No. 1067: On Juneteenth, coastal resiliency and Kominicki’s favorite libation, with ticker tape (?) flying

 

Paid to play: Welcome to Friday, intrepid innovators – assuming you’re actually reading this on Friday, as this particular Friday happens to be June 19, a.k.a. Juneteenth, the newest of all federal holidays.

The holiday – which commemorates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and emancipated the last enslaved African Americans – is a paid day off for all non-essential federal employees and city/state employees in 33 states (including Texas!).

Alas, several other States have been slower on the uptake (Florida, Mississippi and Arkansas kinda track, but California? Really?). And while only about 40 percent of private employers grant the day, there’s a better-than-average chance you’re kicking off a three-day weekend today.

Calm yourself: The rest of us will have to settle for a regular old two-day weekend – though we’re not complaining, with a big, juicy Independence Day weekend on the not-too-distant horizon.

And we’re especially not complaining on World Sauntering Day – when we’re already encouraged to slow things down and relax a bit – or National Martini Day, a favorite of late, great and eternally beloved Innovate Long Island founder John Kominicki.

Blue Devils: Hardly loafing about (and not likely drinking on the job) were Sir Robert Peel’s Metropolitan Police Department – a.k.a. the Bobbies, the Raw Lobsters and/or the Blue Devils – when they were established as London’s first modern police force on this date in 1829.

Red board: Also bursting out of the gate was the very first Belmont Stakes, which was run on June 19, 1867 – not on Long Island but in the Bronx. (For the record, it was named for Jerome Park Racetrack co-founder August Belmont.)

White flag: Still monitoring radio, wire and television communications (and now satellite communications, too) – though not as “independently” as it once did – the Federal Communications Commission was born 92 years ago today, when President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Communications Act of 1934.

Brown oats: Changing nothing but its name is classic breakfast cereal Cheerios, which was created on this date in 1941 by General Mills food scientist Lester Borchardt (who dubbed his invention “Cheerioats,” for those keeping score).

Orange tabby: And it was June 19, 1978, when ravenous, historically lazy cartoon cat Garfield debuted in newspaper syndication.

Jim Davis’ chubby, lasagna-loving kitty (named after the cartoonist’s grandfather) bowed in only 41 U.S. newspapers – but reigns today as the Guiness Book of World Records’ most widely syndicated comic strip.

Probably: French mathematician, religious philosopher, physicist and writer Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) – who promoted the notion of experiencing God through emotion (not reason) and otherwise mastered reason (including the basis of the modern theory of probabilities) – would be 403 years old today.

Also born on June 19 were German pharmacist Friedrich Sertürner (1783-1841), who spearheaded alkaloid chemistry and discovered morphine; American professional baseball icon Lou Gehrig (born Henry Louis Gehrig, 1903-1941), the all-time New York Yankees great known for his remarkable durability, elite talent and a historic “bad break”; American electrical engineer Raymond Noorda (1924-2006), remembered as the “Father of Network Computing”; Indian-born British American novelist Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (born 1947), still living under mortal threat; and American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality Paula Abdul (born 1962), whose big professional break came as a Laker Girl.

Speak up: And take a bow, Jean Edmond Dujardin! The French actor and comedian – the first Frenchman to win the Academy Award for best actor (for 2011’s “The Artist,” a modern silent film) – turns 54 today.

Envoyez vos vœux d’anniversaire à M. Dujardin à editor@innovateli.com, où nous apprécions également les suggestions d’articles et les événements à venir. Bonne journée!

 

About our sponsor: St. Joseph’s University-New York, has provided a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. The independent and coeducational university provides a strong academic and values-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual rigor, social responsibility, spiritual depth and service. Through its Long Island, Brooklyn and online campuses, the university offers degrees in 100 majors, special course offerings and certificates and affiliated and pre-professional programs. Learn more here.

 

BUT FIRST, THIS

Storm front: With the Summer storm season bearing down, Gov. Kathy Hochul is taking an infrastructure-resiliency victory lap around Suffolk County.

Recalling 2012’s Superstorm Sandy and trumpeting what she labeled as a series of “historic investments,” the governor on Friday “announced” $28.5 million in state funding for climate-resiliency and infrastructure-strengthening projects in notoriously storm-ravaged sections of Suffolk. Previously detailed in the FY 2026-27 New York State Executive Budget, the funding includes $12 million to replace the Asharoken Avenue Seawall in the Village of Asharoken and $8 million to rebuild the Blydenburgh Dam and Stump Pond in Smithtown, which were washed away in a 2024 deluge.

The Suffolk package also earmarks $6.5 million for the restoration of Stony Brook’s Harbor Road and $2 million for the elevation and improvement of key roadways around Amityville Harbor. “There could be no better news for the residents of Suffolk County and those who have been working so hard to advocate for these projects,” Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said Thursday. “[These investments] all serve a great need in … protecting the environment of Suffolk County.”

Litigation leader: A megawatt attorney with an all-world résumé will head up the Litigation Department at one of Long Island’s top law firms.

Boston-based Nixon Peabody – which maintains several international offices, including thriving satellites in New York City and Melville – has elevated partner Timothy Sini to head of its nearly 400-member Litigation Department and appointed him to the firm’s Management Committee, both effective Sept. 1. Already a partner in Nixon Peabody’s Government Investigations & White-Collar Defense Practice Group, Sini counts Suffolk County district attorney, assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Suffolk County Police Department commissioner as previous gigs on his sterling curriculum vitae.

The savvy lawyer, who officially joined Nixon Peabody four years ago, is the perfect person to lead the Litigation Department, according to Nixon Peabody Managing Partner Stephen Zubiago. “Through his deep leadership experience, Tim has earned a reputation as a trusted advisor to public and private sector leaders and also among his colleagues,” Zubiago noted. “His commitment to serving clients, empowering our talent and strategically recruiting top attorneys will serve our firm well.”

 

TOP OF THE SITE

ACEs in our book: SUNY Old Westbury will double the number of students supported through its Advancing Completion through Engagement program, thanks to a hefty SUNY funding increase.

The more, the better: The more subscribers we get to our entertaining and educational newsletters, the more sponsors we can attract … and the more sponsors we can attract, the better job we can do covering the dynamic Long Island innovation economy. Best part: Subscriptions are always easy, always free!

 

ICYMI

World-class universities, top-level collaborations, forward-thinking scientists, fantastic technologies and innovation galore – everything the investor in search of a target-rich region could ask for was on display at Accelerate Long Island’s first-ever Long Island Tech & Innovation Summit.

 

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 Illinois: Chicago-based anti-flour food-maker Egglife Foods blurs gastronomic lines with its chocolate-flavored egg white wraps.

From California: Sacramento-based grass-fed beef jerky brand Got Beef introduces AI-generated “Granny” as its new social media brand spokesperson.

From Pennsylvania: Easton-based crayon king Crayola ages well with its “All Grown Up” line of acrylic markers and artist-designed coloring books.

 

ON THE MOVE

+ Kimberly Cline has been appointed commissioner of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. She is the president of Long Island University.

+ Alexis Fretwell has joined Uniondale-based Sahn Ward Braff Coschignano as an associate in the Commercial and Civil Litigation Department. She was an associate at Lippes Mathias in Buffalo.

+ Yuri Burshteyn has joined Uniondale-based Forchelli Deegan Terrana as a partner in the Banking and Finance Practice Group. He was a partner at Braunstein Turkish in Woodbury.

+ Two attorneys at Uniondale-based Rivkin Radler have been elected to leadership positions at the Estate Planning Council of Long Island:

• Joseph La Ferlita has been elected EPCLI president. He is a partner in Rivkin Radler’s Trusts & Estates and Tax practice groups.
• Nicholas Moneta has been elected to serve an additional two-year term on the EPCLI Executive Board. He is counsel in Rivkin Radler’s Trusts & Estates and Elder Law practice groups.

+ Two attorneys at Uniondale-based Rivkin Radler have been installed in leadership positions at the Nassau County Bar Association:

• Michael Antongiovannihas been sworn in as secretary of the NCBA Executive Committee. He is a partner in Rivkin Radler’s Commercial Litigation, Real Estate, Trusts & Estates and Construction practice groups.
• Matthew Spero has been sworn in as dean of the Nassau Academy of Law. He is a partner in Rivkin Radler’s Bankruptcy, Commercial Litigation and Corporate practice groups.

+ Alicia Bartkowski has joined Uniondale-based Rivkin Radler as counsel in the Trusts & Estates Practice Group. She was an associate in the Law Office of Roman Aminov in Flushing.

+ Katherine Pedlow has joined Uniondale-based Rivkin Radler as an associate in the Insurance Fraud & Recovery Practice Group. She was an assistant district attorney in Queens County.

 

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 St. Joe’s). Gregory Zeller can tell you more.

 

BELOW THE FOLD (Canyon Of Heroes Edition)

210th parade, and counting: From the Statue of Liberty to Jesse Owens to NASA Moon men, the Knicks join a proud pantheon of ticker-taped honorees.

Unsung heroes: As soon as it was over, the NYC Department of Sanitation got busy.

Tape delay: Digital generations want to know – what the hell is “ticker tape?”

Heroic efforts: Please continue supporting the innovative institutions that support Innovate Long Island, including St. Joseph’s University, where every effort is made to best prepare students academically, socially and spiritually. Check them out.