest season. As of press deadline, a developing nor’easter was threatening to put a damper on the Island’s first autumnal weekend … but that’s not going to stop us from enjoying our well-earned respite, after we power through one more workday.

Daughter dearest: Today is Sept. 25 and our hearts are filled with love on National Daughters Day, a bouquet to little women, adult all-stars and every girl-child in between, humbling us daily with their intelligence, compassion and strength.

Speaking of intelligence, compassion and strength, hug a superhero today – par for the course on National Comic Book Day, starring the costumed crusaders, intrepid orphans and other colorful characters populating what Franco-Belgians respectfully call the “ninth art” (after architecture, sculpture, painting, music, poetry/literature, theater, cinema and television/film).

Yes, chef! Since it’s Friday, you might be leaning toward date night at your favorite restaurant or maybe some convenient takeout – but it’s also National Cooking Day, when we’re encouraged to strap on an apron and indulge in the simple pleasure of preparing a homemade meal.

Or not-so-simple: National Lobster Day (demanding exquisite timing, advanced knifework and nerves of steel) and National Quesadilla Day (full of chopping and sautéing) are simultaneously served on Sept. 25, and yeah, they both require considerable effort – but boy howdy, what a combo.

Recipe for success: A cookbook might come in handy today – and there are plenty of those to choose from, thanks to modern printing presses (and, by extension, the very first American printing press, which was assembled in Massachusetts on this date in 1639).

Second thoughts: They certainly printed a few copies of the first 12 proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which were introduced by Congress on Sept. 25, 1789. (Ten of them would later be ratified, collectively dubbed the Bill of Rights).

Very attractive: Meanwhile, in France, electromagnetism became a thing – at least, a known thing – on this date in 1820, when physicist Francois Arago announced one of his most famous discoveries.

The (week)end of all things: As you prepare for another luxurious two-day blow, show a little gratitude to master innovator Henry Ford, who – in a landmark moment for American workers’ rights – decreed 100 years ago today that his massive workforce would have Saturdays and Sundays off. (The all-time industrialist had already created the eight-hour workday, thereby formulating the standard 40-hour workweek we all know and kinda love.)

Her Honor: And it was Sept. 25, 1981, when Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in as an associate justice of the United State Supreme Court, becoming the first woman to occupy the bench.

The moderate conservative, who retired in 2006, was nominated for the SCOTUS by President Ronald Reagan and subsequently awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

Things went a little south: American author William Faulkner (1897-1962) – a 1949 Nobel Prize laureate considered the greatest chronicler of Southern literature (despite some hardwired racism and stolen valor shenanigans) – would be 129 years old today.

Also born on Sept. 25 were Italian bacteriologist Agostino Bassi (1773-1856), who got out in front of Louis Pasteur and other more celebrated researchers by pioneering germ theory; American inventor and industrialist Melville Bissell (1843-1889), who sucked it up and created the first mass-produced carpet sweeper; Russian-German geographer, meteorologist, climatologist and botanist Wladimir Köppen (1846-1940), who crafted the Köppen Climate Classification System, still used to divide terrestrial regions based on environmental factors; American baseball player-turned-beloved broadcaster Phil Rizzuto (1917-2007), a seven-time world champion, five-time All Star and one-time MVP remembered best as “The Scooter”; and American broadcast journalist Barbara Walters (1929-2022), a trailblazing television icon.

Jedi survivor: And take a bow, Mark Richard Hamill! The American actor, voice performer, comic-book writer and activist – who took a few decades to accept that whatever else he did, he would always be known as Luke Skywalker – turns 75 today.

The Force is with you, Mark – and with everyone who sends birthday wishes to editor@innovateli.com, especially if they include news tips, calendar events and secret Death Star plans.

 

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BUT FIRST, THIS

Objection: New York State is once again suing President Donald Trump, part of an eight-state coalition challenging $1.4 billion in taxpayer-funded payouts to companies willing to cancel scheduled offshore-wind projects.

That’s illegal, according to New York State Attorney General Letitia James and her counterparts in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont, who are targeting U.S. Department of the Interior deals with New Jersey-based Bluepoint Wind and Illinois-based Invenergy. California has filed separate, concurrent lawsuits targeting the Trump-orchestrated arrangements, which pay the companies to bankroll inland fossil-fuel plants instead of offshore-wind projects – an “unlawful pay-to-not-play scheme” and an “outrageous abuse of taxpayer dollars,” according to Gov. Kathy Hochul.

James went a step further, calling the $765 million paid to Bluepoint to cancel its lease deal off the New York coast and the $653 million paid to Invenergy to cancel three separate offshore-wind leases “illegal backroom deals” that must be challenged. “At a moment when every available resource should go to keeping the lights on and prices down, this administration is choosing corruption over communities,” the New York AG said this week. “We will fight until these unlawful deals are struck down.”

Sustained: Three Long Island-based college professors are part of the second cohort of State University of New York Sustainability Faculty Fellows.

Announced this week by SUNY Chancellor John King Jr., the 12 new fellows – representing 10 statewide SUNY campuses – will work with the first 11 fellows (named in September 2025) to strengthen curricular climate and sustainability programs across the State University system’s 64 colleges and universities. The new recruits include Farmingdale State College Business Professor Jing Feng, FSC Architecture and Construction Professor Orla Smyth LoPiccolo and Suffolk County Community College Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Professor James Leopard.

King, who announced the new fellows Wednesday during a visit to the Farmingdale State campus, applauded the second cohort and the ambitious work of the system-wide Sustainability Faculty program. “SUNY is leading the way in helping New York State achieve its climate and sustainability goals,” the chancellor noted. “Our students are eager to lead the way in tackling global challenges like climate change, and I am proud of the work of our dedicated faculty members to prepare the next generation of climate-conscious individuals.”

 

TOP OF THE SITE

Positive developments: The CIBS 2026 State of the Market conference was filled with important details about commercial real estate developments across Long Island – and loads of optimism.

Free ride: We’ll keep these fantastic newsletters (and our entire website) free from paywalls and subscription fees for as long as possible – remember, every donation you make on our verified-and-secure Reader Pledge Page (even small ones!) keeps it going a little longer. Please help us help you!

 

ICYMI

Fair Media Council CEO and Executive Director Jaci Clement details a seismic shift in the disbursement of digital-advertising revenues – billions still flow straight to Google, but AI-based advertising streams are catching up fast.

 

BEST OF THE WEST (AND SOMETIMES NORTH/SOUTH)

Innovate LI’s inbox overrunneth with inspirational innovations from all North American corners. This week’s brightest out-of-towners:

From New York City: MyRecipes, an offshoot of digital and print publisher People Inc., simplifies and supercharges home cooking with its all-new namesake app.

From Illinois: West Chicago-based “intensive-use” furniture designer Norix upgrades comfort, safety and recuperation with the “behavioral healthcare” Respite Recliner.

From Connecticut: Milford-based non-alcoholic beer brewer Athletic Brewing Co. teams with Brooklyn-based olive oil brand Graza to launch a dry and aromatic EVOO-derived pilsner.

 

ON THE MOVE

+ Randi Shubin Dresner has been appointed chairwoman of the Farmingdale State University College Council. She is president and CEO of Island Harvest Food Bank in Melville.

+ The Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District has announced several new hires:

• Carli Adler has been hired as assistant director of pupil personnel services for grades five through eight. She was the intervention/Individualized Education Program teacher and a special education teacher at P.S. 173 in Fresh Meadows.
• Carrie D’Oria has been hired as assistant principal of Plainview-Old Bethpage Middle School. She was chairwoman of the Health Education Department at Great Neck North Middle School.
• Andrea Judge has been hired as director of K-12 school counseling. She was guidance coordinator for the Lindenhurst Union Free School District.
• Mary LaMotta has been hired as the K-12 literacy and library director. She was the English language arts director for Freeport Public Schools.
• Chris Milano has been hired as facilities director. He was facilities director at the Variety Child Learning Center in Syosset.

+ Melissa Negrin-Wiener has been promoted to managing partner at Melville-based Cona Elder Law. She was senior partner.

+ The Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District has announced two promotions:

• Alison Incarnato has been promoted to chairwoman of K-8 physical education, health and social-emotional learning. She was a physical/health education and adaptive physical education teacher.
• Jeffrey Salzberg has been promoted to director of athletics, physical education, health and recreation programs. He was the high school athletic coordinator at Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School.

 

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BELOW THE FOLD (They’re Dropping Like Flies! Edition)

Ouch: Two weeks into the NFL season, six starting quarterbacks are already injured.

Double ouch: Insiders worry that the league’s “major” injury epidemic is really bad for business.

Ooooouuuuuch! Reviewing the worst NFL injuries caught on tape (and you can add this one to the list … viewer discretion advised!)

Ease your pain: Please continue supporting the creative companies that support Innovate Long Island, including Drake Media Studios, which softens the sting of multimedia marketing with its convenient and cost-effective production packages. Check them out.