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The Long Island Daily
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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.
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New York State DMV to suspend services for multiple days to update technology
Feb 1300:10:04Tap to summarizeThere are a rapidly growing number of immigrants detained on Long Island and across the country who’ve successfully convinced judges the government jailed them illegally, bringing fresh attention to a centuries-old legal maneuver that’s become a lifeline for many swept up in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.Between Nov. 1 and Feb. 10, 108 people filed these petitions in the Eastern District — after only 19 in the first 10 months of last year, according to a Newsday analysis of federal court records.Judges in the district, which covers Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, have freed the petitioner in 80 of the 95 cases where they have issued decisions, the analysis showed. The other cases are ongoing or were transferred to other courts.Josefa Velásquez and Anastasia Valeeva report in NEWSDAY that nationwide, people have filed more than 19,000 habeas petitions since the start of 2025, more than three-quarters of them since November."The explosion of habeas cases is remarkable," said Peter Markowitz, an immigration law professor at Cardozo School of Law in New York City.Habeas corpus, Latin for "produce the body," is one of the oldest tools in America’s legal system, giving judges the power to weigh whether someone’s detention is legal. So why the explosion?The U.S. Justice Department last fall expanded use of a law allowing mandatory detention of immigrants without a bond hearing if they entered outside an official entry point, even if it was years or decades prior. Previous administrations, including during Trump’s first term, didn’t typically jail these people without additional reason, such as criminal charges against them.More than 5,236 people had been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York City and surrounding suburbs, including Nassau and Suffolk counties, between Jan. 1 and Oct. 15, 2025, according to federal immigration data published by the Deportation Data Project research group and analyzed by Newsday.ICE released data this month showing that 70,766 people were in detention nationwide, and have said nearly 3 million people had already been removed from the country. This means that fewer than 1% of people detained by ICE have been able to file petitions challenging their apprehension and jailing.Immigrants targeted for deportation had cases heard in a dedicated immigration court, but the administration’s new policy effectively cut the judges there out of the bond hearing process. Lawyers for these men and women suddenly found themselves unable to protest their detentions in immigration court, so they turned to federal court.Habeas corpus petitions have proved effective in federal court, experts told Newsday, since their sole intent is to challenge a person’s jailing by the government, and the administration is denying bond hearings or individual review of people’s cases.***Starting this afternoon, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles will suspend in-person, online and phone services for several days as it replaces its outdated technology systems. Nicholas Grasso reports in NEWSDAY that as of 2 p.m. today, DMV locations across Long Island and the state will close their doors, according to a department news release. Why is the DMV closing?The DMV must halt services to install and test the new software that has been developed over the past two years, the department said. The upgraded system will make routine transactions at the DMV "more efficient for our staff and for customers alike," Walter McClure, the department's director of public information, told Newsday.How will I be affected by the service shutdown?New Yorkers must wait until Wednesday to perform any transaction at the DMV, such as renewing a license or registering a vehicle. Even completing a change of address, retrieving a driving record and other tasks drivers can routinely perform online from their home, will not be possible during the multiday closure.When will services be restored?All DMV locations are slated to reopen at the start of business Wednesday, according to the release. Online and phone services that allow New Yorkers to handle matters from home will also return Wednesday.While DMV workers have trained for the upgrade, the department asked "for patience as we adjust to the new system in the days immediately after it launches," DMV commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder said in the release.***At least three people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a trade parade car crash that closed County Road 39 in Southampton last night.As reported on 27east.com, the crash occurred shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday, February 12, near the intersection of Dale Street and County Road 39, just to the east of North Sea Road.Southampton Fire Department and Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance and Southampton Volunteer Ambulance crews responded to the accident and transported three people to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.County Road 39 was closed for about 90 minutes, with motorists redirected around the accident scene between North Main Street and North Sea Road in Southampton between 7 and 8:45 p.m. last night.***President Trump yesterday announced he was erasing the scientific finding that climate change endangers human health and the environment, ending the federal government’s legal authority to control the pollution that is dangerously heating the planet. Lisa Friedman reports in THE NY TIMES that the action is a key step in removing limits on carbon dioxide, methane and four other greenhouse gases that scientists say are supercharging heat waves, droughts, wildfires and other extreme weather.Led by a president who refers to climate change as a “hoax,” the administration is essentially saying that the vast majority of scientists around the world are wrong and that a hotter planet is not the menace that decades of research shows it to be.It’s a rejection of fact that had been accepted for decades by presidents of both parties.“This is about as big as it gets,” President Trump said at the White House as a smiling Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, stood by. “We are officially terminating the so-called ‘endangerment finding,’ a disastrous Obama-era policy,” said the president.Mr. Zeldin…a Republican from Shirley, Long Island who for 8 years represented the 1st Congressional District including the East End… called it “the single largest deregulatory action in the history of the United States.” He accused Democrats of having launched an “ideological crusade” on climate change that “strangled entire sectors of the United States economy,” particularly the auto industry.In discarding the endangerment finding, Administrator Zeldin is reversing positions he took as Congressman Zeldin from 2019 to 2023. During that time, he voted several times to address climate change, including a vote against an amendment to a spending bill that would have prohibited the E.P.A. from applying the endangerment finding. He even joined the Climate Solutions Caucus, a bipartisan group of House members.In 2022, he ran unsuccessfully for governor of New York on a pledge to allow and accelerate natural gas drilling. After becoming Mr. Trump’s E.P.A. administrator, Mr. Zeldin ridiculed climate change and said he hoped to “drive a dagger” through it by repealing the endangerment finding.***New York State Parks and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are planning a controlled burn of piles of trees killed by the southern pine beetle in Napeague State Park on several upcoming dates, beginning today between the hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the state agencies announced the burn at a public meeting at Montauk Downs State Park Tuesday evening, at which they gave an overview of planned thinning and burning work to reduce the fuel load in the park. Those plans have been in the works for the past several years.Long Island’s pitch pines are a fire-dependent ecosystem, and the devastation caused by southern pine beetle infestation of the trees over the past five years has made the woods a tinderbox.A wildfire burned an area the size of a football field in the state park last summer, leading New York Governor Kathy Hochul to pledge $2.2 million in funding for the project. “Controlled burning of slash piles is a critical tool in wildfire risk reduction and ecological management,” according to the state agencies. “Southern pine beetle infestation has resulted in thousands of dead pitch pine trees on site, which has increased available fuels and impacted forest health. Branches from the dead pitch pine trees have been piled to safely burn these materials.” Roads and trails within the park may be closed during the burns, which are each expected to take about one day.To get notifications on upcoming prescribed burns at state parks the agencies recommend downloading the NYS Parks Explorer app and saving “Hither Hills State Park.” The state will also post notifications approximately 24 hours before burns on its webpage for Hither Hills (there is no separate page for Napeague), and residents within a one-mile radius will receive reverse 911 alerts.***A powerful storm that hit Long Island in late January is still impacting the region’s natural world, helping some plants and animals but harming others. Effects include greater moisture retention for areas still blanketed by snow to changed feeding patterns for some animals, according to experts. Nicholas Spangler reports in NEWSDAY that some individual animal deaths are possible because of disruptions to f...
Transcribe →Harsh winter leaves many potholes and rough roads on Long Island
Feb 1200:09:57Tap to summarize"Harsh winter riddles Long Island roads with potholes" is a NEWSDAY headline this morning. A particularly snowy winter, and repeated plowing by heavy trucks, has contributed to the common complaints resurfacing this year. A Brookhaven Town councilman counted 117 potholes last Friday along a 5-mile stretch of Route 25 between Selden and Lake Grove. The state plans to completely resurface Route 25 in Brookhaven, but officials wouldn't provide a timeline. Long-lasting pothole repairs generally require dry conditions and temperatures above 40 degrees. Also asphalt plants don’t generally open up before March.New York State Department of Transportation spokesman Stephen Canzoneri said crews are "working aggressively" to address potholes caused by the harsh winter across Long Island. He said the agency plans to completely resurface Route 25 in Brookhaven, though he did not provide details on the timeline, adding that it "is engaged in the most aggressive road revitalization project in the Department’s history."Peter Gill and Carl MacGowan report in NEWSDAY that in 2024, 61% of state-owned lane-miles were in good or excellent condition across New York, an improvement from 54% five years earlier, according to official reports, which do not break out data by region.Long Island's local roads, however, are in worse condition than those of most state regions, according to the most recently available database of federal aid-eligible roads from 2021. A Newsday investigation found local governments in Nassau and Suffolk spend less on roads, per capita and per car, than those in other regions of the state. At the same time, Long Island's towns and counties receive less road aid through formulas determined by the state, relative to population and road mileage.Pothole complaints may be more common on state-owned thoroughfares than town or village roads because they get the most traffic, requiring more upkeep, according Daniel Loscalzo, a civil engineer with LiRo Group, which consults on roads for a dozen villages on Long Island.Residents can report potholes they see to the appropriate state, county, town or village road department. An online map from the state can help determine who maintains the road in question here.For state highways, one can call 800-POTHOLE (800-768-4653).***There was a time on the East End when one thought nothing about leaving your car unlocked with the keys in it.No longer.Southampton Town Police are searching for an organized group of would-be thieves who are believed to have swept through neighborhoods in Noyac and Hampton Bays this past weekend, rummaging through unlocked cars.A Hampton Bays homeowner’s Ring security camera caught at least four people emerging from what appears to be a rented van before dawn on Monday morning, fanning out to various driveways in the neighborhood and searching unlocked cars — before racing back to the van and fleeing in the van when a resident spotted them and chased them from his driveway.Southampton Town Police said that they have seen the video, which was also posted to the Neighbors app, and are trying to identify the band of thieves. Police also received a report of a similar type of incident in Noyac the night before.“It’s a pattern that law enforcement has been seeing all over the region for some time now — sometimes it’s a rented car, sometimes a rented van, and they’re coming into a neighborhood and searching cars,” Town Police Detective Sergeant Gina LaFerrera said. Police have not received any reports from homeowners about any items or valuables having been stolen in the burglaries this weekend. Nonetheless, she said that homeowners should protect their property against being victims of this kind of theft scheme.“We ask people to lock their cars and take their keys out of the car,” she said.***Shelter Island Friends of Music are presenting a free concert this coming Sunday afternoon, February 15 at 3 p.m. in the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church. Performing is PubliQuartet, a chamber ensemble dedicated to bridging the gap between new and traditional repertoire. Known for their communicative presence and imaginative programming, they confront boundaries and form lasting connections with audiences.The ensemble comprises four versatile musicians who have performed at major festivals and concert series across the U.S. and internationally.PubliQuartet is committed to championing underrepresented composers, commissioning new works, and engaging audiences through multimedia presentations and contextual programming.That Shelter Island Friends of Music free concert is this coming Sunday at 3 p.m. in the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church.***Relentless winter weather, a pattern of long-lasting weekend storms and frigid temperatures are pushing Long Island town snow budgets to their limits.Several towns, including Brookhaven, East Hampton and Southold, have already surpassed their spending allocations for rock salt, sand and other snow fighting costs for 2026 — and there’s still six weeks until spring.Those towns have dipped into reserves to keep their funds for storm expenses healthy, officials told Newsday.On Tuesday, town boards in East Hampton and Southold signed off on more money for snow removal.Tara Smith and Alek Lewis report in NEWSDAY that so far this winter, Long Island MacArthur Airport has recorded 28.6 inches of snowfall, Bryan Ramsey, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Upton bureau, said yesterday. Last year, 10.6 inches of snowfall had accumulated at MacArthur through the same period.Stephen Lynch, East Hampton Town's highway superintendent, said workers have used about 1,200 tons of sand and salt over the past few weeks. The department has about 1,000 tons left and will receive more shipments soon.On Tuesday, the East Hampton Town Board approved moving $210,000 from reserves to restore depleted funds for snow contractors, as well as for salt and sand purchases. The town budgeted $65,000 for snow removal contractors and $195,000 for snow removal supplies this year, according to Town Administrator Becky Hansen.Southold surpassed its $185,000 budget for salt and sand, according to Highway Superintendent Dan Goodwin.Also Tuesday, Southold's town board approved tapping $80,000 in surplus funds from prior, more mild winters to cover an additional $50,000 in rock salt and $30,000 in sand."That’ll refill our barn and keep us in a really good position for the foreseeable future," Goodwin told NEWSDAY. "It’s not an option to not treat the roads. These are the materials we need to do the job."Goodwin said the most recent storm, on Feb. 7, was particularly challenging. Though most of Long Island got 1 to 3 inches of snow, about 5 inches accumulated in Southold. Fierce 50-mph winds created whiteout conditions and deep snowdrifts, some over 6 feet.The department spent between $20,000 and $25,000 in materials to treat the roads for that one storm alone, Goodwin said.***The Riverhead Free Library is partnering with Long Island Cares for a food distribution event at the library this morning from 11 a.m. to 12 Noon. No identification is required to receive food. This is a walk-up service only and will take place in the Riverhead Library parking lot at 11 a.m. today.Beth Young also reports in EAST END BEACON that the Riverhead Central School District hosts its 17th Annual Black History Month Celebration this evening at 6 p.m. in the auditorium at Riverhead High School. The event includes performances by Riverhead music students and the Butterfly Effect Project, a poetry showcase and a preview of a new documentary about Riverhead’s only Medal of Honor recipient, Private First Class Garfield Langhorn, a U.S. Army radio operator who threw himself on a grenade to protect his platoon while under attack by the North Vietnamese in Pleiku Province during the Vietnam War. The community is welcome at this celebration tonight at 6 p.m. in the Riverhead High School auditorium. The event is free.***A Long Island school district will be able to hold onto its “Warriors” name an extra year — as it continues to fight a state ban on Native American imagery in mascots and logos. Alex Mitchell and Brandon Cruz report in THE NY POST that the Wantagh School District in Nassau County was granted an extension until June 2027 to come into compliance with the New York State ban, according to a letter sent by the board of education to district parents on Tuesday.“We just really want to keep the name. It means a lot to the community, means a lot to the school,” Superintendent John McNamara told The NY Post yesterday.McNamara claimed rebranding from Warriors to a potential replacement such as Wolves would cost the district upward of $700,000.“We had done a district survey back when this issue first arose and well over 85% of the community wanted to keep the Warrior name,” he added.In Suffolk County, the Connetquot School District initially agreed to drop its longtime “Thunderbirds” name and rebrand as the “T-Birds” as part of a settlement with the state to comply with the logo / mascot mandate.But that compromise backfired when the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights ruled the district had violated the law by eliminating the Native American-linked names while allowing mascots “derived from other racial or ethnic groups,” like Dutchmen.Warriors is also suitable in cases like Chenango Valley near Binghamton for not having a...
Transcribe →
Newly found historical documents may mean Southampton History Museum does not own hatchery land
Feb 7, 202500:09:59Tap to summarizeThe owner of Long Island’s last remaining duck farm is pressing federal regulators to allow currently available vaccines to help protect U.S. poultry farms in the wake a devastating bird flu outbreak on his farm last month that led to the euthanization of his entire flock."We need a vaccine!" Doug Corwin, owner of Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue, wrote in a letter to newly named EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on Wednesday.Current federal policies for dealing with the disease — killing large numbers of birds — at the farm level have been ineffective, Corwin wrote, necessitating consideration of vaccines.The U.S. Department of Agriculture "policy of euthanizing flocks is not working," Corwin wrote to Zeldin. "Vaccines are available and being used in Europe for Avian Flu. We must start allowing farmers this protection." The letter also will go out to other federal, state and local officials, Corwin said. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that Corwin said resistance to vaccines has come chiefly from large-scale "corporate agriculture" concerns, which are "hugely worried about losing exports. This has led to the prolonging and spreading of this outbreak."Corwin last month was forced to lay off 48 workers, some of whom had been with the farm for decades, and euthanize his entire flock of 99,000 birds after tests confirmed a bird flu outbreak there. The farm was able to save upward of 10,000 sanitized eggs that will be hatched off the farm in the hopes of reviving the operation, which has been in business since 1908.Ducks euthanized at Crescent Farm are being composted on site, Corwin said this week, with temperatures high enough to eradicate the disease. It’s all under the supervision of the USDA.Corwin told Zeldin that Crescent Duck Farm, with community and other support and successful hatchings of salvaged duck eggs, could be back producing ducks for the marketplace by 2026.***On the eve of a court hearing on whether the Southampton History Museum can evict the Conscience Point Shellfish Hatchery from the corner of a dirt parking lot that the hatchery has leased for the past decade, the Southampton Town historian revealed that she has found century-old deeds and documents that would seem to indicate the museum may not, in fact, own the land the hatchery sits on.Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the land that has since the late 1980s been considered to be one single parcel, owned by the museum, appears in deeds that Town Historian Julie Greene uncovered recently to have historically been two separate parcels — one owned by the Southampton Colonial Society, and the other by the Town of Southampton. The land where the Southampton Town Trustees’ boat ramp and the hatchery shed are today is one parcel. The second, immediately to the north, comprises the spit of land known as Conscience Point, where a trail through marshlands leads to the rock dedicated by the Southampton Colonial Society in 1910, memorializing the nearby arrival of English settlers on Long Island in 1640. In January, the museum filed a petition to the court to eject the hatchery from the property. The first hearing in court this Wednesday was expected to be adjourned considering the recent revelations.***HarborFrost, Sag Harbor’s annual celebration of winter, returns to the village this Saturday with a packed schedule of events culminating with a Grucci fireworks display off Long Wharf on Saturday night. “Like most chamber events, HarborFrost was conceived and is organized annually to support businesses in Sag Harbor and attract foot traffic during the offseason months,” said Ellen Dioguardi, the president of the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce. “This year, there’s something for everyone: live music, ice carving, fire dancers, children’s activities inside several shops, and world-famous fireworks by Grucci off Long Wharf at approximately 5:45 p.m. tomorrow evening. A full listing of Harborfrost events that will be going on throughout the business district can be found at the chamber’s website - sagharborchamber.com.***Suffolk County officials yesterday unveiled a new multiagency, coordinated approach to find missing children and curb what they say is an "epidemic" of human trafficking in the county. The initiative, dubbed "Operation Safe and Lasting Return," brings together law enforcement, social services and community organizations to break down what officials described as siloed. The goal is to not only find missing children but provide additional services faster to help break the cycle of repeated runaways. Joe Werkmeister reports in NEWSDAY that the announcement comes amid the arrest of 11 people in connection with a 14-year-old East Patchogue girl who had been missing for 25 days. Two of the suspects face charges of child sex trafficking, while others face a range of charges from kidnapping, rape and endangering the welfare of a child. The teen was among the many victims who had been identified as trafficked in Suffolk County. The county executive's office and Department of Social Services will lead the interagency initiative. Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. said the Suffolk County Jail has identified 354 victims and 224 traffickers since establishing a human trafficking unit in 2018. Newly sworn-in Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said this approach allows victims to receive additional support "before they can be dragged into this horrible, horrible world."Faith Lovell, a county attorney and bureau chief of the family court division, which manages the state and county's first-ever human trafficking court for juveniles, said the first step is implementing a program modeled after Project Harmony — an initiative in Omaha, Nebraska that supports child abuse victims and human trafficking survivors.***Twenty-two states, led by West Virginia, are suing to block a recently approved New York law that requires fossil fuel companies to pay billions of dollars a year for contributing to climate change.Under the law, called the Climate Change Superfund Act, the country’s biggest producers of greenhouse gas emissions between the years 2000 and 2024 must pay a combined total of $3 billion annually for the next 25 years.The collected funds will help to repair and upgrade infrastructure in New York that is damaged or threatened by extreme weather, which is becoming more common because of emissions generated by such companies. Some projects could include the restoration of coastal wetlands, improvements to storm water drainage systems, and the installation of energy-efficient cooling systems in buildings.The measure, which was signed into law in December, is slated to go into effect in 2028.At a news conference yesterday unveiling the legal challenge, the attorney general of West Virginia, John B. McCuskey, said the legislation overreached by seeking to hold energy companies liable in New York no matter where they are based.West Virginia, a top producer of coal, is joined in the lawsuit by 21 other states, including major oil, gas or coal producers like Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma and North Dakota. The West Virginia Coal Association and the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia are also among the plaintiffs. The lawsuit contends that the Clean Air Act, which authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate air quality and protect public health, gives the federal government, not individual states, “the chief role in determining interstate emissions standards.” The coalition opposing New York’s law has an ally in Long Island’s Lee Zeldin, President Trump’s new head of the E.P.A., Mr. McCuskey said. “He looks at energy policy in a way that says that fossil generation of electricity is the current and future of this country.”***The Fourth Annual Southold WinterFest is scheduled for tomorrow on the Main Road in Southold from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s an admission-free day filled with ice carving, fun, music, food and special events sponsored by the Southold Town Economic Development Committee. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that in addition to free food and beverage tastings, there is a full slate of entertainment, including DJ Phil, Eastern LI Old Time Jam, Greg Humphreys Band, GUNK Girl Band, The Hoodo Loungers, Lady T Dance Troupe, NYC’s Emphasis Break Dancers, Roth and Fuhr Men Band, and the renowned Wantagh American Legion Pipe Band. There will be 50 exhibits and 20 local merchants, prizes, gift basket drawings, and complimentary food and beverage samples at tomorrow's Southold WinterFest.For updates about Saturday's event, visit the WinterFest Facebook page at SoutholdWinterFest.***Downtown Sag Harbor was packed last summer, with pedestrians crowding the sidewalks, and cars crowding the streets. It would be reasonable to assume that business was booming for the shops and restaurants that call the village home. Stephen J. Kotz reports on 27east.com that it ain’t necessarily so, say some business owners. They say their sales for 2024 were flat to off by 10 or even 20 percent, despite the throngs of people crowding the Village of Sag Harbor. “Sales were solid for us, but I was expecting bigger numbers given the people in town” during the summer months, said Kevin Menard, the owner of Dragon Hemp, a CBD-hemp and Chinese herb apothecary, that opened in spring of 2022. Menard said he had heard similar stories from members of the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce, but rather than rely on anecdotal evidence, he said he wants to complete a detailed business study of the village, including having business owners complete a survey that he hopes will provide meaningful data about economic conditions in the village. “We definitely know more peo...
Transcribe →Southampton Town Police begin efforts to rein in speeding
Feb 6, 202500:09:07Tap to summarizeSouthampton Town Police are beginning a major push to rein in speeding and improve safety along County Road 39 that will employ new strategies and technologies, like car-tracking drones, teams of police officers stalking speeders and the use of “pace cars” to train motorists to drive slower. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that as complaints have mounted from residents of neighborhoods that spur off County Road 39 about the daily fears for their safety while running basic errands, Southampton Town Police Chief James Kiernan said that he has been searching for strategies on how to make the road safer. Speeding in the hours between the morning and evening “trade parade” is at the top of the list, since it drives much of the dangers of turning into and off the roadway for residents and the employees and patrons of hundreds of businesses. County Road 39 is the highway that runs through Southampton between Hampton Bays and Water Mill. “That road, when you get beyond the rush-hour times, it is a wide road, and drivers can see far ahead of them, so it gives them the sense that they can go fast. But people need to take into consideration that people have to be able to get out of businesses and side streets, and when everyone is going fast, it makes that very dangerous,” Kiernan said this week.***The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Monday issued a public notice describing a new plan for "emergency maintenance dredging" at Montauk Inlet this winter, but Montauk fishing interests are concerned that a start date for the work still wasn’t clear as of yesterday. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that the Monday notice said the Army Corps has "received the needed emergency declaration" to start the work after finding there were "no adverse impacts" to any relevant endangered species in the channel. Up to 10,500 cubic yards of sand expected to be dredged from the inlet will be placed just west of the inlet, the project plan states."The dredging and placement west of the west jetty is currently anticipated to occur during the winter of 2025, subject to the availability of funds," the notice states, while also discussing public comment periods and a possible public hearing before work can begin.Newsday has reported that at least five commercial fishing boats that are based in Montauk have had to offload fish and station in Rhode Island because of the dangers of shoaling at Montauk Inlet.Montauk fishermen and their advocates say the work is already months late, as ships loaded with fish and ice have been hitting shoals and clogging the inlet as they pass to and from, particularly at low tide."What are you waiting for, gang?" Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, said Tuesday, adding the state’s largest fishing port has already lost around $100,000 in revenue because of the problem.***Sound Aircraft Services at East Hampton Airport is hosting a program for young people to learn about becoming a pilot. The “Guide for Aspiring Aviators and Their Families” is scheduled for tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the airport, 173 Daniels Hole Road in Wainscott. As reported on 27east.com, the program will touch on local training options, and a panel of experts, including East Hampton Town Airport director and former United Airlines Captain James Brundige, and ex-FAA regulator turned flight instructor Lou Cusimano will answer questions. Those who wish to attend should email fbo@soundaircraftservices.com. East Hampton Town Airport is in Wainscott with over 7 acres of ramp, new pilots lounge, and separate passenger waiting area.***Democratic legislators are suing Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman claiming that the Long Island Republican illegally created a tax-payer-funded militia — allegations his office quickly slammed as bogus. Shane Galvin reports in THE NY POST that a lawsuit filed in Nassau County Supreme Court by Democrats Debra Mule and Scott Davis and the Free and Fair Litigation group names Blakeman, Nassau County, and county sheriff Anthony LaRocco as defendants alleging they created an illegal and redundant “militia” by starting an emergency “special deputies” program of civilians last year. “New York State law does not authorize defendants to create a taxpayer-funded militia,” the lawsuit states. “Defendants’ militia is illegal and represents a substantial and ongoing waste of public funds,” it later adds. The so-called “militia” refers to the “provisional emergency special deputy sheriffs” program Blakeman established on March 17, 2024. The program deputizes volunteer citizens who are licensed to carry firearms to assist local law enforcement agencies during emergencies. The civilian members would be expected to help protect critical infrastructure in Nassau County in the event of a natural disaster, terrorist attack or other emergency. Nassau County swore in its first 26 citizen members on Dec. 31. Many of the members are retired from the military, police departments, or other emergency service organizations. They’re not paid unless they are deployed. The lawsuit claims the program includes expenses that qualify as illegal spending of taxpayer money — including shelling out funds for background checks, conducting random drug screening, providing training, and the $150-a-day stipend when they are activated. The suit further claims that Blakeman’s office intended to keep the details of the program secret and has refused to comply with Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests. But Blakeman’s office said the lawsuit slanders the gracious volunteers and called the legal action needless and shameful.***Amid uncertainty over changes in national spending, a state official said this week that New York’s ability to help struggling residents who depend on certain federally-funded safety net programs could be hindered.That was the message from Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Barbara Guinn to Island Harvest Food Bank leaders on Tuesday. The visit was designed to highlight Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposed budget items to serve residents in need even as President Donald Trump's administration tries to freeze and revamp federal spending. Tiffany Cusaac-Smith reports in NEWSDAY that a preliminary look at a proposed House budget would add a work requirement to access food benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Guinn said. If enacted, she said, the move would be administratively burdensome and slow access to the program formerly called food stamps.Officials, she said, are also concerned about the possible elimination of broad-based categorical eligibility. For example, people who receive cash assistance under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families could also be eligible for food assistance benefits. The loss of that category would reduce the number of people who could get SNAP benefits, she said.And although the state has been focused on building its financial reserves, she said it could not cover a long-term loss of funding. "The level of federal investment in safety-net related services is not something that state budgets can make up in the long-term," Guinn said.At Island Harvest, any potential cuts to funding are concerning, said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest. On Long Island, the food bank supports more than 220,000 people who are food insecure and gets 11% of its income from the federal government. The remainder comes from grants from corporate foundations, individuals and local communities, she said.***The Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce presents Harborfrost this Saturday throughout Sag Harbor Village, with ice carving demonstrations, live music, community and family activities, AND a Grucci Fireworks display off Long Wharf at 5:45 p.m. Saturday evening.As part of the annual HarborFrost activities this Saturday, you are invited to join Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt Saturday morning for a fun walk for kids of all ages along the StoryWalk Trail in Sag Harbor (about 30 minutes). The more adventurous can continue on for another half hour to see Long Pond and learn about the amazing Long Pond Greenbelt. Meet at the bleachers at Mashashimuet Park on the corner of Main Street and Jermain Avenue in Sag Harbor at 10 a.m. this coming Saturday.For more info contact leader: Dai Dayton, 631-745-0689.*The StoryWalk Trail was made possible through a grant from the Sag Harbor Partnership.***Southampton Town Police are beginning a major push to rein in speeding and improve safety along County Road 39 in Southampton which will employ new strategies and technologies, like car-tracking drones, teams of police officers stalking speeders and the use of “pace cars” to train motorists to drive slower. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that after announcing the safety initiative last week, the department has already deployed enforcement teams to work the roadway each day after the morning rush-hour and enforce speed limits and has posted a digital speed monitoring sign on a utility pole near Saaz restaurant that indicates the speeds cars approaching it are traveling. But pulling over a speeder on a four-lane roadway with no shoulder and a nearly constant stream of cars in every lane that can grind to a halt with any interruption in the flow poses some substantial safety challenges of its own. To address the dangers, police will employ several novel strategies to try and collar speeders without creating a hazard to themselves or other drivers. Officers will use business driveways and side streets to pull cars over, pos...
Transcribe →Stony Brook Medicine directs faculty and staff to only allow ICE access with validated warrant or subpoena
Feb 5, 202500:09:41Tap to summarizeWith multiple news outlets reporting that the Trump administration is drafting an executive measure to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, local educational advocates and experts had a message for Long Islanders."Don’t panic, but we’re going to pay attention," said Bob Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association. "Know that organizations like mine and school board members from across Long Island and New York State and the nation will be advocating to make sure that whatever changes come about will not negatively impact the children and their public education." Darwin Yanes and Laura Figueroa Hernandez report in NEWSDAY that the executive order would reportedly halt all functions of the department that aren’t enshrined in law or transfer powers to other agencies.Vecchio noted that two federal laws would remain in place, even if the department was dismantled: The Every Student Succeeds Act, which governs public education and sets academic standards for K-12 students, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which guarantees "free and appropriate" public education for children with disabilities. Vecchio also pointed out that federal funding is usually a small portion of a school district’s funding, but he said people should be paying attention to any decrease.Lars Clemensen, Hampton Bays Schools superintendent and president of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, said the state's constitution protects the right to a free and appropriate education."We’re not at a point of panic," he said. "Schools districts will continue to deliver and be creative and respond to challenges sent our way."***More than half of New York State’s first responders, including those in law enforcement, fire services and emergency medical services, experience high levels of stress, burnout and anxiety, according to a state-funded report being released today.Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that the approximately $14,000 state-funded survey and subsequent report aim to identify the unique mental health challenges faced by first responders.Chronic stress from exposure to traumatic events and everyday strain can significantly impact the mental health and wellness of first responders, according to the report, conducted by the State University of New York at New Paltz’s Institute for Disaster Mental Health and the Benjamin Center.The report found that 68% of those surveyed experienced stress, 59% felt burned out, and 52% faced anxiety.The report was commissioned by the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and conducted in 2024. More than 6,000 first responders from across the state took part in the voluntary survey, including those in law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, emergency communications and emergency management. Five follow-up focus groups were also held with emergency responders with varying lengths of service, including both those who volunteer and those for whom this is a career.Governor Kathy Hochul, in her January executive budget proposal, announced the creation of a first responder counseling scholarship program through SUNY to encourage first responders to pursue counseling degrees and micro-credentials in areas such as trauma-informed care and peer support leadership. The scholarship aims to create a pipeline of mental health professionals who are equipped to support the emergency responder community.***Riverhead Town’s first committee focusing on the needs of the town’s Hispanic and Latino communities was formed by the Town Board yesterday. Alek Lewis reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the Hispanic Development, Empowerment and Education Committee is expected to “develop and recommend strategies to abate and address the issues related to and necessary to improve quality of life of Hispanic members of the community and build a bridge between the Town government and the Hispanic community to better serve everyone and represent everyone.” The resolution was passed by the Riverhead Town Board establishing the committee. Council Member Ken Rothwell will serve as liaison to the committee. "The Hispanic Development, Empowerment and Education Committee is dedicated to advancing the economic development, empowerment and education of the Hispanic community in Riverhead,” according to Counci member Rothwell.***Nassau County is authorizing 10 of its police detectives to work with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest and deport immigrants accused of a crime, officials announced yesterday. Nassau police will detain arrested immigrants accused of a crime in jail for 72 hours, then U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will either jail them in a federal detainment facility or deport them, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said at a news conference on Tuesday. The New York Civil Liberties Union assailed Blakeman's directive, releasing a statement saying it will only create a tougher relationship between immigrant communities and police officers. Bahar Ostadan reports in NEWSDAY that the Nassau County Police Department’s cooperation with ICE is not new, according to Commissioner Patrick Ryder. But under the new program, police "will be notifying ICE" to come pick up people in the country illegally who have been arrested even for low-level crimes who would normally be released with a ticket, Ryder said yesterday. Ryder also warned those hanging with illegal immigrants subject to arrest will also be detained. "If there are people in those targeted enforcements that are illegally in that house with that MS- 13 gangbanger and their name was checked, yes we will be detaining them along with ICE," Ryder said. If an ICE officer is not immediately available to detain the person, the newly appointed detectives will jail them until ICE arrives, according to Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder.***Stony Brook Medicine has directed faculty and staff to only allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents facility access after the health system’s legal counsel has validated their warrant or subpoena. Nicholas Spangler reports in NEWSDAY that the move comes in response to President Donald Trump's efforts since his return to the White House to deport millions of immigrants in the United States illegally."Local hospital staff should not provide access to hospital patient care areas or medical record areas," an email sent Friday from Stony Brook Medicine to faculty and staff reads. "Please ask the authorities to have a seat in a designated waiting area, and a representative will come by to speak with them shortly ... The ICE agents will not be permitted access to the hospital or its records, or to engage in any enforcement activities (arrests, searches, interrogations) in the hospital without presenting a valid judicial warrant (order signed by a federal judge or magistrate)."Matthew Lopas, director of state advocacy & technical assistance at the Los Angeles-based National Immigration Law Center, said Stony Brook’s guidance appeared sound and grounded in constitutional protections against unreasonable searches.Those protections "aren’t just there for immigrants, they are there for all their patients who may not want law enforcement searching confidential patient records and entering patient examination rooms," he said.***Carole Brennan, East Hampton Town’s clerk since 2014 and its deputy clerk for 20 years before that, will not seek reelection, completing a 36-year career with the Town of East Hampton. Christopher Walsh reports on 27east.com that the clerk’s office handles most of the permits issued by the town, for things from home improvement licenses, taxis, films and shellfish to boat launching and beach parking. “Carole Brennan has been a joy to work with,” East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said this week. “Folks don’t always realize the breadth of responsibilities entrusted to the town clerk…Carole is the keeper of town records and ensures that the agendas for Town Board meetings are timely and complete, which is no small feat. Her professionalism, vast institutional knowledge and tremendous sense of humor will be greatly missed when she retires.” Along with the supervisor, members of the Town Board were also effusive in their praise for the long-serving town clerk. As her retirement looms, Brennan voiced one lament. “People just aren’t as nice as they used to be,” she said of visitors to the clerk’s office. “I don’t understand it. And I have always maintained that if somebody came in and got loud, I got up. I didn’t expect my counter help to go through that. “Everybody feels they’re entitled now,” she said. “It’s difficult.” Councilwoman Cate Rogers tells 27east.com, “I am deeply appreciative of Carole Brennan’s long service to our community and to our municipal government. Carole has been a trusted gatekeeper for access to many of the services the town provides as well as the town records and has led the town clerk’s office through many challenging times over the years, including weather emergencies and COVID. Carole has set the standard for integrity and respect for her office."***A bilingual statement released yesterday by East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez’s office stated that its police will not detain anyone per the request of ICE without a federal warrant signed by a judge, as required by state law. "There is no means for local law enforcement to determine anyone’s citizenship status, nor is the [police] allowed to inquire as to their status," the statement read. Later on Tuesday, East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen held a press conference about local police and immigrant...
Transcribe →Gov. Hochul proposes restriction on personal internet devices during school days
Feb 4, 202500:09:53Tap to summarizeNew York Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed restricting use of internet-connected phones, smartwatches and tablets during the school day to cut down on distractions and improve students’ mental health. Many Long Island educators and parents support limits on screen time, but some want school districts to set their own policies. Existing smartphone restrictions on Long Island tend to prohibit smartphones through eighth grade and allow limited use in high schools.Maura McDermott reports in NEWSDAY that the governor’s proposal, unveiled in January, aims to create “distraction-free” school days and improve students’ mental health. It comes as a growing body of research shows excessive screen time is harming kids’ ability to learn and their psychological well-being. In a research letter published yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers led by Lauren Hale of Stony Brook University found that teens spent an average of 1½ hours on their smartphones during school hours. Much of that time was spent internet browsing, text messaging, video streaming, listening to audio or using email or Instagram. “As a public health researcher and a mother of two middle schoolers, I am concerned that too many kids are missing out on both learning and in-person social opportunities during the school day by looking at their phones," stated Ms. Hale of S.B.U.Governor Hochul wants to allocate $13.5 million to help schools buy cubbies, pouches or other phone storage devices. The proposal requires lawmakers’ approval as part of negotiations over the NYS budget, which is due April 1. If approved, the policy would take effect this fall.***The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has invited the public to a meeting to discuss a multiyear habitat restoration project in response to impacts of the Southern pine beetle at Napeague State Park and Hither Hills State Park. Christopher Walsh reports on 27east.com that the meeting happens on Thursday, February 13 at 6 p.m. at Montauk Downs State Park, at 50 South Fairview Avenue. It will include a summary of already-completed emergency work and an overview of planned work for 2025 and beyond, addressing efforts to ensure the safety and sustainability of the park. Those attending will also learn about phased tree removal efforts, trail safety improvements and upcoming work to reduce wildfire fuel loads. Project highlights include creation of fuel breaks near residences adjacent to pitch pine forest; the cutting of dead trees along the Promised Land Trail and the Paumanok Path; and continued development and implementation of a restoration plan to support resilient habitats. The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation will also discuss environmental considerations guiding the work, including compliance with federal protections for the Northern long-eared bat. Public input is encouraged, and officials will be available to answer questions. Those seeking more information about the meeting or the project can contact the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation at 631-321-3529.***Student artists at East Hampton High School have spent the last three months creating a mural of Ruby Bridges — an African American civil rights activist — displaying their creativity, teamwork, and passion for art. For the past three years, students in Margaret Zubarriain’s art club have worked in collaboration with the East End Arts Council to create an artistic piece honoring Martin Luther King Jr. This year’s group of young artists collectively decided to create a mural of Ruby Bridges after noticing they had yet to explore age as a focal point. Bradley Rodriguez reports on 27east.com that Bridges was one of the first African American girls to be integrated into the New Orleans Public School system. At the age of 6, Bridges was tormented and faced waves of racism. Despite the racism she faced, Bridges would attend school every day, empowering those faced with similar bigotry. Students worked on the mural after school during art club, during school in their free time, and even some working on their panel at home, driven by their artistic passion. E.H.H.S. students agreed to follow a New Orleans color palette, sticking to colors such as purple, yellow, and green. With the framework set, students were given free rein on each one of their panels, allowing the young artists to express their creativity and artistic abilities. The completed mural will be displayed and put up for auction at the East End Arts Council in Riverhead, with all proceeds going toward local scholarships.***Long Island retailers and manufacturers spent yesterday bracing for potential price hikes before President Donald Trump reached an agreement with Canada and Mexico to temporarily suspend his plans to impose a 25% tariff on both allies. As reported in NEWSDAY, hours before the tariffs were to go into effect, leaders from Canada and Mexico announced Trump had agreed to a 30-day pause, as they pledged to boost their border security spending. But the threat of a tariff war still sent stocks tumbling on Monday morning and left local business owners weighing the potential impact should Trump decide to impose the tariffs."We need long term stability and we need clarity when it comes to trade," said Matt Cohen, president and CEO of the Long Island Association, a nonpartisan group that promotes local businesses.Cohen told Newsday, "at the end of the day" a trade war "helps no one," noting "small businesses and merchants are not going to be able to absorb increased costs without passing them on."On Long Island, most store owners and manufacturers interviewed by Newsday said tariffs on imported goods would likely lead to price hikes and higher construction costs.Some Long Island store owners and managers said they expect that if tariffs were to be implemented, it will lead to higher wholesale costs that they will have to pass on to retail customers.Developers and construction groups on Long Island said they were hoping tariffs could be avoided, noting any future tariffs would lead to price hikes for construction materials like steel and lumber.Cohen also said potential tariffs on Canadian gas and oil, though only 10%, as proposed by a carve-out included in Trump's executive order, could still lead to a hike in energy costs for Long Islanders already struggling with affordability issues.***New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation yesterday aimed at protecting medical providers by allowing them to request that only the name of their practice be printed on prescription abortion medication labels instead of their personal name. The law, which is effective immediately, looks to shield physicians from being prosecuted in other states that have limited abortion access. Hochul signed the bill contingent on the New York State Legislature passing an amendment that would legally require pharmacies to comply, heading off any potential issues."This is an urgent situation," Hochul told reporters.Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that the legislation comes after a grand jury in Louisiana on Friday indicted a New York doctor for providing abortion pills to a Louisiana resident. The physician, Dr. Margaret Carpenter, was identified because her name was found on the prescription label. She was charged with criminal abortion, a felony in Louisiana.Governor Hochul vowed she would "never, under any circumstances" sign an extradition agreement to send the doctor to be prosecuted in Louisiana.State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) said "While other states escalate efforts to criminalize abortion, New York stands firm. We will not allow anti-abortion extremists to intimidate providers or block access to care."The doctor had been operating under the state’s shield law, enacted in 2023, which protects New York-based doctors who serve patients in restrictive states through telehealth.***Yesterday, NYS Attorney General Letitia James wrote a letter to groups that receive federal funding saying the freeze that President Donald Trump wanted on certain federal grants was on hold and they could not deny gender-affirming care to minors. James and 22 other attorneys general had sued to block the freeze which could have impacted federally funded programs at the state and local level. James noted that withholding services from an individual because they are transgender is discrimination under state law.Advocates and members of the LGBTQ+ community said they were heartened by James’ letter but still deeply worried about the future.Lisa L. Colangelo reports in NEWSDAY that President Trump has signed executive orders that would only allow male and female genders to be recognized and end gender-affirming treatments for people under the age of 19.***The Corwith Windmill, on the village green in Water Mill, is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the Town of Southampton and, along with the water mill that provided the inspiration for the small hamlet’s name, it is a cherished monument to the area’s roots and history. On the south side of Montauk Highway, the Water Mill Green area has undergone massive changes since the windmill was built for its original location in North Haven and moved to Water Mill in 1813 by James Corwith. Corwith and his family then ran the mill for the next 75 years. While the mill was considered to be on the small side, it served a vital service to the farming community of Water Mill. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that for the past several weeks, evidence of Water Mill’s 21st century community dedication and teamwork has been on display for anyone passing through Water Mill via 2...
Transcribe →New York officials say they will oppose Trump executive order for patriotism in schools
Jan 31, 202500:09:55Tap to summarizeNew York officials said they will oppose President Donald Trump’s executive order to replace what he calls "radical indoctrination" of "anti-American ideologies" in public schools with "a patriotic admiration for our incredible nation and the values for which we stand." Michael Gormley reports in NEWSDAY that in an apparent reference to gender-altering operations and separate sex restrooms, Trump said schools are “steering students toward surgical and chemical mutilation without parental consent or involvement or allowing males access to private spaces designated for females.” The order also targets teaching about structural racism and "white privilege." A day after Trump issued the order, New York officials said they are ready to resist it.The president "lacks authority to disregard acts of Congress," said J.P. O’Hare, spokesman for the NYS education department."We are reviewing the recent executive orders," O’Hare told Newsday in a written response. "This review is informed by our belief that state and local control remains the bedrock of our nation’s education system, and this principle will not be enhanced through federal curriculum mandates."We remain committed to ensuring that schools are safe, welcoming environments for all students, which is a bipartisan issue," O’Hare said. "We will continue to work with the Legislature and governor to ensure that our schools remain devoted to truth, excellence, and free inquiry."In New York state, education policy is set by the state Board of Regents, who are chosen by the State Legislature. Under law, local school boards have great latitude in what is taught in schools.***Median teacher salaries have risen to $130,000 a year or higher in 34 school districts across Long Island — up from 24 a year earlier, a Newsday review found.And a majority of the region’s school systems — 72 of 125 — report median salaries of $120,000 or higher. That number is also up from the previous year’s figure of 64.John Hildebrand and Michael R. Ebert report in NEWSDAY that payroll numbers show that Long Island's school systems maintained their longtime position as among the highest-paying, not only statewide, but also nationally. Teacher representatives in the region said the salary levels reflect high living costs in Nassau and Suffolk counties, as well as in similar suburban counties such as Westchester.But state and local finance watchdogs questioned whether the rise in teacher pay was resulting in higher academic achievement for students. Recent national assessments, for example, showed middling results for New York students in math and reading. Andrea Vecchio - a founder of Long Islanders for Educational Reform, a regional advocacy group focused on school-finance issues – tells NEWSDAY, “If we keep rewarding failure, we’re going to get more of it,”The salary medians, also known as midpoints, were based on records covering more than 37,000 full-time classroom teachers in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Figures were for the 2023-24 school year, the latest available, and were provided by the state's Department of Education. Among more than 650 districts statewide, five of the 10 top-paying systems were located in the Nassau-Suffolk area.The highest-paying districts on Long Island, and their median salaries, included: Cold Spring Harbor, $150,089; Syosset, $146,892; Jericho, $146,105; Commack, $143,402 and Three Village in Suffolk, $142,041.***The East Hampton Town Police Department’s 2025 Citizen Academy is now accepting applications, with the Spring 2025 session scheduled to begin on March 5. CHRISTOPHER WALSH reports on 27east.com that a 10-week program, the Citizen’s Police Academy gives participants firsthand insight into how the town’s police officers perform their duties and serve the community. The goal is for graduates to leave the academy as more informed citizens with an insider's view of local law enforcement functions and operations. The free, interactive 10-session program will run one to two times per week from 6 to 9 p.m. between March 5 and May 14. The course is open to those who live in East Hampton Town, are 17 or older and have a valid driver’s license. Applicants will be subject to a background check. The application submission deadline is Wednesday, February 26. Those seeking more information can call 631-537-7575, extension 542.***The Town of Southampton on Wednesday filed court papers seeking to stop leaders of the Shinnecock Indian Nation from continuing to build a gas station on Sunrise Highway in Hampton Bays. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that the town's motion for a preliminary injunction, which seeks a court hearing on Feb. 19 in State Supreme Court in Riverhead, follows its Dec. 20 filing of a lawsuit that seeks to block tribal leaders from building the travel plaza. The nation has said the gas station/travel plaza is essential to its economic development and is being built on long-held tribal land over which the Town of Southampton has no zoning authority. Earlier this month, the Shinnecock Nation received a letter from the U.S. Department of the Interior affirming that the 80 acres that constitute its Westwoods property in Hampton Bays are part of its legally protected, aboriginal sovereign land.Separately, lawyers for Shinnecock leaders, including chairwoman Lisa Goree and other council members, last Friday filed a motion to dismiss the town's suit against the gas station, arguing they had not been properly served.On Wednesday, Lance Gumbs, vice chairman of the Shinnecock council of trustees, called the town’s latest court filing a "modern-day land grab."Gumbs said the nation has not stopped construction, nor has it stopped operating its adjacent billboard and monuments on Sunrise Highway which are the subject of an ongoing lawsuit by the state Department of Transportation.Westwoods "has been affirmed as what we always said it was," said Gumbs. "It’s aboriginal restricted-fee land and not under the jurisdiction of the state or the town."***The Trump administration is considering a move to halt New York City’s congestion pricing program, according to multiple people with knowledge of the matter.As reported in THE NY TIMES, the U.S. Department of Transportation is discussing whether to withdraw a key federal authorization that the tolling plan received from the Biden administration last year. Such a move would almost certainly touch off a legal battle between the state and federal government and could effectively kill congestion pricing in its infancy.No final decision has been made but President Trump had vowed to halt congestion pricing when he entered office, saying it was harmful to the city’s economy.The tolling program, which is meant to provide funding for public transit…including the LIRR…started on Jan. 5 after surviving a number of lawsuits seeking to block it and a last-minute suspension by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in June.Ms. Hochul and Mr. Trump have spoken twice this week. They discussed a range of issues including congestion pricing, according to a person familiar with the matter, with the governor conveying to Mr. Trump that the program was showing signs of success.President Trump told Governor Hochul that there would be no immediate action and that before any decisions were made they should touch base again next week.There is little precedent for the reversal of a transportation project of this magnitude, transit experts said. New York’s congestion pricing plan, which first took shape more than six decades ago, is the first such program in the country.Legal experts said that it was unlikely the federal government could directly scrap congestion pricing and whatever maneuver it employed to derail the plan would undoubtedly be challenged in court.***"Locals helping locals." That's the slogan for an event taking place tomorrow, meant to help workers laid off from Crescent Duck Farms in Aquebogue, where an outbreak of avian bird flu left owners with no choice but to cull their entire flock and quarantine the business. Lisa Finn reports on Patch.com that the fund-raising event is tomorrow from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at North Fork Brewing Co., 24 East 2nd Street in Riverhead. A raffle will be held, with prizes and experiences provided by local restaurants, hotels, vineyards, breweries and artists. Crescent Duck Farm had to lay off about two-thirds of its 75-person workforce after bird flu was confirmed at the farm Jan. 16, Crescent Duck Farm president and a fourth-generation farmer Doug Corwin told RiverheadLOCAL last week. Nearly all the farm’s employees have been working there for many years, he said. Crescent, founded in 1908, is the last duck farm remaining on Long Island, where duck farming once prospered with about 100 operating farms.***The Town of Southampton on Wednesday filed court papers seeking to stop leaders of the Shinnecock Indian Nation from continuing to build a gas station on Sunrise Highway in Hampton Bays. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that the town's motion for a preliminary injunction, which seeks a court hearing on Feb. 19 in State Supreme Court in Riverhead, follows its Dec. 20 filing of a lawsuit that seeks to block tribal leaders from building the travel plaza. The nation has said the gas station/travel plaza is essential to its economic development and is being built on long-held tribal land over which the Town of Southampton has no zoning authority. Earlier this month, the Shinnecock Nation received a letter from the U.S. Department of the Interior affirming that the 80 acres that constitute its Westwoods property in Hampton Bays are part o...
Transcribe →Long Island nonprofits express alarm and confusion over Trump attempt to freeze funding
Jan 29, 202500:09:59Tap to summarizeLong Island nonprofits, social service groups and other recipients of federal funds responded with alarm and confusion yesterday to a Trump administration memo that sought to impose a freeze on targeted federally funded programs. Tom Brune and Laura Figueroa Hernandez report in NEWSDAY that the memo issued Monday night by the Office of Management and Budget put a "temporary pause" on federal grants and loans to align spending with President Donald Trump’s priorities and to eliminate "Marxist equity, transgenderism and green new deal" policies. U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan in Washington, D.C., halted the memo’s orders until Feb. 3, moments before it was to take effect at 5 p.m., to consider its complicated ramifications.1st Congressional District Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) said in a statement that he and Trump made campaign commitments to pause funding for some foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations and initiatives like DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), gender ideology and the Green New Deal while protecting Social Security and Medicare. "Should the courts block the President’s actions and instead require Congress to step in, I will work closely with him and my colleagues to achieve a balanced budget, strengthen national security, improve affordability, and ensure that Long Island gets its fair share," said Congressman LaLota.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, "Last night, President Trump plunged the country into chaos. Without a shred of warning, the Trump administration announced a halt to virtually all federal funds across the country."Meanwhile, Nassau and Suffolk county health agencies and nonprofits are scrambling to understand the order and whether it applied to them.***Jessica Lynn Elliott was recently named as the new executive director of the Southampton African American Museum in Southampton Village, taking over for founder Brenda Simmons, who has transitioned into a new role as the museum’s president and CEO. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that Ms. Elliott was a teacher and history professor at Syracuse University before taking the role with the museum in December. Its mission is to promote an understanding and appreciation of African American culture by creating programs that will preserve the past, encourage learning and enhance the life of the community. The museum fulfills that mission by researching and collecting local history, producing media events, and creating exhibits and community celebrations. Located at 245 North Sea Road in Southampton, the museum is the former home of a Black barber shop that was founded by Emmanuel Seymore, who came to the North during the Great Migration in the late 1940s to escape the Jim Crow South. He purchased the land in Southampton and opened the shop, becoming a successful businessman. Elliott has been an educator for 20 years, working as a teacher of U.S. history, government, global history and geography in the Syracuse City School District, and writing and teaching African American history curriculum for the same district for 15 years before taking a role as a history professor at Syracuse University. Elliott earned both her doctorate and masters from Syracuse after graduating from Delaware State University in 2006 with a double-major in history and political science and a double minor in African American studies and philosophy. After working at Syracuse University for five years, Elliott said she was ready for a change, and in looking for new opportunities, came across the opening at the museum.***The Sag Harbor Zoning Board of Appeals last week issued three variances to the John Jermain Memorial Library that will allow it to replace a failing heating and ventilation system. Stephen J. Kotz reports on 27east.com that the variances allow for a soundproof fence that will be placed around the system on the north side of the library building to be 6 feet tall, where 4 feet is ordinarily the limit. Two other variances would ease restrictions on total lot coverage and building coverage, which the library building already exceeds on the 14,172-square-foot lot. With the variance now in hand, the library is expected to receive site-plan approval from the Planning Board. And not a minute too soon. The library reported that its existing heating system broke down on January 13.***The Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue, which lost its entire flock of 99,000 to an outbreak of bird flu, has begun the long, methodical process of sanitizing its facilities. Mark Harrington and Lisa L. Colangelo report in NEWSDAY that Doug Corwin, president of the family-owned operation in business since 1908, said all the ducks have been euthanized, as required by federal officials, and two layers of quarantine remain in effect around the operation. None of his workers has fallen ill or tested positive for the virus."The worst is over as far as any viral spread," he said. "Now we’ve got to do an intensive cleanup here. USDA will come down once or twice a week and monitor our progress. We talk with them multiple times a day."The future of the popular farm, which supplies duck meat to restaurants and gourmet shops throughout Long Island, New York City and beyond, hinges on several thousand eggs that are being safely kept off site. Infectious disease experts have said the risk to health among the general public is still low, especially since there have been no confirmed cases of person-to-person transmission.Corwin was forced to lay off 48 workers but kept 20 to help with the cleanup.He said the company was successful in salvaging many of the 10,000 eggs that he hopes could represent the future of Crescent, which has developed a unique genetic strain of duck over generations. Eggs were kept off the farm and sanitized and tested along the way, and many are now being incubated at an undisclosed location. Corwin has not yet determined whether he will raise ducks at the site again. He has been frustrated with the lack of a vaccine that would protect ducks from the virus. "There’s a lot of challenges left," he said. "But don’t get me wrong. We’re making every step forward so that at least we can try. I’m not backing down by any means."Richard Ball, commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture and Markets said there have been no other recent detections of bird flu on Long Island.***Following a similar announcement by Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard last Friday, Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski released a statement Monday reaffirming the Town of Southold’s long-standing policy to “not assist Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) or any other federal agency in the enforcement of federal laws. The Town of Southold’s Police Department will focus on maintaining public safety and will continue to treat all residents with respect, regardless of race, national origin, citizenship or any other matter which may define us,” states Supervisor Krupski. Beth Young in EAST END BEACON reports that a Community Informational Session to provide important and timely information to residents on the Southold Town Policing Policy will be held on Thursday, Jan. 30…that’s tomorrow evening from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Southold Town Recreation Center, 970 Peconic Lane, Peconic.Southold Town Police Chief Steven Grattan, along with representatives from the Southold Town Anti-Bias Task Force and the Police Advisory Committee, have been invited to participate in this discussion and “to be responsive to issues of greatest concern to our residents,” according to Supervisor Krupski’s statement.For more information, contact the Supervisor’s office at 631.765.1889.***A proposal to phase out sand mines on most residentially zoned land in Southampton Town was adjourned until February 25 by the Town Board on Tuesday. Stephen J. Kotz reports on 27east.com that Councilman Bill Pell, the legislation’s sponsor, said that the board had received comments from the Town Zoning Board of Appeals and the Suffolk County Pine Barrens Commission, but had yet to hear from the Town Planning Board, necessitating the need to adjourn the hearing. However, the board accepted testimony from the four people who signed up to speak during a public hearing on the measure, three of whom supported the town’s action. The only speaker to oppose amortization, Aram Terchunian of Westhampton Beach, urged the town to use incentives to encourage sand mine operators to transition from mining to less intense uses.***Fear and uncertainty, but also an invincible devotion to God, permeated a Roman Catholic Church in Riverhead where hundreds of immigrants gathered for Sunday Mass despite President Donald Trump’s order that federal agents can enter houses of worship to arrest people in the country illegally.Some immigrants, who acknowledged they were living here without documentation, said they came to pray anyway at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Riverhead since their faith and belief in God was stronger than any threat Trump might level."We are afraid but we have confidence in God," one immigrant, a landscaper who is in the country illegally, said in Spanish.Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that the church attracted a standing-room-only crowd of about 800 people, larger than even the typical showing of 650 to 700 of the faithful, said the Rev. Larry Duncklee, pastor of St. John. Immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and other Latin American countries packed the pews. The aisles along the walls were also full.Hispanics are among the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the United States. Many denominations including the Catholic Church are catering to them to try to stem declining membership, in pa...
Transcribe →Riverhead ZBA postpones retail cannabis application until at least Feb. 13
Jan 28, 202500:09:55Tap to summarizeMore than 1.3 million Long Islanders could receive between $300 and $500 in state rebate checks at the end of the year and see substantial tax savings if two proposals from the governor are approved. Critics, however, argue that the measures merely paper over significant affordability issues throughout Nassau and Suffolk. Victor Ocasio reports in NEWSDAY that among the line items in New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed budget is an “inflation refund” that would give $3 billion in direct payments to about 8.6 million state residents, including more than a million on Long Island, the state said. Single taxpayers who make up to $150,000 per year would receive $300, and joint filers making up to $300,000 annually would get $500 total.Separate from the rebate is an expansion of the Empire State Child Credit, which would give parents up to $1,000 in refundable tax credits for each child younger than 4, and up to $500 for families with children ages 4 to 16. If approved, the credit's expansion would be phased in over two years, meaning Long Island parents with children younger than 4 would qualify for the savings when filing their taxes in 2026. Parents of children ages 4 to 16 would qualify the following year, the state said.An estimated 215,000 households on Long Island, or roughly 355,000 children, would benefit from the expansion of the child tax credit, the governor’s office said earlier this month.The State Legislature will review and potentially make changes to Hochul's proposed budget. A budget deal must be reached by April 1.***Twenty-five years ago, when current Southampton Village Mayor Bill Manger first served on the Village Board, as a trustee, he remembers talk about the need to replace the slate roof at the Southampton Arts Center, the 9,930-square-foot cultural institution on Jobs Lane that is owned by the Village of Southampton. Even a quarter of a century ago, it was evident that it was near the end of its lifespan. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that now thanks to a recent half-million-dollar investment by the current board, the Southampton Arts Center is finally getting a new roof. Approximately $500,000 was set aside in the capital budget last year to replace the slate roof, and recently, the materials arrived from a company in Vermont, allowing workers to get the project underway. Mayor Manger said yesterday that the project would likely be complete in a few weeks. It will be a welcome relief for those who work at and visit the arts center regularly. In recent months, the roof had been leaking, requiring buckets to be set up inside to catch the water on rainy days.***Bridgehampton students in grades two through five are lacing up their skates again this winter thanks to the generosity of their community. As reported on 27east.com, through donations of ice time, skates and helmets, students take part in ice skating lessons at the Buckskill Winter Club in East Hampton during the months of January and February. For many years, Douglas and Katheryn DeGroot’s continued support has made this opportunity possible for Bridgehampton students, offering them a unique experience outside the classroom. With the help of physical education teacher Steve Meyers, students learn the fundamentals of ice skating, build confidence, and stay active throughout the winter months.***The Ladies Village Improvement Society of East Hampton is marking its 130th anniversary this year and, in a presentation to the East Hampton Village Board last Friday, LVIS announced a 2025 community programs budget of slightly more than $785,000. Christopher Walsh reports on 27east.com that this includes beautifying and preserving the village’s landscape through its more than 30 committees devoted to matters such as trees, greens and grounds, landmarks and the Nature Trail. The LVIS also awards scholarships to high school students, sells merchandise in its thrift shops and hosts an annual summer fair. “The LVIS works to care for over 3,500 trees and to plant new ones,” Joyce Tuttle of the LVIS told the East Hampton Village Board. “It’s likely one of the oldest private-public tree programs in the United States.” Members tend to some 700 memorial plaques along the streets and clean the tree enclosures on Main Street and Newtown Lane. Dead or downed trees are replaced with a variety of species. “Keeping East Hampton Beautiful Since 1895” the Society’s Greens program, founded in 1907, oversees mowing, irrigation and organic care of the greens on Main Street, from Town Pond to the Hook Mill memorial and the large open space at the western end of Pantigo Road. The LVIS Nature Trail Committee feeds and monitors the health of diverse waterfowl and birds, and in partnership with the Garden Club of East Hampton removes downed branches, limbs and litter there. “The LVIS is a wonderful organization,” Mayor Jerry Larsen said, “and you all work so hard and it’s so clear how much dedication and how much money is given to this Village. … From my heart, I thank you so much for all the hard work you do.”***A decision on the application for a use variance to allow a retail cannabis shop to open in a former bank building on Ostrander Avenue was postponed last week by the Riverhead Zoning Board of Appeals until at least the next planning commission meeting on Feb. 13. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the adjournment came pending receipt of the recommendation of the Suffolk County Planning Commission on the proposed use. Applicant Elizabeth McGrath, operating as Tink & E. Co. of Cutchogue, proposes a state-licensed dispensary in the former bank building at 1201 Ostrander Avenue, which has been vacant since the branch was shuttered by People’s United Bank in June 2017. McGrath appealed to the ZBA for relief from Riverhead Town’s cannabis code, which prohibits a retail cannabis dispensary at the site, because it is within 1,000 feet of existing residential uses and is outside a designated commercial corridor.Amanda Grams of Reeves Park was the only member of the public to speak on the application during last Thursday’s meeting. Grams said the town invested a lot of time and energy in developing the cannabis code. She noted that Riverhead’s code has allowed the largest retail dispensary in the state to open on Route 58, near Tanger Outlets. “I’m standing here because I don’t want Riverhead to be the pothead place. That old bank is near homes, residences, children. It’s not zoned for it,” she said.***Several local organizations are among 15 nonprofits awarded a total of $378,000 by the Long Island Unitarian Universalist Fund in support of their efforts to advance progressive social change, the New York Community Trust announced last week. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that among the nonprofit organizations awarded grants is the Riverhead-based Butterfly Effect Project, which received a $23,000 grant to support its leadership initiative, which creates opportunities for young people of color to advocate for change in their communities.Tijuana Fulford, founder and executive director of the Butterfly Effect Project said the grant will support the group’s college access and college retention program. BEP helps its members attend college tours, access resources like scholarships and financial aid, and prepare federal financial aid application documents known as FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid.The group also helps high schoolers explore alternative pathways, including careers in public safety and other public service employment, various skilled trades, and entrepreneurship.***More than 1.3 million Long Islanders could receive between $300 and $500 in state rebate checks at the end of the year and see substantial tax savings if two proposals from the governor are approved. Critics, however, argue that the measures merely paper over significant affordability issues throughout the NYC Metropolitan area including Nassau and Suffolk. The NYS Legislature will review and potentially make changes to Governor Kathy Hochul's proposed budget. A budget deal must be reached by April 1.“Families shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not they can afford to put food on the table because of the rising cost of groceries,” Hochul said in a statement last week. “Making New York more affordable has been one of my top priorities."However, Victor Ocasio reports in NEWSDAY that critics of the governor’s proposed child tax credit expansion and inflation refund said the state is leaving core affordability issues unaddressed.“The governor is talking about affordability, and she’s going about addressing it in all the wrong ways,” said Ken Girardin, research director at the Empire Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank in Albany.“If you’re concerned about the cost of goods or services in New York, then go find ways to make it easier to provide goods and services in New York,” Girardin said. “You can do that by lowering taxes on the people who provide those goods or services or by easing their regulatory burden.”The Fiscal Policy Institute, a progressive think tank in Albany, also took issue with the state’s proposed refund checks. Emily Eisner, an economist at the institute, wrote in an analysis earlier this month that the checks would not address structural issues, such as the high cost of housing.She added that “the policy could easily backfire, giving a small boost to prices rather than easing household finances,” implying that a cash injection into the economy could have inflationary effects similar to what was seen with pandemic stimulus payments.Eisner did suggest, however, that expanding the child tax credit represe...
Transcribe →Riverhead Police Department states it will not get involvedin immigration enforcement
Jan 27, 202500:10:02Tap to summarizeHospitals on Long Island and in the region are gearing up for the potential arrival of immigration officers now that these sites are no longer largely off-limits to enforcement actions. Lisa L. Colangelo reports in NEWSDAY that the Greater New York Hospital Association recently sent its members, which total close to 280 facilities, guidance to help them prepare for the change. It includes questions and answers about warrants and subpoenas, a suggested memo for the public and advice on dealing with assertive officers. "Like all law enforcement officers, ICE agents take their work seriously and are trained to obtain information," one section reads. "They may use persuasion and even intimidation at times. When dealing with any law enforcement agent, it is important to be professional and calm."The Greater New York Hospital Association suggests its members designate a hospital liaison, preferably in-house counsel, to take the lead when immigration officers show up at the facility. It notes that, in general, only a warrant signed by a judge requires hospitals to allow ICE agents to enter nonpublic areas. If an ICE agent says a patient needs to be arrested to avoid imminent harm or risk, "the hospital may decide to cooperate with ICE. But remember, without a judicial warrant, cooperation is not required."Last week, President Donald Trump discontinued a policy enacted under President Barack Obama that labeled hospitals, schools, houses of worship and other sites as sensitive locations. Immigration enforcement agents were discouraged from making raids at those sites except in certain circumstances.***The Riverhead Police Department will not get involved in immigration enforcement and related issues, which are “purely federal functions and are administered by federal agencies.” Riverhead Town Supervisor and Police Commissioner Tim Hubbard said in a statement issued Friday afternoon. “It is and has been the policy of the Riverhead Police Department that police personnel will not stop, question and/or interrogate or investigate, or arrest persons based solely on suspected immigration or citizenship status and will not detain any individual for suspected civil violations, federal immigration laws or a related civil warrant,” Hubbard said in the statement. “Such investigations or actions are federal functions and will be pursued by relevant federal agencies. The Riverhead Police Department may field requests for local agency assistance in connection with federal immigration operations within the town, the statement said. The police department enforces state and local laws and is tasked with maintaining public safety, said Hubbard. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that Hubbard is a retired Riverhead Police detective who had a 32-year career with the town police force. He was elected to a Riverhead Town council position in 2015 and in 2023 was elected town supervisor. As town supervisor he also serves as police commissioner.***The East Hampton Library’s Digital Long Island Collection has received and scanned more than 500 documents from Preservation Long Island’s manuscript collection, which covers three centuries of Long Island history. Christopher Walsh reports on 27east.com that with more than 3,000 objects and 185 cubic feet of archival materials, Preservation Long Island, founded in 1948, has curated one of New York State’s most significant regional collections of historical artifacts. Its collaboration with the East Hampton Library provides public access to a selection of documents from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, offering insight into Long Island’s social, cultural, political and economic histories. Digital Long Island is an online resource for exploration of Long Island’s history. It includes searchable scans of deeds, maps, letters, oral histories, legal documents, photographs and other materials such as whaling ship logs, poems, recipes and song lyrics. The documents are available online through the DigitalLongIsland.org portal.***Three school districts on Long Island were identified in a report issued Friday by NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli for the 2023-24 school year as facing varying degrees of fiscal stress. John Hildebrand reports in NEWSDAY that a total of 22 districts statewide were singled out. One of two systems in the state facing "significant" stress — the highest level of fiscal trouble — is tiny New Suffolk on the east end's North Fork. Residents there voted in March to shut down instruction at their local school and send students to a neighboring district. The stress level designations were for the school year ending June 30, 2024. The 22 districts in New York State identified were an increase from 16 systems the prior year. New Suffolk's superintendent, Joseph Vasile-Cozzo, did not dispute the comptroller's rating of his district. But he told Newsday that the district was satisfied with its new arrangement, in which all resident children of school age are sent to classes in the nearby Southold system. New Suffolk had previously operated its own school for prekindergarten through sixth grade, with higher grades attending classes in Southold. The district decided to stop offering its own classes on the grounds that it did not have enough students to maintain a full program. The district retained its own administration to allow it to negotiate tuition rates. In addition, New Suffolk continues to set its own tax rate, which is low compared to rates in districts further west. "We're doing great," Vasile-Cozzo told Newsday. "Southold has been terrific." ***The Hampton Bays Civic Association’s Monthly Meeting is scheduled for this evening in the Hampton Bays Senior Center, 25 Ponquogue Avenue.Doors open at 6:30pm for refreshments and the meeting starts at 7 o’clock tonight. Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore will provide an update and take residents’ questions on various issues impacting Hampton Bays.These issues include:1) Westwood litigation and Southampton Town’s goal in taking the Shinnecock Nation to court.2) The next steps with downtown development.3) The town’s housing authority’s purchase of the Easterner Motel.4) The towns plans for the various properties in the Hampton Bays hamlet.5) The status of the proposed sewage treatment plant for the Hampton Bays community.6) The proposed BESS zoning guidelines.7) Park development on the former Bel-Aire Cove property.8) What are the Supervisor’s plans for infrastructure improvements within our Hampton Bays hamlet in the coming year?Those issues will be addressed during Hampton Bays Civic Association's meeting with Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore this evening at the Hampton Bays Senior Center, 25 Ponquogue Avenue. Doors open and refreshments are served at 6:30 p.m., followed by the meeting at 7 p.m631.728.2289View Organizer Websiteinfo@hbcivic.org***After a flurry of federal directives last week targeting un-documented immigrants living in the United States, Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard issued a statement Friday affirming Town Police’s commitment to “provide professional services to the community and maintain equal treatment and equal enforcement of the law to the community.” Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that Supervisor Hubbard is a retired Riverhead Police Department Detective. He said those town police polices “are consistent with federal and state laws and it is not the Town’s intention to alter such policies in response to recent Federal executive actions.” Hubbard’s statement came as he extended a town emergency executive order, enacted by his predecessor, Supervisor Yvette Aguiar in May of 2023, prohibiting hotels, inns and other transient lodging in the town from accepting “persons for long-term, non-transient housing inconsistent with approved and/or permitted uses.” In Mr. Hubbard’s extension of the State of Emergency, signed this past Friday, he said the “circumstances and dangers upon which my predecessor’s declaration was predicated… have not abated and I find that such conditions do, or threaten to, imperil the health, safety and general welfare of the residents and visitors to the Town of Riverhead.”***Better compensation for volunteer firefighters injured in the line of duty and the phasing out of equipment made with forever chemicals known as PFAS were among the legislative priorities laid out by the Firefighters Association of the State of New York Saturday at its 2025 outreach meeting. Joseph Ostapiuk reports in NEWSDAY that the organization, which represents volunteer firefighters statewide, held the session at the Albertson Fire Department headquarters to bring its agenda before legislators preparing to engage in negotiations with Gov. Kathy Hochul ahead of the April 1 budget deadline. The association’s focus, officials said, is centered on bringing in new volunteer firefighters and keeping them in the service.“The biggest thing is recruitment. We got to get them in the department, and then the retention will follow,” said Jerry Presta, an East Norwich firefighter and chairman of the Nassau County Junior Firefighters Association. “All of these initiatives — if you put them all together, it helps.”A bill that calls for volunteer firefighters to be paid the same amount of workers' compensation as paid employees injured on the job is one of the association’s highest priorities.Some of the association's 2025 legislative goals mirror last year’s, including raising the income tax credit for volunteer firefighters from $200 to $800, creating a sales tax exemption for products such as smoke detectors and allowing members to receive both an income tax credit and a local...
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