Podcast
The Long Island Daily
Hosted by WLIW-FM · EN
The Long Island Daily, formerly Long Island Morning Edition, with host Michael Mackey provides regional news stories and special features that speak to the body politic, the pulse of our planet, and the marketplace of life.
63episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Tick-borne illnesses on the rise across all of Long Island
Apr 2300:10:07Tap to summarizeSince the early 1980s, Long Island has become a hotbed for ticks and an epicenter for the diseases they can carry, such as Lyme disease, babesiosis and more recently, alpha-gal syndrome, the meat allergy sparked by a tick bite. Lisa L. Colangelo reports in NEWSDAY that predicting whether this will be a "bad" tick year is difficult because population is driven by factors such as weather, vegetation and availability of hosts — such as deer and mice — to feed on, said Scott Campbell, Suffolk County's chief entomologist.Every year, he oversees tick surveillance in Suffolk to see which species are in the environment and which pathogens they are carrying."I’ve never seen a shortage of ticks," Campbell said. "You still have to take precautions whether you are in contact with one tick or 100 ticks."But there are some signs it will be a busy seasonSnow, blanketed Long Island this winter, can insulate ticks from cold temperatures."The question is always, 'It's been a terrible winter — will there be fewer ticks?' " entomologist Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann told members of the Adirondacks Club's Long Island Chapter at a meeting this month. "We were snow covered for a whole month at least. That means the ticks and all the insects that are under the snow are buffered from the very cold."Ticks can be active when the temperatures are about 37 degrees or higher. They are less likely to survive in dry conditions, whether they are extremely hot or cold.Gangloff-Kaufmann said an abundant acorn season, called an "acorn mast," two years ago may also foretell a tough tick season because it can lead to a burst in the mouse and chipmunk population. Mice are a common reservoir for disease.7:06am - 7:07:30amAre tick-borne illnesses going up?"The trends are up for everything you measure," said Nicole Baumgarth, director of the Lyme and Tickborne Diseases Research and Education Institute at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. "The question is whether [tick-borne diseases] are being diagnosed more, or are they more prevalent?" Lisa L. Colangelo reports in NEWSDAY that emergency department visits for tick bites have been rising. For the most recent week in April available, 168 out of every 100,000 visits to emergency departments in the Northeast were for a tick bite, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the same week last year it was 107 out of every 100,000 visits.Stony Brook Southampton Hospital's Tick-Borne Disease Clinic in Hampton Bays has received a steady stream of calls and appointment requests over the last two weeks."We're starting to see more tick activity and more tick bites," said Dr. Andrew Handel, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Stony Brook Children's Hospital who has a focus on tick-borne illnesses. "I expect in the coming weeks to start seeing cases of tick-borne diseases."Researchers in the United States and Australia spent years piecing together the mystery of why some people were developing an allergy to meat. Scientists at the University of Virginia found a "range of evidence" by 2010 to link it to the bite of a lone star tick, and specifically a sugar molecule in the tick's saliva that can cause an overactive immune response.Dr. Erin McGintee, an allergist and immunologist at ENT and Allergy Associates in Southampton, started diagnosing cases on Long Island around 2011 and has treated more than 1,000 patients with the allergy since that time.McGintee, an alpha-gal expert, said cases were once more common on the East End of Long Island but now show up in patients from various places including Port Jefferson, Islip, Stony Brook and Smithtown."It's following where the deer are going and the lone star tick is spreading," she said. Lisa L. Colangelo reports in NEWSDAY that wildlife experts believe much of Suffolk County’s large tick population can be attributed to the warming climate and a growing wildlife population, in particular white-tail deer that provide a food source and mode of transportation for ticks.The region's deer population, almost wiped out at the start of the 20th century due to over hunting and other issues, rebounded in recent decades due to conservation efforts and the lack of natural predators."The deer population on Long Island exploded," said entomologist Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, associate director at Cornell’s Integrated Pest Management program. She is based in Babylon.Scott Campbell, Suffolk County's chief entomologist, said the deer on Long Island are moving westward as their numbers grow and they search for food."Decades ago, people in Huntington, Smithtown, Islip didn’t have problems with ticks," said Campbell. There's less food for deer in forests, so they "come into residential areas to feed on the arborvitae or plantings in our yards and they bring those ticks with them."If you do have a tick bite, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital's Tick-Borne Disease Clinic recommends taking a photo of it, removing it with pointy tweezers, and placing it in a container of alcohol. This will kill the tick and preserve it in case it's needed later to be identified and tested for bacteria that causes disease in humans.Not all ticks carry bacteria and viruses that cause disease, but removing one quickly lowers the chance of transmission. Watch for symptoms including fever, headache, swollen joints and a rash, and follow up with your health care provider.***A white-tailed deer with rare nearly all-white coloring has been frequenting a grassy yard on eastern Long Island.A resident, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect the animal and whose exact location Newsday is keeping private, said the deer started showing up in his backyard, which borders a wooded area, in December, and he began snapping photos.Tracy Tullis reports in NEWSDAY that the deer has a genetic trait called leucism, which causes a loss of pigment. Deer with leucism can be nearly all white, like this one, or spotted like a pinto pony — a variation commonly called piebald. The condition can affect nearly any animal, including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish.Leucism is the result of a recessive gene, so both parents must carry that gene in order to produce a leucistic fawn. Only about 1% of deer have this trait, according to The Nature Conservancy. It’s different from albinism, also a genetic mutation, which results in a complete lack of melanin. A leucistic deer will still have dark eyes, nose, and hooves.Leslie Lupo, a wildlife biologist at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s Stony Brook office, said she’d never seen a deer with leucism on Long Island.This rare Long Island animal seems content to browse on tender spring greens, the east end resident said, sometimes alone and sometimes accompanied by a more conventionally attired companion."I was and still am very fortunate to see this deer," the man told NEWSDAY. "I realized how lucky I am when something that rare chooses your yard to feel safe in." ***Frustration with the slow pace of progress in the cleanup of the former Grumman superfund site in Calverton has residents and government officials fed up. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that in a grassroots effort, members of the Calverton Restoration Advisory Board, community members and county and town officials have scheduled their own meeting outside of the Navy’s twice-annual cleanup updates in order to receive data obtained through an investigation by Suffolk County health department officials. The meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday, April 28 at the Manorville Fire Department headquarters.At the last Calverton Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting on Feb. 10, the Navy would not allow Suffolk County health department staff to present well-testing data they’d collected over the prior year.Calverton RAB member and clean water advocate Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said the county sampling was requested through the RAB, the data collection was completed, and members expected it would be shared as part of the Navy’s public process.Addison Phoenix, the Navy’s current project manager for the Calverton site, said that Navy representatives and contractors are authorized to discuss “Navy-generated data associated with the environmental restoration program.” Esposito called that decision “very unhelpful,” because it undermined the idea of agencies working together in partnership. Further, she said, the information would “educate members of the public” and “add to the understanding of what is a concern and what is not a concern” as a result of groundwater contamination at the site and a plume of contamination that has been migrating off-site.Members of the RAB are appointed by the Navy to provide citizen input on the environmental cleanup and restoration of the former military manufacturing and testing facility. Its meetings are intended to provide the community with periodic updates from the Navy on the status of its investigation and cleanup/restoration efforts — as well as an opportunity to give the Navy feedback and ask questions.The first Calverton RAB meeting was convened on April 28, 1998. The most recent meeting held in February was the Calverton RAB’s 62nd meeting. The flyer being circulated by organizers of the April 28 community meeting bluntly states that the Navy has been dragging its feet for decades and “it’s time for accountability and action NOW!”This coming Tuesday’s meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Manorville Fire Department headquarters, 16 Silas Carter Road, Manorville. <a href="https:/...
Transcribe →New scientific findings show worsening coastal water conditions
Apr 2200:10:00Tap to summarizeCommercial landscaping companies and governments on Long Island would be eligible for rebates to transition from gas-powered to electric lawn care and snow removal equipment, under a bill passed by the New York State Legislature."Gas-powered landscaping equipment emits a stunning amount of air pollution, not to mention the noise that blights communities across the state," Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan), who sponsored the bill, told Newsday in a statement. "This bill will make it easier for New York's landscaping companies to transition to cleaner, quieter equipment."The proposed legislation — which also applies to nonprofits, universities and school districts — would set up a state rebate program for battery-powered equipment, including leaf blowers, lawn mowers, tree trimmers and snow blowers, as well as batteries and chargers. The bill aims to "reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and reduce noise pollution," according to the legislative language. The rebate amount would be set by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, or NYSERDA, and be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. The funding would come from existing revenues controlled by NYSERDA.Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that the State Senate yesterday passed the bill by a 54-8 vote, and it was approved by a 99-42 margin in the Assembly on Monday. The measure will now head to the desk of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose office said she would review the bill.Assemb. Scott Gray (R-Watertown) was among those who voted against the measure."If the product is appealing and the marketplace is doing a good job trying to move the product along, I think government is the last...entity that should step in and put its fingers on the scale in a private marketplace and try to drive customers to a certain product," Gray said on the Assembly floor.Gray also cited concerns over the use of taxpayer dollars for the program as well as with the safety of lithium-ion batteries.Statewide, over 69 communities, including several on Long Island, have adopted laws to ban or restrict the use of gas-powered equipment, Assemb. Steven Otis (D-Port Chester), the bill’s sponsor said on the Assembly floor.The bill also would save taxpayers money by lowering costs for school districts and municipalities purchasing new equipment, Otis said. Long Island business and landscaping groups favor a rebate program as business owners struggle to meet new municipal restrictions along with the rising cost of gas and oil.***Southampton School District parents who wish to enroll their children in the elementary school’s dual language program must attend an upcoming informational session and sign a one-year commitment letter by May 15 to gauge interest, as part of a series of expected changes to the curriculum’s format.In the event that more students want to participate than there are seats, a lottery will be held on May 20, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Fatima Morrell.“The whole program is not changing,” Dr. Morrell said during a Board of Education meeting last night. “We do have to think a little bit more systemically, though, about how we use our teachers to get the best for our kids. And I think there were some serious concerns about our program.”Michelle Trauring reports on 27east.com that a nearly two-hour-long presentation and discussion dominated last night’s meeting, eliciting questions and feedback from board members, parents and students alike. A deeper dive into the proposed changes — some of which are being brought on by decreased enrollment — will be discussed at pre-K informational sessions this coming Friday, April 24, at 8:30 a.m. and on Monday, April 27, at 2 and 6:30 p.m., and kindergarten through third grade sessions on Thursday, April 30, at 8:30 a.m. and Wednesday, May 6, at 2 and 6:30 p.m.For over 20 years, the dual language program has been a pillar of strength in the district, Morrell said. The Spanish Embassy’s Ministry of Culture, Education and Sports recognizes each of Southampton’s schools as an International Spanish Academy, or ISA, which “implement a Spanish-English dual language immersion curriculum with the support, consultancy and recognition of the Ministry,” according to its website.Southampton is the only district in the state with this designation, reported Dr. Brian Zahn, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.However, Spanish and English teachers said they often find themselves competing for time, and families also are lacking information about the program. Some parents agreed, saying that they don’t fully understand how the program works and want the ability to choose whether it’s the right fit for their children.Addressing School Board President Zach Epley, a parent and new Southampton home owner said, “You're saying you're giving us choice, but if we go to a lottery, you're taking away that choice from us, that choice that we've worked very hard for, to sacrifice and be part of this very expensive community.”***The Town of Southampton Youth Bureau will host two upcoming events showcasing local young talent, including the 2026 Hamptons Got Talent competition and the 23rd annual Battle of the Bands.Hamptons Got Talent is scheduled for Friday, May 1, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Westhampton Beach High School. Eleven local middle and high school students will perform in front of a panel of professional judges, competing for prize packages that include gift certificates from Bay Street Theater, the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, Hampton Theatre Company, Dream Recording Studios, Edgewater Restaurant, Guild Hall and Hampton Coffee Co., among others.Audience members will have the opportunity to win giveaways and vote for a People’s Choice Award. Admission is free and open to the public.So, Hamptons Got Talent is scheduled for Friday, May 1, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Westhampton Beach High School.The Southampton Town Youth Bureau is also accepting applications for its 23rd annual Battle of the Bands competition, scheduled for Friday, June 5, from 8 to 11 p.m. at Ponquogue Beach in Hampton Bays, with a rain date of June 12. Bands interested in participating must submit applications and demo recordings by 4 p.m. on Friday, May 8, 2026. Submissions can be mailed or delivered to the Southampton Youth Bureau, 655 Flanders Road, Flanders, NY 11901.For more information, call the Southampton Youth Bureau at 631-702-2425 or visit southamptontownny.gov/youthbureau.***New scientific findings presented yesterday in downtown Riverhead point to worsening threats in Long Island’s coastal waters, including harmful algal blooms, low-oxygen zones and environmental conditions that promote dangerous bacteria, according to Stony Brook University coastal ecologist Christopher Gobler.Speaking on the Peconic River boardwalk in Riverhead, ahead of Friday’s annual State of the Bays symposium to take place at Stony Brook University in Southampton, Gobler said water bodies across Long Island failed to meet state and federal water quality standards last year and that 2026 is already off to a troubling start. He had a map of Long Island on display depicting “dozens and dozens of locations in our estuaries and our harbors and our bays and our lakes and our ponds” that didn’t meet water quality standards in 2025. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that among the most serious concerns are harmful algal blooms in both freshwater and marine waters, shellfish closures tied to paralytic shellfish poisoning and low-oxygen “dead zones” that harm marine life.Gobler said three Southold water bodies are currently closed to shellfishing because of paralytic shellfish poisoning and that the western half of Shinnecock Bay is also closed.Gobler said nearly three dozen Long Island locations are also experiencing hypoxic conditions, with dissolved oxygen levels below the state standard of 3 milligrams per liter.“Every hour that a water body spends below three milligrams per liter is an hour that is doing harm to marine life,” said Professor Gobler.The annual State of the Bays symposium is scheduled for this coming Friday in Stony Brook Southampton’s Avram Theater at 7 p.m. The event is free to attend and open to the public. For more information and to reserve free tickets, visit the Stony Brook Southampton website.***The Town of East Hampton and the Village of East Hampton are advancing legislation to bar police from cooperating with federal agencies on civil immigration enforcement — becoming the first East End municipalities to back the proposal.The proposal would also require police departments to notify newly created task forces about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities if their officers were called to respond to a raid. Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that the two municipalities are the first to support a "public safety and accountability” bill originally drafted by Organización Latino Americana - OLA of Eastern Long Island, Inc. - a Latino advocacy nonprofit based in East Hampton. Drafting the proposal was also assisted by former NYS Assemb. Fred Thiele, an OLA board member. OLA has been lobbying East End municipalities that have police departments to adopt the proposal since early February.“It's an important step in reassuring the public that our police department is doing the right thing,” East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen said in an interview. “The last thing we want is local police being involved in immigration ... because if people can't trust the local...
Transcribe →23 Long Island schools flagged for subpar academic performance
Apr 2100:10:06Tap to summarizeTwenty-three schools in 16 Long Island districts have been flagged for subpar academic performance in the state's latest accountability ratings, a Newsday analysis has found. More than half of the schools — 15 — were classified as needing targeted support and improvement, also known as TSI. Six were designated as needing additional targeted support and improvement, or ATSI.Two schools, one in Hempstead and another in Riverhead, were marked as needing comprehensive support and improvement, known as CSI. That designation means the schools are ranked among the bottom 5% of schools statewide. There was good news as well, though. Central Islip had no schools on the state's needs-improvement list for the first time in more than a decade.Brentwood, Wyandanch, William Floyd, Patchogue-Medford and Westhampton Beach also were taken off the list this year. Maureen Mullarkey reports in NEWSDAY that the number of schools in Nassau and Suffolk on the 2025-26 list dropped from 29 the year prior but was higher than the 11 identified in 2023-24.Educators have argued that the improvement labels unfairly stigmatize schools. Officials in some of the districts identified in this year’s list criticized the designations, saying they were based on the performance of a small subgroup of students and are not indicative of the student body as a whole. Others cited outside factors, like increased immigration enforcement in their communities, as having a negative impact on their schools.State officials said the accountability ratings offer “an opportunity” to improve academic outcomes. The data used for identification can help educators zero in on learning gaps, they argued.Rachel Connors, a NYS Education Department spokeswoman, told NEWSDAY that the accountability system is not intended to "diminish the work of educators, but to highlight where additional support and resources are needed.”“We understand and respect that educators work incredibly hard every day to support their students, and that no single designation can fully capture the full story of a school community including its culture, relationships, or the progress happening in classrooms,” she emphasized.***Crossing Long Island Sound will cost you more after both the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry and the Cross Sound Ferry announced fare increases due to current fuel prices. Dandan Zou and Michael R. Ebert report in NEWSDAY that this week, the Cross Sound Ferry in Orient listed its fuel surcharge as 9.5%. That's actually down from 10.7% recently, the company reported on its website."Due to the volatility of fuel costs, Cross Sound Ferry uses a floating fuel surcharge," the ferry said on its website. "The fuel surcharge is a percentage applied to all published fares, and is based on our most recent fuel costs." Cross Sound Ferry is a passenger and road vehicle ferry service operating between New London, Connecticut and Orient. As of last Wednesday, the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry enacted a 4.5% fuel surcharge to all ferry fees, increasing one way tickets from $74 to $77 off-peak and from $76 to $79 peak for a vehicle with a passenger."This surcharge will be reviewed weekly and may be adjusted upward or downward based on fuel costs and market conditions," the ferry website said. "Any revised fuel surcharge will be posted in advance and, unless otherwise stated, will take effect on Wednesdays."***ReWild Long Island will launch the fourth summer of its South Fork internship program in 2026, offering high school students hands-on experience in sustainability, food security and environmental stewardship.The Summer Program to Fight Hunger and Climate Change is open to rising freshmen through seniors and provides modest stipends along with environmental education focused on Long Island’s unique ecology.Applications for both interns and volunteers opened April 1 and are available to the end of this month.ReWild Long Island also welcomes adult mentors and volunteers to support its South Fork chapter.For more information or to apply, visit the program page at rewildlongisland.org/summerprogram.***Framing April 20th NOT as a celebration of cannabis culture but as a public-health warning, Suffolk County officials, law enforcement leaders and addiction treatment providers gathered yesterday at Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research in Calverton to sound the alarm about cannabis use disorder, cannabis-induced psychosis, youth access to THC products and drugged driving. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that Monday’s event, hosted by Wellbridge, featured Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, District Attorney Ray Tierney, Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr., Suffolk police Chief of Department William Doherty, Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin and clinicians from Wellbridge and Outreach Development Corp.Again and again, speakers returned to one central point: marijuana may be legal in New York but driving while impaired by cannabis is not.D.A. Tierney said his office has prosecuted cases involving fatal crashes, children sickened by THC-laced edibles and illegal sales to minors. He cited the 2023 death of Franklin Blake in Southampton, saying the driver who struck and killed him was high on cannabis and Xanax.But while the public officials focused largely on impaired driving and enforcement, the most detailed warnings about cannabis itself came from the treatment providers and clinicians.Dr. Edmond Hakimi, Wellbridge’s medical director, said the cannabis now commonly available is far more potent than marijuana used decades ago and argued that the rise in high-THC products has changed the risk profile dramatically.“It’s not the same drug anymore,” Hakimi said, describing cannabis concentrates with THC levels far above those seen in plant marijuana in past decades.Hakimi said Wellbridge is seeing patients admitted for treatment for cannabis use alone and said clinicians are increasingly concerned about psychiatric consequences, particularly among frequent users of high-potency products and among younger people whose brains are still developing.He described patients arriving paranoid, hallucinating and, in some cases, losing touch with reality. He also warned that regular cannabis use can be especially risky for people with a personal or family history of mental illness.Romaine and Tierney both pressed for changes in state law and better roadside tools for detecting cannabis impairment. Romaine said lawmakers need to address the gap between legalization and enforcement, arguing there is still no marijuana equivalent of a Breathalyzer. Tierney said technology exists but is not yet in use.That difficulty is reflected in federal guidance as well. The CDC says cannabis can impair driving but also notes that linking THC levels in a person’s body to actual driving impairment is far more complicated than it is with alcohol. *** Yesterday, the Trump administration took its first steps toward issuing tariff refunds with the launch of a web platform through U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Brianne Ledda reports in NEWSDAY that the system follows a Supreme Court ruling that found the president had exceeded his authority last April when he cited the U.S. trade deficit as a national emergency to invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act {IEEPA} a 1977 emergency powers law. The decision did not order the government to repay the tariffs, but a judge at the U.S. Court of International Trade determined last month that businesses subjected to IEEPA taxes should see refunds.Customs and Border Protection has noted that the refund process is being rolled out in phases."Importers and brokers can visit CBP’s website for resources and step-by-step guidance," an agency spokesperson told Newsday.Stacey Sikes, acting president and CEO of the Long Island Association, a regional business nonprofit, called the refund portal's launch "welcome news" that could help businesses experiencing tariff-induced financial challenges to recoup money, "especially at a time when they are navigating other uncertainties.""Hopefully the processing of refunds will be expeditious," she said.At a media event on Monday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also highlighted the refunds, as well as the added burdens that tariffs pose as many in the state struggle with continued inflation."Remember, everyday New Yorkers also paid the price," she said. "$13.5 billion is the additional cost that has been imposed on New Yorkers alone because of the Trump tariffs, and that's about $1,700 per the average family."New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with 21 other state attorneys general and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, sued in March to stop tariffs implemented under the Trade Act of 1974, which the administration used to impose a 10% import tax on imports for 150 days starting Feb. 24. The suit also seeks refunds for tariffs collected under the law.***Until tomorrow, the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons is accepting applications for scholarship grants through its Karish Education Fund, supporting students pursuing studies in horticulture and related fields.Eligible applicants include graduating high school seniors, college students and individuals enrolled in professional certification programs in disciplines such as agriculture, botany, landscape architecture, garden design and environmental science. Applications are due by Earth Day, April 22….that’s tomorrow.The fund honors Paul Karish, a founding member of th...
Transcribe →East End police to take part in "No Empty Chair" statewide campaign for safe teen driving
Apr 2000:10:04Tap to summarizeSouthampton Town police said yesterday that they rescued a kayaker marooned on a sandbar due to rough seas in the Great Peconic Bay.Janon Fisher reports in NEWSDAY that police responded to a 911 call around 4:30 p.m. Sunday from the boater who said that she was stranded about 500 feet northeast of the Shinnecock Canal, in Hampton Bays, according to a news release.Before help arrived, the kayaker jumped into the water, but was found and pulled from the water by the Southampton Town Marine Patrol.During the rescue, an officer suffered a leg injury “due to the sea conditions,” according to the release.Marine Patrol took the woman to the Meschutt County Park where Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance workers treated her for hypothermia.The injured officer was taken to a hospital for treatment.The U.S. Coast Guard, which also responded, recovered the woman’s kayak.***Long Island's homeless population rose 32% between 2022 and 2024, according to a report from the New York State Comptroller’s Office. According to the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, as of 2024, there were approximately 500 families with children in shelter and over 1,100 single adults in shelter. Mike Giuffrida, the coalition's associate director, told NEWSDAY that homelessness and displacements are on the rise due to lack of affordable housing in Nassau and Suffolk.***Island Water Park Corp., which owns the Calverton amusement park, has filed a new application to amend its site plan to allow drifting events, the use of battery-powered bumper boats on the site’s manmade lake, a floating dock for the boats, a fire-suppression well drawing water from the lake and a zip line over a portion of the water.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that approval of the application would require the Riverhead Town Board to amend a covenant imposed as part of the June 17, 2025, site plan approval prohibiting use of the track by any vehicles other than go-karts. It would also require amendment of an earlier recorded covenant restricting the lake to nonmotorized watercraft.That go-kart-only restriction was not incidental. It was one of the conditions the Riverhead Town Board relied on in March 2025 when it issued a conditional negative declaration under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, finding that no further environmental review was required for the then-pending site plan application.Island Water Park’s new application came before the Town Board at its work session this past Thursday, where Senior Planner Greg Bergman outlined the proposal and cautioned that the track restriction was tied directly to the 2025 SEQRA determination because go-karts were viewed as having more limited impacts than other vehicles.Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin, who acknowledged meeting with company representatives some time before the work session, expressed support for the application, and support for following procedures.“Like every other business in town, you’re here. We want you to be successful. You have a CO. We want to make sure we’re going through every step…and how we can assist them…So thank you for presenting, “said Supervisor Halpin.***East End police officers will take part in the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee’s “No Empty Chair” campaign beginning today through Friday, with enforcement and education efforts focused on teen driving safety. School resource officers and patrol officers will participate in outreach and enforcement aimed at reducing dangerous driving during prom and graduation season.The traffic safety committee’s message to teens is simple.“Be buckled up. Be a cell-free motorist. Be a sober driver. Be in your chair on graduation day.”The statewide campaign runs today through Friday, April 24.The campaign includes daily enforcement themes this week.Monday, April 20: underage drinking and impaired drivingTuesday, April 21: seat belts and child restraintsWednesday, April 22: cell phone use and textingThursday, April 23: Operation Safe StopFriday, April 24: speeding in school zonesThe campaign is intended to raise awareness of highway dangers and promote safe driving habits among young motorists, police said. State and local law enforcement agencies are expected to increase patrols near high schools and focus on violations of the Graduated Driver Licensing law and other traffic offenses.For more information, visit trafficsafety.ny.gov.***East Hampton Town officials are poised to block driving on town-owned portions of Gin Beach in Montauk, a popular destination for bathing, during the summer season between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that this change comes because town officials, at the behest of Marine Patrol, say the beach is a lifeguarded one, popular among families with small children, which means beach driving should be blocked during the times when there is a lifeguard on duty. The change would take effect the Thursday before Memorial Day and run until September 15.But the move drew pushback at an East Hampton Town Board public hearing earlier this month, with William Jakob from the Montauk Surfcasters Association saying that imposing beach driving restrictions is a slippery slope. Gin Beach, he said, is one with a long history of fishing. Others echoed Jakob’s thoughts, saying that the Town Board should appreciate longstanding local traditions. “The town has been fundamentally available for beach driving for generations,” Jakob said. “This was a fishing town. It still is a fishing town.”Jakob called for the Town Board to leave beach driving on Gin Beach open to the public and not block that to make way for sunbathing, saying the latter is a new phenomenon that started in the 1900s.The East Hampton Town Board, though, put itself in a position to move forward with the restrictions, which would only apply to the town-owned portions just north of the parking lot, at a work session last week. A unanimous Town Board backed the changes.Other beaches in the area that are lifeguarded — like Hither Hills, Indian Wells and Atlantic Avenue — also have seasonal driving restrictions.Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez spoke supportively for the measure, like her colleagues on the Town Board and Chief Harbormaster Tim Treadwell. With majority support, the measure is ready for adoption when a resolution appears.“This beach is used by a lot of families with small kids,” Burke-Gonzalez said. “They're not ready to take them to the ocean yet — and we want to protect public safety, so I'm supportive as well.”***New York State has receded as a key battleground in the contest for control of the U.S. House, with independent analysts pointing to Texas, North Carolina, Maine and Ohio as better opportunities for Republicans. Billy House reports in NEWSDAY that Long Island and other areas of New York State had been projected to be among the nation's pivotal battlegrounds heading into this fall’s midterm elections. Instead, Republicans have struggled to recruit or keep top-tier candidates in the Hudson Valley, central New York and this past week in Nassau County, where former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito decided not to run.Nationwide, Democrats need a net pickup of just three districts in the 435-member chamber to wrest the majority from Republicans. That means Republicans need to defend the seats they have and counter any losses with gains elsewhere.New York had been seen as a key focus of that aim."New York is less central to the battle for control of the House because the national environment for Democrats has improved," said Erin Covey, a nonpartisan handicapper with the Cook Political Report.On Long Island, 3 congressional races in Nassau County seem competitive. Republican Nick LaLota’s 1st Congressional District in eastern Suffolk County is not seen as very competitive.***Brookhaven National Laboratory physicist William Morse is part of a team of scientists honored Saturday night with a Breakthrough Prize, one of science's top honors.Morse and his fellow researchers were honored for their studies of an obscure subatomic particle known as a muon. Scientists believe the muon's unstable nature helps to explain cosmic anomalies such as Mercury's erratic orbit around the sun.The Breakthrough Prize comes with a $3 million award split among dozens of scientists involved in the research, officials said.Carl MacGowan reports in NEWSDAY that the 78 year old Morse of East Patchogue and the others are credited with significant scientific advances in a quest begun in Europe six decades ago to fine-tune physicists’ understanding of the enigmatic muon.The research led Morse and the Brookhaven lab at one point to shut down William Floyd Parkway to carry a 17-ton superconducting magnet more than 3,000 miles by truck and barge to Illinois.And yet in spite of the award, more work remains, added Morse.“The theorists say they need another two or three years of calculations,” he said.***Allowing a Westhampton property owner to clear brush and trees in the pine barrens to protect against wildfires would set a dangerous precedent for the forest’s ecosystem, the Long Island Central Pine Barrens Commission has ruled. Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that commissioners voted unanimously last Wednesday to deny the application made by Joseph Gazza, a commercial property owner who sought to clear up to 100 feet around six properties he owns a...
Transcribe →Southampton Town Highway Dept. to begin pedestrian enhancement in Noyac
Apr 1700:10:08Tap to summarizeAfter keeping their social distance from trains during the height of the pandemic, weekend Long Island Rail Road riders are back in a big way, and then some, according to a new state report.Alfonso A. Castillo and Joseph Ostapiuk report in NEWSDAY that according to the report by the office of NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, weekend ridership on the LIRR was 27% higher last year than in 2019 — a year in which the railroad set a modern ridership record. The boom in Saturday and Sunday demand has helped offset lagging weekday rush hour ridership, which remains nearly 40% down from pre-COVID levels, according to MTA data.Officials and riders attributed the railroad's surging weekend ridership to several factors, such as the boost in service that came with the opening of Grand Central Madison, and the growing cost of driving.LIRR ticket prices have also recently increased. But new discount promotions have reduced the cost for families traveling on the LIRR on weekends.The LIRR averaged 267,567 riders each weekend in 2025, up from 210,313 in 2019. The railroad's weekend ridership has been trending up for years, beating 2019 levels in nearly every month since 2023, when the railroad opened Grand Central Madison and significantly boosted service levels to accommodate a second Manhattan terminal.Although the LIRR's overall ridership has bounced back faster than the MTA predicted, the railroad closed out 2025 still down about 8% from pre-COVID levels.Among all Metropolitan Transportation Authority agencies, including subways, city buses and Metro-North, the LIRR on weekends is "the only transit mode analyzed where ridership has fully recovered and even improved compared to the pre-pandemic baseline," the report said.But weekend ridership recovery has outpaced the MTA’s expectations across all its agencies since the pandemic, when trains and buses were largely empty for months. After carrying 91 million passengers in 2019 — the most in 70 years — LIRR ridership plummeted to just 30 million in 2020. Last year, it was nearly 82 million, buoyed by particularly strong weekend crowds.***Later this month, Southampton Town Highway Department crews will begin work on a long-awaited pedestrian enhancement project in Noyac that will bring sidewalks and crosswalks to a more than 2-mile stretch of Noyac Road, improving pedestrian accessibility and safety along the busy corridor. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that Southampton Town Highway Superintendent Charles McArdle and engineer Nick Jimenez were on hand at the Noyac Civic Council meeting last week to discuss the plan, which is being fully funded by the Town of Southampton. Jimenez and McArdle said they expected crews to start breaking ground on April 27, but cautioned that the project will take much longer to complete than the recent repaving and restriping of Noyac Road, which was done in about a week. This project could take up to 12 weeks to complete.On the bright side, McArdle and Jimenez said there was a good chance the sidewalks would be finished before the height of the summer season, as long as the weather cooperates. If there are extended delays, and the traffic becomes untenable as the summer season bears down, it’s possible the project would require a break and then be picked back up in September to complete.Sidewalks and several crosswalks will be added down a roughly 2.5-mile stretch of Noyac Road, starting at Ruggs Path east of Trout Pond Park and will continue easterly along Noyac Road, past Serene Green, to Cove Avenue East, where it will meet an existing sidewalk that extends all the way to Sag Harbor Village.The sidewalks will predominantly be on the south side of the road, but will be installed on the north side at certain points, including near MJ Dowlings and Jimmy Jim’s. Several new crosswalks will be installed, along with the diamond-shaped pedestrian crossing signs with blinking lights. The Noyac Civic Council leadership strongly urged members who live along that stretch to review the plans, which can be found in detail at noyac.org.***Shelter Island Friends of Music presents Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, on piano in concert tomorrow at 6pm in Shelter Island Presbyterian Church. A full capacity crowd is expected so you are encouraged to arrive early to get a seat. Due to fire code regulations, organizers cannot guarantee seating once that capacity is reached. Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner has emerged as one of the most compelling pianists of his generation.Saturday’s concert is free; donations are greatly appreciated. The performance will begin promptly at 6 pm tomorrow in Shelter Island Presbyterian Church with no intermission.You are invited to a reception with Llewellyn immediately following the concert! For further info visit the Shelter Island Friends of Music website at sifriendsofmusic.org ***Gov. Kathy Hochul…running for reelection as the Democratic party candidate in this year’s gubernatorial race…is getting politically pulled further to the left on New York’s sanctuary policies – now saying she supports banning nearly all cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE. Vaughn Golden reports in The N.Y. POST that Governor Hochul, who proposed a slate of anti-ICE measures at the start of this year, yesterday unveiled several new restrictions that she wants to put into state law as part of the ongoing budget negotiations with the Democrat-controlled Legislature.“I just want to have more protections in place that I think are long overdue. So I’m anxious to get this done,” Hochul told reporters at a quickly assembled press event in Albany Thursday afternoon.Among the newly announced measures was a ban on police cooperating with federal immigration enforcement agents — unless it involves a criminal conviction or cops have “probable cause” to suspect someone of a misdemeanor or felony offense. “Local cops should be focused on local crimes, keeping our streets safe … not doing ICE’s job,” she said. Hochul also wants to ban US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from wearing masks, though it’s unclear how the state would be able to enforce such a mandate. The proposed legislation would make it a misdemeanor for an ICE agent to wear a mask in the State of New York.And it would expand the list of public areas where ICE is prohibited from operating without a judicial warrant, to include virtually any public land like parks, shelters and “housing accommodations.”Hochul also said that ICE agents, for example, wouldn’t be allowed to operate alongside a local police DWI checkpoint.“We’re talking about basically separating out civil infractions, vehicle and traffic law, for example, and other areas that they’ve been using as ruses,” she said.“There’s sometimes ICE officers, are at a DWI stop, are at a traffic stop. Like why are they there? Explain to me why they’re there,” she questioned.The new policy would also create an overarching ban on any public employee using state resources, including their working hours, to aid federal immigration authorities.It means New York would essentially have a blanket sanctuary state law on its books. Hochul, during her tenure, has continued to extend an executive order signed in 2018 by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo barring state employees and law enforcement from helping immigration authorities.The Democratic incumbent is now expanding her initial anti-ICE proposal unveiled in January following talks with the legislature, coinciding with her $263 billion spending and policy plan, which was due April 1.***New York will lose more than $73.5 million in federal money because the Transportation Department said yesterday that the State of New York has refused to revoke nearly 33,000 questionable commercial driver's licenses for immigrants since an audit uncovered problems last year.The department said that more than half of the 200 licenses reviewed during the audit had significant problems such as remaining valid long after an immigrant was authorized to be in the country. So the state was ordered to review all of this type of licenses and revoke illegal ones.As reported by The Associated Press and posted on NEWSDAY.com, the federal government has reviewed records related to these non-domiciled CDLs in every state since Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy put a spotlight on this issue after an August crash in Florida that killed three people. Most states have either complied or are in negotiations with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, but California has lost $200 million. Several other states — including Pennsylvania, Minnesota and North Carolina — have been warned they are at risk of losing some funding.“I promised the American people I would hold any state leader accountable for failing to keep them safe from unvetted, unqualified foreign drivers. I’m delivering on that promise today,” Duffy said.Duffy has said that immigrants account for about 20% of all truck drivers nationwide, but these non-domiciled licenses immigrants can receive only represent about 5% of all commercial driver’s licenses or about 200,000 drivers. New York issued 32,606 of them. New rules the Transportation Department has announced will prevent 97% of those foreign drivers from getting a commercial license again.New York officials have defended their licensing practices and said they are complying with federal law and that audits during the first Trump administration supported that.Trucking industry groups have praised the Transportation Department's efforts to get unqualified drivers off the road...
Transcribe →Arrests made over charges of bribery within East Hampton Town
Apr 1600:10:14Tap to summarizeArrests made after an investigation cloaked in strict secrecy and undertaken by the Suffolk County district attorney’s office, over charges that staffers were taking bribes to expedite permits, sent shockwaves through East Hampton Town last week.At the helm in that office at that time was former East Hampton Town Chief Building Inspector Joe Palermo, who was the first to notice — and report — what looked like unusual patterns: Building permits that should take weeks to process were being approved in a matter of days. His reports nearly two years ago ultimately launched an investigation by the district attorney’s office that ultimately led to two people being charged and indicted on five counts of receiving bribes, a class D felony, and five counts of official misconduct, a misdemeanor.Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that Evelyn Calderon, a suspended office staffer, and Ryan Benitez, a former building inspector, are now awaiting their next court date, which is slated for May 21.“We did such a huge volume in the Town Building Department — it's always, always busy,” Palermo said. “A mistake can always happen. But, usually, if something happens, you look into it and you make sure you correct it.”One example came where a pool was being constructed outside a double setback. The Building Department sent the applicant to the Zoning Board of Appeals, and Palermo realized that the permit was turned around almost immediately. Typically, such a permit would get logged in, and the total turnaround would be around four weeks.Palermo, at that time, began to get suspicious — and those suspicions were echoed elsewhere in the department. Others began to point out discrepancies.“That’s when I realized what was going on,” Palermo said.Palermo, who had been asking town officials what he should do, was told to observe and document — take notes, make copies — any actions that appeared suspicious, as his reports were being investigated.Suffolk D.A. spokeswoman Emily O’Neill said interviews with the people who are said to have paid Calderon is what ultimately unraveled the scheme. This is how the D.A.’s office got word that Calderon would allegedly send half the money to Benitez as part of the stated operation.The Suffolk County D.A. investigation did not involve working with the leaders of the local government. Investigations of that nature require strict secrecy, O’Neill said, to bring them to a successful conclusion. However, she said, the East Hampton Town attorney’s office did initially bring the stated issue forward, and a former employee in the Building Department was a “huge help and important resource.”***The group of five residents who are suing Southampton Village for following through with a land swap plan that would alienate Lola Prentice Memorial Park as part of a plan to build a sewage treatment plant have filed a petition for civil contempt against the Southampton Village Board. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that the filing stems from a vote that the board took at its meeting on March 12 to support the passage of a pair of bills in the New York State Assembly and Senate — sponsored by Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni and Senator Anthony Palumbo — to alienate the park as part of the land swap. The plaintiffs have said that the board’s support of this, and involving the park in the plan, violates a 2019 Suffolk County Supreme Court injunction that ordered the village to use the park “for education or recreational purposes only.”In the petition, the plaintiffs argue that by voting for this resolution, the board “disobeyed the order” despite alleging that “each respondent had knowledge of the order prior to undertaking the above described actions…The aforesaid actions taken by the village and Village Board, collectively and individually, have impaired, frustrated and prejudiced each of the petitioners’ rights and benefits obtained by the order,” the petition reads.Southampton Village’s current plan is to acquire the property at 135 Windmill Lane, currently home to The Express News Group, demolish the building and turn it into a new dog park. The plant would be located on village-owned property behind the ambulance barn, while leach fields would be located underground at the current park.If a judge finds that members of the board acted in contempt of court, they could be subject to fines or possible jail time.The village is holding an information session about the sewer plan this coming Saturday, April 18, at Southampton Village Hall at 10 a.m. The meeting will also be streamed on Zoom, which multiple attendees lobbied for on April 9.***East End police officers will take part in the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee’s “No Empty Chair” campaign during the week of April 20, with enforcement and education efforts focused on teen driving safety. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that school resource officers and patrol officers will participate in outreach and enforcement aimed at reducing dangerous driving during prom and graduation season.The traffic safety committee’s message to teens is simple.“Be buckled up. Be a cell-free motorist. Be a sober driver. Be in your chair on graduation day.”The statewide campaign runs from Monday, April 20, through Friday, April 24.The campaign includes daily enforcement themes next week.· Monday, April 20: underage drinking and impaired driving· Tuesday, April 21: seat belts and child restraints· Wednesday, April 22: cell phone use and texting· Thursday, April 23: Operation Safe Stop· Friday, April 24: speeding in school zonesThe campaign is intended to raise awareness of highway dangers and promote safe driving habits among young motorists, police said. The release says New York State and local law enforcement agencies will increase patrols near high schools and focus on violations of the Graduated Driver Licensing law and other traffic offenses.For more information, visit trafficsafety.ny.gov.***State budget talks appeared revived yesterday by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s surprise pied-à-terre tax proposal — but several sticking points remain, including her pitches to implement protest buffer zones around houses of worship and to reform auto insurance. Vaughn Golden reports in THE NY POST that Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Westchester) acknowledged “incremental progress” was being made in negotiations behind closed doors, including inching closer to a deal on new anti-ICE measures proposed by Hochul.The governor’s $263 billion state budget proposal was due for approval by April 1.Stewart-Cousins expressed optimism about Hochul’s pitch to slap multi-million dollar second homes in New York City with a new tax. “The pied-a-terre is something that we’d considered and pushed our house before,” she said.Stewart-Cousins said that the Legislature and governor have moved towards compromises on two major issues that were at an impasse – delays to the state’s controversial climate law’s mandates and new policies meant to further restrict local governments’ ability to work with federal immigration enforcement agents.The New York 4 All bill would effectively implement statewide sanctuary policies.Still, Stewart Cousins admitted there’s little hope of resolving talks ahead of the three-week-late mark next Tuesday.Hochul and lawmakers remain far apart on her proposed changes to liability statutes meant to change the definition of “serious injury” as to cut down on car accident fraud and thus theoretically lower insurance rates on everyday drivers.New issues are also starting to bubble towards the surface of the closed-door negotiations, such as resistance to Hochul’s pitch to restrict protests within 25 feet of a house of worship in response to antisemitic demonstrations outside of synagogues, including a particularly rowdy November protest outside the historic Park East synagogue in Manhattan.Lawmakers are set to vote again today on another stop gap spending measure to keep state workers paid.***The Riverhead Fire Department will host a recruitment event this coming Sunday afternoon, April 19, from 4 to 7 p.m. at department headquarters, 540 Roanoke Ave., in Riverhead…inviting community members to learn what it takes to become a volunteer firefighter. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that all are welcome to stop by and speak with department members and officers about joining the all-volunteer department, training requirements, benefits and the application process, Riverhead Fire Chief Pete Kurzyna said.The department is seeking new recruits at a time when volunteer fire departments across Long Island and New York continue to face recruitment challenges.“Once you get the feeling of getting on that truck and helping people out, you want to respond to every call,” Kurzyna said.To be eligible to join, applicants must be at least 18 years old, live within the Riverhead Fire District and possess a valid New York State driver’s license.Kurzyna said there is extensive training during a new member’s first year, but the experience is valuable.“Joining the fire service opens up a lot for your career, especially for a young person,” he said.The department provides training, gear and equipment at no cost, according to recruitment information posted on the Riverhead Fire Department website. Benefits include participation in the Length of Service Awards Program, a free gym membership, professional training and certifications, and opportunities fo...
Transcribe →Riverhead Country Fair not being held on 50th anniversary
Apr 1500:10:10Tap to summarizeA Deer Park orthopedic spinal surgeon, accused of copying and pasting 43 virtually identical surgical reports, has been named in another federal racketeering lawsuit, this time for providing unnecessary spinal surgeries on drivers and passengers involved in allegedly staged motor vehicle crashes with FedEx vehicles.The wide-ranging lawsuit, filed last week by FedEx in New York's Southern District, alleges that Dr. Alexios Apazidis, along with two dozen other physicians, lawyers, chiropractors and radiologists, conspired to bilk the mammoth delivery company through sham lawsuits and inflated medical bills.Robert Brodsky reports in NEWSDAY that the RICO lawsuit is the latest to pull back the veil on what critics contend is an interconnected fraud scheme in which motorists claim catastrophic injuries from motor vehicle crashes that they deliberately caused and then — at the recommendation of their attorneys — seek treatment at preferred medical providers. All of the accidents cited in the lawsuit occurred in the five N.Y.C. boroughs.The FedEx lawsuit, which follows the pattern of similar complaints filed across the country by the ridesharing service Uber, comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul has launched a crackdown on staged vehicle crashes that cause drivers’ insurance premiums to escalate. Long Island, Hochul said recently in Deer Park, has seen an 80% increase in auto premiums since 2019, in large part due to criminal networks that conspire to stage accidents and provide unneeded medical treatment to extort large settlements or insurance payouts."The FedEx RICO case underscores exactly why Governor Hochul's auto insurance reforms are needed now," Hochul spokeswoman Kristin Devoe said in a statement. "This case is not unique and New Yorkers are paying the price for a system that allows loopholes to be exploited by bad actors, driving up premiums across the board for everyone. The governor's proposal is about stopping these scams, lowering premiums and protecting law abiding New Yorkers."Tom Stebbins, executive director of the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York, an advocacy organization that supports the governor's proposed changes, said the lawsuit should serve as a "wake-up call" to state lawmakers who have resisted Hochul's reform measures."States throughout the country are enacting liability reforms for a reason," Stebbins said. "From the Big Apple to the Big Easy, staged car crashes have become big business for crooked doctors and lawyers."The 2026-27 New York State budget was due April 1st. Disagreements continue over policy items, including a climate bill and car insurance reform as well as this “staged accident issue.”***East Hampton Town officials say that multiple pairs of eyes now see each application that comes through the Building Department, ensuring in the wake of a major bribery investigation that all is done above board.The way the beleaguered Building Department handled applications in the past had been “vertical,” in the words of East Hampton Town officials, meaning that each application went to – and stayed with – one building inspector throughout the process. This approach, which town officials said was new, was described, then, as “horizontal.”But they say that the process now mirrors that used in departments in western towns, which have exponentially greater populations but roughly the same number of building applications.Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that East Hampton Town Principal Building Inspector Richard Normoyle took the helm at the Building Department, which had been plagued with a backlog, turnover and lawsuits, late last year, bringing with him a 30-year background in municipal building operations that included employment in western towns, such as Huntington and Babylon.“We're ensuring that this type of thing never takes place by breaking apart some of the responsibilities that the building inspectors previously held by themselves,” Normoyle said this week.“The way the process used to work was once the application came in, the building inspectors would handle the process pretty much from beginning to end,” Normoyle said. “They would review the documents. They would do the inspections. They would write the permit fees. They would write the descriptions. These are now jobs that are going to be broken apart.”But the investigation conducted by the district attorney’s office, which culminated in charges of receiving bribes against Evelyn Calderon, a suspended office staffer, and Ryan Benitez, a former building inspector, was not the only reason for the changes to departmental operations recently undertaken.East Hampton Town officials say the procedural changes are also a means of boosting procedural efficiency in the department, bringing it more in line with the processes that Normoyle saw while he worked in western towns.***Shelter Island Friends of Music presents Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, on piano in concert this coming Saturday, April 18, at 6pm in Shelter Island Presbyterian Church. A full capacity crowd is expected so you are encouraged to arrive early to get a seat. Due to fire code regulations, organizers cannot guarantee seating once that capacity is reached. Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner has emerged as one of the most compelling pianists of his generation.Saturday’s concert is free; donations are greatly appreciated. The performance will begin promptly at 6 pm this coming Saturday in Shelter Island Presbyterian Church with no intermission.You are invited to a reception with Llewellyn immediately following the concert! For further info visit the Shelter Island Friends of Music website at sifriendsofmusic.org.***A defiant Sag Harbor Village Mayor Tom Gardella refused to resign from his post last night after all four of his fellow board members voted in favor of a resolution formally requesting his resignation. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the resolution was one of four additional resolutions that the board added to the meeting agenda related to the mayor’s conduct over the past few months, and to an investigative report that found he’d breached the Village of Sag Harbor’s social media conduct and harassment policies.The board also presented findings of a “pattern of procedural avoidance,” accusing the mayor of “statutory neglect” and “breach of fiduciary duty” related to the budget development process.The board introduced a resolution to waive privilege attached to the investigative report prepared by labor attorney Vince Toomey related to Gardella’s behavior on social media, which included screenshots of his social media posts and interactions with various social media users, including members of the community, as well as emails sent to the village detailing concerns about his conduct.The report recommended that the mayor participate in one-on-one social media and anti-harassment training, which the mayor agreed to at the meeting. The report also stated “that the board may wish to censure the mayor” to “publicly distance” itself from his comments and make it clear they aren’t reflective of the board at large, which the board voted to do.While Mayor Gardella said he welcomed the opportunity to participate in social media and anti-harassment training, he was not willing to go further than that.That report also accused Gardella of “a pattern of procedural avoidance” during the budget preparation, including “systematically bypassing” safeguards like consulting with labor counsel and senior administrative staff and the board. They also highlighted that the mayor had engaged in “unauthorized and unvetted negotiations for selective salary adjustments totaling an estimated $250,000 annually, which would have inflicted a $2,865,970 cumulative fiscal burden on taxpayers over the next decade.”They accused Gardella of assigning indiscriminate raises to staff, and ignoring repeated warnings from senior administrative staff, and said he attempted to shift accountability for his own budget filings onto senior administrative staff.The Sag Harbor Village Board will get together again this coming Friday at 3 p.m. for a special budget meeting before adopting their 2026-27 budget.***The Riverhead Country Fair will not take place this year, the 50th anniversary of the popular event’s founding in 1976. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the country fair committee announced the cancellation in a Facebook post yesterday. The committee has decided to put the country fair “on hold until the downtown construction is completed,” the post said.“We have no place to be,” Sue Young, who serves on the board of directors of Riverhead Townscape, which produces the October event told Riverheadlocal. Construction of downtown buildings on the south side of East Main Street makes use of the East End Arts Council grounds and the eastern portion of the Peconic River parking lot infeasible, Young said. The green space of the East End Arts campus hosts the agriculture and homemakers competitions and displays, while the carnival is held in the eastern area of the parking lot. Both of those sites will very soon become or be in close proximity to construction zones. It’s not clear when the fair might be able to return, or whether the future configuration of the arts council campus or the riverfront parking lot — where a playground is planned —will provide space for the fair after construction is completed, Young said.The fair as we know it was founded by Riverhead Townscape, an organization established during the American bicentennial year of 1976 to beautify do...
Transcribe →Sag Harbor proposed budget would hike village taxes $600 for median home
Apr 1400:10:02Tap to summarizePresident Donald Trump’s attack on Pope Leo XIV offended Long Island Catholics who spoke with Newsday yesterday, including some Republicans who otherwise support the president.They said they disliked Trump saying Leo is "weak on crime" and caters to "the radical left" and Trump subsequently comparing himself to Jesus Christ in an apparently AI-generated image. The image disappeared from Trump's social media on Monday after backlash. Trump then said it was meant to show him working as a doctor for the Red Cross healing people. Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that the Rev. Francis Pizzarelli, a Roman Catholic priest and founder of Hope House Ministries in Port Jefferson, said that "the president really crossed the line when he disrespected the Holy Father and that should not be acceptable to any God-fearing person…It’s just another thing where the president thinks he can really go after someone with an ad hominem attack if they don’t agree with him." Father Pizzarelli added, "I don’t understand why our political leaders have not called him to task with cleaning up his language and to stop demeaning people. He’s the president of the United States. ... At least treat people respectfully."The backlash on Long Island, home to 1.2 million baptized Catholics, came after a poll showed President Trump's standing slipping among Catholics nationwide.Trump won the Catholic vote in the 2024 presidential election by a 12-percentage point margin over Kamala Harris, 55% to 43%. But he now has an approval rating of 48% among Catholics, according to a poll conducted jointly between March 20 and 23 by Republican pollster Shaw & Co. Research and Democratic pollster Beacon Research.***The Long Island Rail Road has fired another worker who admitted to possessing a cloned employee ID card that coworkers used to cover up for his absences.Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that the termination of road car inspector Eric Smith marks the resolution of the last remaining disciplinary case against the 36 employees implicated in the ID card counterfeiting and distribution ring uncovered in a three-year investigation by the office of Metropolitan Transportation Authority Inspector General Daniel Cort, which announced the firing on social media Friday.Exploiting a COVID-era health precaution that suspended the requirement that workers scan their fingers at biometric time clocks, the workers used equipment purchased on Amazon to run off duplicates of employee ID cards, then kept the extra cards at their job locations, including a Ronkonkoma facility where Smith worked, investigators said. Employees would use the cloned cards to swipe coworkers in and out when they arrived to work late, left early or took extended breaks, according to investigators.MTA payroll records show Smith, who worked for the LIRR since 1997, made $164,925 in 2024, the most recent year for which data was available.LIRR officials have said they’ve taken several measures to prevent employee wage abuse in the future, installing security cameras near time clocks and mandating regular audits of worker facilities by managers. In September 2024, the MTA reinstated the finger-scanning requirement at biometric time clocks.***The Peconic Baykeeper will be leading two marsh cleanups, on Saturday April 18 and Saturday April 26. After the destruction wreaked around our coastlines by ice on the bays this winter much help is needed. Mike Wright reports on 27east.com that the April 19 Meadow Lane Marsh and Shoreline Community Cleanup event will focus on the vast marshlands along the Shinnecock Bay shoreline off Meadow Lane in Southampton Village.The Baykeeper will have a 10-yard dumpster on site for disposing of the collected junk. Baykeeper Peter Topping says “the more the merrier” for volunteers!The gang will be gathering at the Dune Beach parking area in Southampton at 9 a.m. this Saturday.There will be complimentary beer and wine, courtesy of the Southampton Publick House, for those volunteers over 21.The second event, Saturday April 26, will focus on the Sag Harbor shorelines and will start at the Breakwater Yacht Club at 10:30 a.m.For more information about either event, call the Baykeeper’s offices at 631-653-4804***New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is taking off the gloves, accusing the powerful trial lawyers lobbying group of outright lying about her plan aimed at saving a bundle on car insurance.Carl Campanile reports in THE NY POST that Governor Hochul is proposing changing the legal definition of “serious injury” to cut down on frivolous and fraudulent claims such as staged accidents and to cap the damages victims can receive if they are uninsured, convicted of impaired driving, or have a felony conviction connected to the accident.At a recent press conference, the Trial Lawyers Association — accompanied by Assemblywoman Jen Lunsford (D-Rochester) — presented a handful of cases of accident victims, claiming Hochul’s proposal would have negatively impacted their ability to collect damages. But the Hochul administration reviewed the cases and claimed none of the victims would have been impacted by her proposal.“Exploiting victims of serious accidents to peddle false information and misconstrue facts is a new low,” a Hochul spokesperson said. “The governor’s auto insurance proposals are a common sense way to root out fraud, waste and abuse, without stripping legitimate victims of their rightful compensation. While special interests continue to put profits first, Governor Hochul will continue to focus on driving down costs for New Yorkers.”In response, a Trial Lawyers Association rep called Hochul’s analysis “blatantly false.”“These claims are blatantly false, just like the fiction being sold to the public that this plan will result in savings.” Hochul’s proposals “incentivize the defendant to drag out the case, aiming to shift just enough blame onto the victim to avoid paying anything at all.”A grieving family “could be left with nothing”—based on a disputed allocation of fault—under the governor’s plan, the TLA rep said.Data show that New York drivers pay the highest car insurance rates in the nation, shelling out more than $4,000 on average.NY POST sources say the auto insurance issue is one of the major hold-ups in adopting a new state budget, which was due April 1.***Sag Harbor has proposed a new budget that hikes village taxes by $600 for the median home, but officials are looking to scale back the increase before adopting a final plan.Mayor Thomas Gardella's $18.4 million budget proposal would increase spending by 16% in the next year. It would raise the village tax levy from $9.2 million to $10.5 million, which would result in a tax hike of just under $600 for a home assessed at the median market value of $1.5 million, according to Alexandra Balserus, the village treasurer.Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that the current budget totals $15.9 million. The new fiscal year runs from June 1 through May 31, 2027.Mayor Gardella said the Village of Sag Harbor is imposing a hefty increase this time, but future ones would likely be smaller. He described the tentative plan as a “wish list.” The mayor and trustees have already begun identifying areas for cuts so the tax hike is smaller.“We want to definitely set that rate to where we take that initial hit and then as we move forward, as the years go by, we can achieve where we want to be without having to go back to the taxpayer again for anything substantial,” Gardella said when he introduced the budget during a recent meeting.The budget proposes using $582,487 in reserves to offset tax increases. But some officials said they are wary of dipping into the fund balance, arguing it could jeopardize the village's credit rating.Officials have outlined possible trims to the tentative spending plan. Among them is a proposed $150,000 cut for traffic mitigation measures. A study is underway but the village does not have a cost estimate for implementing potential recommendations, which could include rearranging crosswalks. Funding for improvements could come from outside grants or future budgets, officials said.Sag Harbor officials also proposed trimming $30,000 from the $150,000 set aside for consultants who conduct environmental and traffic reviews required for large construction projects. Village officials said those costs have been underbudgeted in past years. Developers pay a portion of the expense.***The Children’s Museum of the East End (CMEE) will host an Earth Day Swap Party this coming Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its location in Bridgehampton.The free, family-friendly event invites community members to donate gently used books, puzzles and sports equipment between now and April 18, then return to “swap” items during the event. Organizers say the initiative promotes sustainability while giving children access to new-to-them recreational and educational materials.Accepted donation items include complete puzzles, board books, children’s graphic novels and a range of sports gear such as shin guards, cleats, helmets, balls, bats, hockey and lacrosse sticks, as well as balance bikes and scooters.Admission is free, and advance registration is encouraged. Visit cmee.org.That’s the Earth Day Swap Party at CMEE in Bridgehampton this coming Saturday at 1 p.m. ***The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has dropped into Montauk this spring to remove wooden beach access walkways damaged in the storms of 2023 and 2024 that have since sat dilapidated and blocked off.Tucked on the edge of downtown Montauk, ...
Transcribe →Suffolk County may be declared "disaster area" over oyster crop
Apr 1300:10:07Tap to summarizeThe Trump administration's $2.2 trillion budget proposal prioritizes defense spending while proposing significant cuts to domestic programs, notably targeting New York and other blue states for alleged program mismanagement.Proposed cuts include eliminating the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, prompting bipartisan opposition from local lawmakers concerned about the high cost of energy.Lawmakers and officials, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, criticize the budget for exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis and prioritizing military spending over essential domestic programs.Laura Figueroa Hernandez reports in NEWSDAY that the proposed budget also calls for the elimination of the $3.3 billion Community Development Block Grant program, which has long been used by municipalities to build affordable housing and improve blighted neighborhoods, and cutting $393 million in federal funding for homeless programs.Members of Long Island’s congressional delegation have raised concerns about some of the cuts, particularly to the heating and cooling assistance program that the administration tried unsuccessfully to eliminate last year and as well as during Trump's first four years in office. Those attempts failed amid bipartisan pushback, and lawmakers told Newsday they’re prepared to fight again for the program. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), noting he is "the only Northeast Republican on the House Appropriations Committee," said that last year he helped secure support for an additional $20 million in funding for the LIHEAP program, but he also blamed Hochul and state lawmakers for not doing enough to keep energy prices down."I will continue fighting to support LIHEAP so Long Island families can afford their energy bills and stay safe," LaLota said.Another Suffolk County U.S. Congressman, Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), told NEWSDAY, "Cutting LIHEAP is the wrong approach for those already struggling with high energy costs, especially in high-cost regions like Long Island, where energy bills can be a real burden." Garbarino noted that during past attempts to cut the program he has led a bipartisan effort in support of maintaining its funding.***The East End’s representatives to the New York State Legislature have introduced new legislation that would give commercial fishermen immediate relief from the state’s fuel tax, as a way to ease the burden of skyrocketing gas prices. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that since the Trump administration ordered U.S. military forces to join an Israeli assault on Iran, the per gallon price of the diesel fuel their boats run on has more than doubled, fishermen said this week.Commercial fishermen are entitled to relief from state taxes, much like farmers are. But, unlike the agriculture industry, they have to pay the full price for their fuel at the pump and then can apply to the state for a rebate, which can take months to get back.The bill introduced last week by NYS Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni of Sag Harbor and State Senator Anthony Palumbo of New Suffolk would give fishermen the break immediately so they do not have to carry the costs of the fuel taxes, as well as the increased burden of the cost of gas until the red tape clears.The state’s three largest commercial fishing ports are all in the 1st Assembly and Senate districts represented by Schiavoni and Palumbo.A similar bill that Palumbo has introduced in the State Senate would extend the fuel tax exemption to charter boat captains, as long as they can show that they earn at least 50 percent of their annual income from running for-hire fishing trips on their vessel.Whether the proposal will win support from the rest of the Legislature and the governor’s office, and how quickly it can be implemented if it does, remains to be seen.New York State budget for fiscal year 2025-2026 has not passed yet. It was due April 1st.***ReWild Long Island will launch the fourth summer of its South Fork internship program in 2026, offering high school students hands-on experience in sustainability, food security and environmental stewardship.The Summer Program to Fight Hunger and Climate Change is open to rising freshmen through seniors and provides modest stipends along with environmental education focused on Long Island’s unique ecology. Students who complete 60 hours of supervised volunteer work will be eligible to receive a $300 stipend. Participants may also choose to complete fewer hours to earn community service credit while still taking part in the educational programming.The program runs from the end of the East Hampton School District academic year in June through Labor Day, connecting students with local residents and nonprofit organizations working to protect biodiversity across the region’s green spaces and waterways. Applications for both interns and volunteers opened April 1 and are available to the end of the month.ReWild Long Island also welcomes adult mentors and volunteers to support its South Fork chapter.For more information or to apply, visit the program page at https://www.rewildlongisland.org/summerprogram.***The Riverhead Zoning Board of Appeals held a lengthy and contentious public hearing last Thursday night on Stony Brook Medicine’s proposal to locate an ambulance storage and service facility in the rear portion of the former Big Lots space at Staples Plaza, 1087 Route 58 in Riverhead.The hearing ended without a decision by the board, which kept the record open for written comments until April 23. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the owner of the shopping center is seeking a zoning code interpretation on whether the proposed use is permitted in the Shopping Center zoning district, or, in the alternative, a variance from the code to allow the proposed use. The ZBA originally held the hearing on Jan. 8 and reserved its decision to a later date. Before it made a decision, Peconic Bay Medical Center, asked the ZBA to reopen the hearing.The application seeks permission to use about 14,236 square feet of the former Big Lots store for storage space for up to eight ambulances and one mobile stroke unit, along with office, training, break room and supply space.The proposal drew opposition Thursday from Northwell Health/Peconic Bay Medical Center, whose Riverhead hospital is located close to the shopping center and is preparing to open a thrombectomy-capable stroke center. PBMC and Stony Brook are competitors in the regional health care market.Speaking on behalf of PBMC, President and CEO Amy Loeb said the hospital supports advanced stroke care but questioned the need to base a mobile stroke unit a short distance from a hospital that is about to open a thrombectomy-capable stroke center.Former PBMC president Andrew Mitchell told the board the issue before it was not whether mobile stroke units are beneficial, but whether an ambulance garage belongs in a shopping center.Deputy Town Attorney Annmarie Prudenti, who serves as counsel to the Riverhead ZBA, said the record would remain open for written comment until April 23, after which the board would consider the matter for reserved decision on May 14.***At the site of a proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Holtsville, about 100 people protested yesterday, decrying the plan and the agency's raids on Long Island and throughout the country."ICE out!" the crowd of faith leaders and others yelled outside a building housing Internal Revenue Service office space that could be transformed into an ICE detention and processing facility."We have organized here today to insist that Brookhaven Town not be a place of detention for immigrants [and] that we stand in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors here on Long Island," said the Rev. Kate Jones Calone, chair of the Long Island Immigrant Justice Alliance, which sponsored Sunday afternoon’s protest.Tiffany Cusaac-Smith reports in NEWSDAY that construction documents submitted to the Town of Brookhaven showed that the Holtsville facility could include holding cells and detainee interview rooms with handcuff bars.The proposed site would be under the same roof as an existing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office, which handles legal immigration requests. Federal immigration agents have detained people there who were making regular check-ins, eventually transferring them to cells at the federal court in Central Islip.Later, the protesters piled into dozens of vehicles to make their voices heard at Brookhaven Town Hall, they said.For their part, Brookhaven Town officials have rejected the plans, noting that holding cells are not permitted for office space under town code.The town can’t permanently halt the project because the applicant can seek a zoning change or use variance for the privately owned two-story Barretts Avenue property, which the federal government leases, Newsday has reported.Suffolk County said it does not participate in ICE’s local immigration enforcement partnership. Nassau County has a pact with ICE and last year detained upward of 2,600 immigrants at the county jail in East Meadow.***Peconic Landing hosts a panel discussion with the North Fork Environmental Council, “Rising Tides & Rising Rents,” on how we address the North Fork housing crisis while protecting the environment. this coming Friday, April 17 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm at Peconic Landing, 1500 Brecknock Road in Greenport.North Fork Environmental Council’s mission is to raise environmental awareness on the North Fork, and move our east end community and...
Transcribe →Land preservation efforts on up swing across North Fork
Apr 1000:09:54Tap to summarizeLong Island Rail Road commuters now have an opportunity to weigh in on what they’d like to see in a reimagined Jamaica Station.New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced this morning the launch of a "customer engagement" effort as part of her proposed $50 million redesign of the Queens transit hub, which serves as the main transfer point for LIRR riders, and includes connections to buses, subways and the JFK AirTrain.Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that starting today, customers can take an online survey with several questions about their experiences using Jamaica, and what improvements they’d like to see at the station, which serves 200,000 daily riders.QR codes linking to the survey will be posted throughout Jamaica Station, along with staffed tables with information about the project. A poster tells customers that the survey "will help us identify areas for improvement and inform future planning and upgrades."Hochul’s office said the survey, which will be available through May 8, focuses on "ticketing, wayfinding, transfer experience between agencies, and concessions."Survey questions ask customers how satisfied they are with a number of issues relating to their experiences at Jamaica, including waits for LIRR transfers, availability of food and drink options, cleanliness, ease of travel from one mode of transportation to another, and "safety from crime or harassment."Not included in the survey are any questions relating to customer comforts, including availability of seating and more spaces to take shelter from the elements. Several LIRR riders and advocates interviewed by Newsday in January said they hoped a redesign of the 113-year-old outdoor station would include the addition of more enclosed spaces.It’s been nearly a quarter-century since Jamaica Station underwent meaningful upgrades as part of the opening of the adjacent AirTrain building in 2023.***A handful of spots at Montauk Harbor had to be touched up and deepened to the stated dredging depth of 17 feet, so the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers redeployed a mechanical dredge to put the final touches on what has been a monthslong operation.Now, though, neither the massive suction dredge, Oyster Bay, nor its smaller companion, Scrod II, are in the neighborhood. A mechanical barge, equipped with an excavator, was left over from the first phase of the operation and is spearheading this latest phase.Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that East Hampton Town officials, who worked in tandem with the Army Corps of Engineers on what was planned as a jointly funded $11.6 million operation, had said earlier in March that the operation was complete – and the Army Corps confirmed this week that it was, in fact, deemed complete at the time.The project appeared to be complete last month,” said Army Corps spokesman James D’Ambrosio. “However, surveys afterward indicated there were still high spots that needed to be removed by the contractor to reach the authorized depth.”The purpose of the operation has been to restore safe navigation in and out of the harbor, which sees natural shoaling and had previously been reduced to three feet in some areas, which severely limits the ability of mariners to pass through.The project had been years in the making and saw several pieces of heavy machinery descend on Montauk Harbor, including both suction dredges, a 30-foot-by-90-foot mechanical barge and two tugboats, Uncle Bill and Manhasset Bay.***Southampton Arts Center has received a $50,000 grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation to support its upcoming exhibition, “The Story of America: 1776-2026, A Celebration of Freedom and Independence.”The funding will help underwrite the presentation of the Museum of Democracy exhibition, which explores more than 250 years of American presidential campaign history. The exhibition is scheduled to be on view from May 23 through July 18.“The Museum of Democracy’s collection of American campaign artifacts is unparalleled,” said Kathryn M. Curran, executive director of the Robert Lion Gardiner Foundation. “This exhibition is not only a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, but also a lesson in the power of the individual’s vote.”“We are thrilled to receive a donation for this important historical show,” said Christina Mossaides Strassfield, executive director of Southampton Arts Center. “This generous support allows us to bring meaningful stories to the community and foster a deeper appreciation of history.”The exhibition is part of a broader effort to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and highlight the evolution of democratic participation in the United States.Southampton Arts Center is at 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton, NY 11968***A potential partnership involving the Town of Riverhead, Suffolk County and Peconic Land Trust could preserve about 145 acres in Baiting Hollow that Nassau County has owned and operated as a 4-H camp for more than a century. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the proposal, outlined during yesterday’s Riverhead Town Board work session, would divide the longtime camp property into several preservation components, with Suffolk County purchasing development rights on portions of the farmland, Peconic Land Trust coordinating the overall acquisition and Riverhead potentially acquiring a section as town open space.Riverhead Town officials signaled support for taking a first step quickly, with town counsel saying a resolution could be prepared to authorize an appraisal of the portion that Riverhead might acquire.“This is really, almost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the town of Riverhead to acquire a Sound-front parcel with access to the beach,” Suffolk County Legislator Greg Doroski told the board.The property, known as the Dorothy P. Flint 4-H Camp, has been owned by Nassau County for 101 years. Nassau County now wants to sell it, and preservation advocates told the board that time is short to assemble a deal that would protect as much of the site as possible from future development, Doroski said.Julie Wesnofske of Peconic Land Trust said the property sits in the middle of a large block of protected land and farmland stretching from Sound Avenue to Long Island Sound, making it especially significant from both an ecological and public-access standpoint.A land-status map prepared by Peconic Land Trust identifies the parcel at 145.53 acres. Another concept plan shows a proposed Riverhead acquisition area of 36.13 acres, alongside county purchases of development rights on other parts of the property and two small development areas totaling less than four acres.The town-owned portion under discussion would be acquired as open space, though Riverhead Town officials and the project partners said that does not necessarily mean the land would be left entirely untouched.***Southold’s land preservation efforts are on a roll. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that on the heels of a vote in March to preserve 54 acres of land on the outskirts of Greenport, the Town of Southold is en route this week to preserving a vineyard in Cutchogue and a swath of bayfront property in the Bayview section of Southold. And next on the burner is another proposal to preserve nearly 35 acres on the south side Route 48 in Southold, across from the North Fork Flower Farm, which backs up to a tributary of Hashamomuck Pond.The Southold Town Board will hold a public hearing on this acquisition at its April 21 meeting at 6 p.m. in the Peconic Community Center auditorium.This property, which is in an R-80, two-acre residential zoning district, extends to Long Creek, a tributary of Hashamomuck Pond, an area where Southold and the county have already preserved a significant amount of land, including a 54-acre parcel earlier this spring.The purchase price is estimated at $3.829 million, which works out to approximately $110,000 per acre, paid in a 50/50 split between the town and the county.The property is three parcels currently owned by Moffat Farm South LLC, Moffat Farm Rabbit LLC and Moffat Farm Tiny LLC.Southold Town says the property is being acquired “for open space, passive recreational purposes, wetland protection, shoreline protection, habitat protection and protection of forested land,” and that proposed uses may include “a nature preserve and/or passive recreational area with trails and limited parking,” subject to a management plan to be prepared for the property.***Ever wonder what’s being built in our North Fork community or the best way to get a message to Town Hall? Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that Mary Eisenstein and Library Director Shauna Scholl invite residents of Mattituck and Laurel to an informational program tomorrow to help you navigate our local government with ease. “Your Town, Your Voice: A Guide for Mattituck-Laurel Residents,” is tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 Noon at the Mattituck-Laurel Library, on Main Road in Mattituck, New York…11952During tomorrow morning’s free event you’ll get the facts on new projects like the construction on the Sacred Heart Parish property….you’ll be shown how to find what you need on the Southold Town website…Learn the most effective ways to communicate with town officials….and how to Stay in the Loop as they’ll provide you with a complete list of meetings and resources, from the Zoning Board to Channel 22.That’s tomorrow at 10 a.m. in the Mattituck-Laurel Library.***Large lithium-ion battery storage plants proposed for Suffolk County comprise the bulk of dozens of proposed projects under review by New York State for development before the...
Transcribe →