Sun’s out, guns out: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, as we roll up our sleeves and muscle our way through another busy, more springlike workweek.
It’s still a bit chilly at night, but with daytime temperatures lifting into the 60s and the severe storms plaguing the heartland largely sparing the Northeast, Long Island is enjoying one of its nicest weather stretches of the year – allowing us to soak up some sun and focus on the work at hand. With that…
Couldn’t do it without you: Three cheers today for the administrative professionals who make it all possible.
Vital cogs: Today is April 24 and we open with National Administrative Professionals Day, a big “thank you” to the secretaries, receptionists, office managers and others who keep the works running smoothly.
Speaking of tails wagging the dog, today is also International Guide Dog Day, when the highly trained service animals – more than 21,000 on the job around the world, according to the International Guide Dog Federation – take a bow.
Mixed messages: Other animal instincts celebrated today include the World Day for Laboratory Animals, when the often-inhumane treatment of lab specimens takes center stage.
And way on the other end of the animal-protection spectrum is National Pigs in a Blanket Day – a sin on multiple levels, of course, but baked warm (and so freakin’ tasty) every April 24.
Catch up: Before there were pastry-puff hot dogs, there was the American Colonies’ first regularly published newsletter, the Boston News-Letter, which debuted on this date in 1704.
Read up: Also worth reading were the first books comprising the Library of Congress, which was established on April 24, 1800, with a $5,000 appropriation approved by President John Adams.
Drink up: Also making news was the first-ever soda fountain, combining sweet flavors and bubbly water and patented on this date in 1833 by inventors Jacob Ebert of Ohio and George Dulty of West Virginia.
Light up: It took 80,000 incandescent bulbs to illuminate the Woolworth Building when it opened on this date in 1913.
Going up: They certainly popped the corks on some bubbly when the Woolworth Building – then the world’s tallest skyscraper – opened in New York City 111 years ago today.
Pay up: And it was April 24, 1989, when then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis declared the very first “New Kids on the Block Day,” celebrating the pinnacle of 1980s boy bands (born and raised in Beantown, for the record).
For those wondering why Nynuk (the band’s original name) was worthy of its own day, consider that Jordan, Donnie and the rest would top the 1991 Forbes’ list of highest-paid entertainers – besting Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson, among others.
Woman of letters: American crime novelist Sue Taylor Grafton (1940-2017) – whose beloved “Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Series” stretched from A (“A is for Alibi”) to Y (“Y is for Yesterday”) but didn’t quite make it to Z – would have been 84 years old today.
The way she was: Streisand is a rare EGOT, among other accolades.
Also born on April 24 were American conservationist Robert Allen (1905-1963), whose mission to save the whooping crane helped create the Endangered Species Act of 1973; American chef and humorist Justin Wilson (1914-2001), the famous “Cookin’ Cajun” who’d “gar-on-tee” a good meal (or at least a hearty laugh); American filmmaker Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg, 1930-2021), a television veteran who made 1978’s “Superman” fly; American actress, dancer and author Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLaine Beaty, 1934), known for her eccentricities on and off screen; and American singer, actress, songwriter, philanthropist, producer and director Barbara Joan “Barbra” Streisand (born 1942), the best-selling woman recording artist of all time.
Popular demand: And take a bow, Alexis Kerry Ohanian! The American Internet entrepreneur and investor – who’s backed dozens of tech startups since cashing in as co-founder of social-news website Reddit, where the user community rules – turns 41 today.
Wish the multimillionaire social media pioneer well at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips rule – and our communities reap the benefits of your calendar events.
About our sponsor: The Long Island Business Development Council has helped build the regional economy for 55 years by bringing together government economic-development officials, developers, financial experts and others for education, debate and networking.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Risky business: New casino-hotels and expanded gaming parlors are exciting, but it doesn’t help New York’s gambling problem.
That’s according to our friends at WalletHub, who’ve released a new report detailing 2024’s Most Gambling-Addicted States. Nevada leads the pack, naturally, but New York is firmly in the nation’s upper half – and leads in multiple categories, including the Legality of Daily Fantasy Sports and the Legality of Sports Gambling; the Empire State also ranks high in Lottery Sales Per Capita (7th), Gambling-Related Arrests Per Capita (17th) and Casinos Per Capita (28th), for an overall rank of 20th out of the 50 U.S. states.
With nationwide gaming industries recording $66.5 billion in 2023 revenues, Islandia’s Jakes’ 58 Casino Hotel announcing a $210 million expansion (including 1,000 new gaming terminals) and three new downstate gambling licenses coming soon (and Las Vegas Sands a sure bet to grab one and go all-in on a $5 billion Uniondale resort), the WalletHub report is high stakes indeed. Fortunately, Long Islanders are not without resources: For instance, the Garden City-based Family & Children’s Association recently opened two new FCA Gambling Support and Wellness Centers.
Howdy, sheriff: Toulon takes five to explain the important work of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office — a lot more than traditional law enforcement.
Badge of honor: It’s not exactly “On Patrol: Live,” but fans of police procedurals are sure to appreciate a new video produced by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Foundation.
The main booster of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office – on a mission to promote community-based programming that reduces crime, improves outcomes for at-risk individuals and otherwise supports county law enforcement – has released a five-minute-plus video featuring 67th Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. and several undersheriffs. While it doesn’t feature high-speed pursuits, parking lot confrontations or other staples of the popular Reelz Network documentary, the video does offer a comprehensive look at the SCSO’s efforts to address increasing crime rates, youth-gang recruitment and recidivism (the likelihood that a convicted criminal will commit another crime).
Ultimately, the informercial aims for positive relationships between residents and all law-enforcement agencies. “It is very, very important that we continue to build trust not only with the youth, but also with marginalized communities that feel that they cannot trust law enforcement,” Toulon noted. “When we can do that, we are able to come together with a common bond … and be respectful in hearing each other’s views.”
POD PEOPLE
Episode 45: John Ray has hat, will travel.
Perry Mason? Ben Matlock? “Better Call” Saul Goodman? Great attorneys, one and all – but fictitious, of course, and still not as amazing as John Ray, the Long Island legal eagle who’s spent four decades-plus racking up wins in some of the most sensational and precedent-setting law cases in Island history.
Season 5 of “Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast” starts strong as John joins Spark Host Gregory Zeller to discuss the Gilgo Beach murders, topless middle-school teachers, his famous spins as Ebenezer Scrooge, his MVP performances on the lacrosse pitch and other real-life, not-made-for-TV adventures inside the courtroom and out. The podcast will come to order!
TOP OF THE SITE
Forcing market forces: On Earth Day, one Long Island environmental-law attorney cites resistance among American CEOs to new emission-transparency laws – but still sees progress on the road to a sustainable climate future.
Stop making excuses: How cool was that thing in Monday’s Calendar Newsletter about the … wait, you didn’t see it? Because you don’t have a subscription? Well, that’s no excuse, since subscriptions are always easy, always free and always a click away.
VOICES
“Something for everyone” is more than a cliché at a Port Jefferson spice-and-tea shop that’s reopened with a bang under new management – and the rookie owners are brewing up big plans about what to do (and where to go) next. Food and Beverage Anchor Zelory Gregler sips a steaming cup of ambition and shares their tasty expansion plans.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Miracle drug: Scientists say one vaccine to protect against COVID, the flu and even future viruses is on the way. Salon takes a shot.
Fortune favors the bold: Why playing it safe is often the riskiest corporate strategy. Harvard Business Review takes a chance.
Sexual disorientation: Conservatives are in meltdown over the LGBTQ fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago. Raw Story takes a left.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Pelvital USA, a Minnesota-based women’s health manufacturer focused on controlling bladder leaks, closed a $2.32 million seed-plus funding round led by Boomerang Ventures, Pier 70 Ventures, Life Science Angels and Tech Coast Angels.
+ Metsera, a New York City-based clinical-stage biopharma focused on obesity and metabolic health, raised $290 million in funding led by ARCH Venture Partners, F-Prime Capital GV and Mubadala Capital.
+ Allen Control Systems, a Texas-based defense-tech developer focused on passive drone detection, raised $12 million in seed funding led by Craft Ventures, Forum Ventures and Rally Ventures.
+ Found Energy, a Massachusetts-based cleantech startup, raised $12 million in seed funding led by KOMPAS VC, Munich Re Ventures, Good Growth Capital and the Autodesk Foundation.
+ Rivet Work, a Michigan-based electrical construction workforce-management platform, raised $6 million in funding led by Brick & Mortar Ventures, defy.vc, Augment Ventures and Detroit Venture Partners.
+ Evergreen Theragnostics, a New Jersey-based clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical pioneer, raised $26 million in funding led by Petrichor and LIFTT.
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 (just ask the LIBDC). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Ins And Outs Edition)
Not feeling it: Shame was deemed “too heavy” to join the other emotions in “Inside Out 2.”
Inside job: Canadian police make arrests and release details about a bold airport heist.
Outside chance: How everyone can enjoy the great outdoors (even “indoorsy” types).
“Inside” outed: Why shame (and other emotions) were cut from Pixar’s “Inside Out 2.”
Outside looking in? Not if you work with the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, one of the amazing organizations that support Innovate Long Island and a longtime regional steward of inclusive socioeconomics. Check them out.
