The Long Island Daily

WLIW-FM
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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.

  1. 16h ago

    ICE presence on Long Island appears to be growing again

    WLIW FM invites you to join us for a live broadcast of the 22nd annual East Hampton Library’s Authors Night this coming Saturday, August 8th from 5pm to 7 pm. If you’re at Herrick Park for this literary celebration stop by and say hello to our G.M. Diane Masciale and invaluable members of the WLIW FM staff including Paula Hinck, Kyle Lynch, and Brian Cannon. Plus, hear Brian Cosgrove, Gianna Volpe, and Michael Mackey conducting interviews with over a dozen authors...under the East Hampton Library’s Authors Night tent or over the air as it happens. So, tune in to our live broadcast of one of the most popular and celebrity-studded events of the Hamptons’ summer calendar, this coming Saturday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. right here on 88.3 WLIW-FM, 88.7 FM in Montauk and 96.9 FM in western Suffolk. Or online at wliw.org/radio and the WLIW-FM app. *** The presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents appears to be, once again, growing on Long Island, as the agency's arrests rise nationwide, stoking renewed fear in immigrant communities, advocates for the undocumented said this week. Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that in the last two weeks, Islip Forward, the main nonprofit that tracks ICE activity on Long Island, said the number of ICE sightings by activists in Nassau and Suffolk counties has jumped from two or three a day to six or eight or more a day. That pattern is still below what the group reported during earlier peak periods of 15 or 16 or more last year and earlier this year, but it is an increase, said the group’s founder, Ahmad Perez. “I would absolutely classify this as an uptick," he told Newsday yesterday. “We’ve been seeing a lot more federal agents and officers out on residential streets." “I don't want to say it's a surge, because we have seen what a surge looks like when we had, like, 15, 16, 17, 18 sightings per day," he added. “But we are absolutely on an upward trend." Osman Canales, an experienced “ICE tracker" and advocate, said he was getting between one and three reports of ICE sightings a week from residents on Long Island. Now, it is up to five or more a day, he said. The actual numbers may be even higher since some ICE arrests, which typically take place rapidly, are not getting reported to activists, he said. Nationwide, the average number of daily arrests by ICE has gone from nearly 1,000 in May to 1,474 in July, according to ICE data analyzed by Newsday. The available data for July includes up to July 11. If arrests continued at that pace for the rest of the month, it would set a record for President Donald Trump’s second term. The average of 1,319 in June was the highest so far. The uptick in New York comes weeks after the state passed a law seeking to limit ICE activity, prompting Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, to repeatedly pledge to unleash a “surge" of agents in New York City. ICE did not respond directly to questions about an uptick or the agency’s methods. But the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, told Newsday in a statement that “for operational security reasons" the agency does not divulge details of its activity. “ICE agents uphold our nation’s immigration laws in all 50 states, seven days a week, 24 hours a day," DHS added. “ICE is targeting criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, criminals, gang members and more." *** A man died last evening after crashing an electric bicycle...an E-bike...into a chain-link fence in the rear parking lot of a shopping center on Route 58 in Riverhead, according to the Riverhead Town Police Department. As reported on RiverheadLOCAL.com, police said officers responded at about 5:39 p.m. yesterday to Ross Dress for Less, 1080 Old Country Road in Riverhead, for a report of a male lying in the parking lot. When officers arrived, they found an adult male unconscious and in traumatic arrest in the rear parking lot, police said. An investigation determined the man had been operating an electric bicycle and collided with a chain-link fence along the western tree line. The man was not wearing a safety helmet, according to police. The man was identified as John Sanmartino, 54, undomiciled, police said. He was transported by Riverhead Ambulance Corps to Peconic Bay Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries, police said. The Riverhead Town Detective Division responded to continue the investigation. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has information is asked to contact the Riverhead Town Police Department at 631-727-4500. Police said calls will be kept confidential. Police also reminded residents that tips about suspicious or criminal activity can be reported to the department’s Crime Hotline at 631-727-3333. Calls will be kept confidential, police said. *** Terminally ill adult New Yorkers with less than six months to live can now request a doctor prescribe them lethal medication to end their life as New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act went into effect yesterday. Robert Brodsky reports in NEWSDAY that the legislation, which was signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul in February after more than a decade of advocacy — and fierce opposition from the New York State Catholic Conference — makes New York the 13th state, along with the District of Columbia, to legalize physician-assisted suicide. "Decisions about end-of-life care are deeply personal and best reached on an individual basis in consultation with a person’s doctor, family and loved ones," State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a statement. "The Department has worked diligently and thoughtfully to establish guidance and to propose regulations designed to provide dignity and comfort to those who choose to use Medical Aid in Dying, while providing the necessary protections to ensure the law is not misused or inappropriately applied." The law was allowed to move forward after a federal judge last week dismissed a lawsuit that argued the legislation violated state disability rights. Meanwhile, in a separate case, the state agreed to a narrow temporary restraining order that allows the Diocese of Rockville Centre, the Catholic Health system and four orders of Catholic nuns, including the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict, which operates St. Joseph's Home for the Aged, an assisted living facility in Huntington, to avoid providing information to patients about the law. The groups had filed suit last month to block implementation of the law or to create a limited "opt-out" allowing religious institutions to not participate in advising terminally ill individuals about their options under the act which is now in effect. "Until our legal fight is resolved, this temporary agreement keeps our ministries free to serve every patient according to the Gospel," said Bishop John O. Barres, of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. The legislation allows mentally capable New Yorkers age 18 or older with a medically confirmed terminal illness, and who have six months or less to live, to take life-ending pharmaceuticals from a physician. Two doctors would have to confirm the prognosis; patients must undergo a mental health evaluation, make both a written and verbal request, and wait at least five days before a prescription may be filled. *** A week after Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine’s demand at a Georgica Beach press conference that a Battery Energy Storage System in East Hampton be closed after nearby wells were found to be contaminated, the Town of East Hampton is also making a series of demands of the owners of the BESS. The facility, at 3 Cove Hollow Road in East Hampton, was the site of a May 2023 fire, and the perfluorinated compound PFPrA, often the product of the breakdown of lithium-ion batteries, was later found in the Suffolk County Water Authority’s Bridgehampton Road Wellfield nearby. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that this past Tuesday, August 4, East Hampton Town demanded East Hampton Energy Storage Center, NextEra Energy and National Grid take six safety measures, “at their sole expense, to address fire-water containment and other safety concerns” at the site. The demands include new engineering controls capable of containing all fire water and runoff, a revised emergency and safety plan, complete and certified technical information, a hazardous-waste management plan and an independent study of whether the facility remains necessary for the East End electric grid, according to the town. “These demands come with firm deadlines,” said East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez. “The town has reserved every enforcement option available to ensure the companies meet their obligations and put the necessary safeguards in place.” “The town is not suggesting that anyone should have predicted PFPrA contamination in 2017 or that DEC has concluded that the facility is the source,” Supervisor Burke-Gonzalez added. “The failure is that the applicant knew, or should have known, that a fire would be fought with water and that containment built for oil alone would be insufficient. That was knowable in 2017, and the applicant did not address it when it applied.” *** Local residents last week told the engineers planning the replacement of a Montauk Highway overpass of the LIRR tracks just east of downtown Hampton Bays, that a planned eight-month detour through residential neighborhoods would be a “nightmare” and an “existential problem” for residents and business owners, pleading with them to come up with ways to minimize the impacts on the...

  2. 1d ago

    Riverhead Town Board approves site plan for Peconic River Hotel

    Rising healthcare costs are straining school district budgets and forcing educators to make difficult choices on Long Island and across the country. In a nationwide survey, 98% of school district leaders said increased healthcare expenses are having a negative impact on spending plans, according to a report by AASA, also known as the School Superintendents Association, along with the Association of School Business Officials International. Two out of three districts reported spending more than 10% of their budgets on employee insurance benefits during the last school year, according to the survey. The increasing costs of prescription drugs, including specialty medications such as GLP-1 drugs, and more claims for expensive treatments were among the main drivers of higher premiums, the report found. Maura McDermott reports in NEWSDAY that local school leaders said in interviews yesterday that they are feeling the pinch of high healthcare costs. Premiums for the state’s New York State Health Insurance Program {NYSHIP}, which covers many school employees, have risen steadily in recent years, they said. School districts have seen annual increases of 10% or more in health insurance premium costs, said Bob Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association. Districts that cover their own employees’ healthcare costs instead of participating in New York State Health Insurance Program also have experienced substantial cost increases, he said. “It's a major concern from a budgetary standpoint,” he said. School districts in New York State are subject to a tax cap, which limits their annual property tax increases. More than half of districts in the national survey reported tapping reserve, or "rainy day" funds to cover premium increases, even though such funds are not intended to subsidize recurring costs such as health care, the report found. Nearly half of districts cut costs by modifying employee benefits packages, the report found. Other strategies included delaying new hires, cutting back or postponing spending on instructional materials and technology, and offering less generous health plans for individuals and families. *** The Riverhead Town Board voted 5-0 yesterday to approve site plan and special permit applications for the proposed Peconic River Hotel, clearing a major local land-use hurdle for the five-story, 94-room hotel planned for East Main Street along to the future town square. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the approval covers applications filed by J. Petrocelli Riverhead Town Square LLC for the hotel, planned on a roughly 0.42-acre site at 117-127 E. Main St. The 69,738-square-foot building is proposed to include hotel rooms, retail space, a restaurant, café, hotel lobby and amenities, as well as nine parking spaces on the building’s lower level for hotel staff. Yesterday’s approval is subject to a long list of conditions, including final water and sewer district approvals, Suffolk County Department of Health Services approval, stormwater pollution prevention plan approval, Fire Marshal construction permits, final approval of building material samples by the Architectural Review Board and compliance with comments from the town engineer and Riverhead’s Town Square design consultant. The resolution gives the applicant three years to complete construction and begin the specially permitted hotel use. The site plan approval is valid for 36 months, with the possibility of one 12-month extension by the Town Board. The approval comes one day after the Riverhead Industrial Development Agency accepted an amended application from J. Petrocelli Riverhead Town Square LLC for financial assistance for the project. The IDA will hold a public hearing before deciding whether to approve financial assistance, but no hearing date has been set. The developer has said it is seeking sales and use tax exemptions, mortgage recording tax exemptions and real property tax abatements through a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement. *** The Quogue Village Board adopted a law that prohibits new plantings of bamboo in the village, while establishing conditions that existing bamboo plantings must comply with. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that for Quogue Village homeowners who have bamboo on their property, they will be allowed to keep it, but with some caveats. The new law states that the root system of the plantings needs to be contained in an above-ground vessel to prevent the spread of the roots. This vessel cannot be located within 10 feet of an adjoining property. Homeowners will also have to obtain a permit from the village’s building inspector. The law also requires homeowners to “take such measures as are reasonably expected to prevent such bamboo from invading or growing onto adjoining or neighboring properties.” The law also states that any current bamboo “shall not be replanted or replaced in kind, or replaced with any other species of bamboo, once such bamboo is or has become, for any reason, dead, destroyed, uprooted or otherwise removed.” For the first offense of the law, homeowners could be subject to a fine up to $2,500 for adding new bamboo plants or violating other parts of the law. For a second offense committed within five years of the first one, the fine would start at $2,500 and could go up to $5,000. For a third offense within the same time frame, the minimum fine would start at $5,000 and could rise to $10,000. The Town of Southampton does not have any restrictions on new bamboo plantings at the town level, though bamboo is not allowed to be included in its spring leaf cleanup program. *** Southold Town officials began sketching out local ground rules yesterday for responding to ICE activity on the North Fork during a hastily scheduled work session, though key legal and policy questions remain unresolved. Nick Mongiovi reports in THE SUFFOLK TIMES that the meeting at the Town Hall Annex — called less than a week after a packed Southold Town Board session where OLA of Eastern Long Island, several Public Safety Task Force members and other residents pressed officials to adopt local legislation — produced broad agreement on the need for clearer police response and communication procedures. But the path forward remains elusive. Police Chief Steven Grattan said the department is drafting an “outside agency” procedure which would guide how Southold Town officers should respond when federal immigration authorities or other outside law enforcement agencies operate in town. Much of the discussion during the hourlong meeting, which allowed no public comment, centered on how reports of ICE activity should be verified before information is shared with schools, hospitals, elected officials and the public. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) interpreted yesterday’s discussion as a sign Southold was moving away from legislation similar to measures adopted in East Hampton. Those laws, passed in May, establish notification procedures and direct local employees not to use East Hampton Town resources to assist federal civil immigration enforcement except when required by law. “After I conditioned my support for the federal earmarks on rejecting sanctuary city policies, the tea leaves suggest Southold is poised to reject the Mamdani-Hochul sanctuary policies adopted in East Hampton,” Congressman LaLota told The Suffolk Times following the meeting. “Credit to Councilwoman Jill Doherty and former Town Attorney Stephen Kiely, who for months have made clear, compelling arguments against these weak and woke policies that restrict cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and put politics ahead of public safety. The community, our cops, and those being arrested are all safer when local, state and federal law enforcement communicate and cooperate. Public safety should come before politics.” LaLota, who is running for reelection in November, has said he would not support discretionary Community Project Funding for municipalities that adopt policies he believes hinder lawful cooperation with federal authorities. The Southold Town Board did not reject OLA’s proposal yesterday. Instead, officials directed staff to continue refining both the draft Police Department procedures and broader policy recommendations before returning to the issue at their next regularly scheduled work session on Aug. 11. Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski Jr. said, “We have had this concern about federal immigration enforcement...We’ve taken this very seriously.” *** Crews were down at the beach at Ditch Plains in Montauk yesterday to remove the septic system that was unearthed last month by chronic erosion on the bluffs — a sudden development that prompted an emergency response from East Hampton Town officials. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that the septic system, which began peeking out from the face of the bluff after the heavy rain storms last month, offered yet another stark reminder for town officials of the ravaging effects of erosion in Montauk. Removing the decades-old septic system fell into the hands of Bistrian Materials, who the East Hampton Town Board contracted during a regular meeting on July 16 to conduct the work on an emergency basis. This move came after the town got the proper permits in place from the State Department of Environmental Conservation. So Bistrian Materials was down at the beach on Tuesday morning to remove the septic system from the haphazard position in which it had sat for the past month or so. How the removal will impact the face of the bluff at the preserved land is not yet clear. Ditch Plains was open to the public on Tuesday morning despite the work being done...

  3. 6d ago

    Accident on County Rd 39 involving motorcycle caused closures around 6pm

    Giunta's Meat Farms plans to acquire the King Kullen Grocery Co. Inc., an iconic, nearly century-old grocer that is the largest family-owned supermarket chain on Long Island. Tory N. Parrish reports in NEWSDAY that it will be King Kullen's second attempt at a sale in seven years, after a deal to be acquired by Stop & Shop was called off in 2020. An Oakdale-based grocer, Giunta's Meat Farms will acquire King Kullen's 24 supermarkets and its four Wild by Nature natural food stores, both companies announced yesterday. Both Giunta's and King Kullen are Long Island-based, family-owned grocers that got their starts in Queens. Founded in 1930, Hauppauge-based King Kullen markets itself as "America's first supermarket," a claim confirmed by the Smithsonian Institution. "As we looked toward the future, it was important to us to identify a local company that understood what makes King Kullen so special," Tracey Cullen, the recently appointed president and chief operating officer of King Kullen Grocery Co., said in a statement. "We found that in family-owned Giunta's Meat Farms. They appreciate our history and our people," said Cullen, a great-granddaughter of King Kullen's founder, Michael J. Cullen. Founded in 1952, Giunta's has 10 stores on Long Island. Giunta's acquisition of King Kullen is expected to close in September, subject to "customary closing conditions," the companies said in the statement. Until the deal closes, both companies will continue to operate independently and conduct business as usual, they said. No employees are expected to be laid off, they said. The companies declined to answer several of Newsday's questions about the deal, including what the sale price is, why King Kullen is being sold, whether the King Kullen name will remain after the sale or what changes employees and customers should expect to see after the sale. *** At this past Tuesday’s Sag Harbor Village Planning Board meeting, members of the public weighed in on a site plan application at 42 Bay Street, the site of a former single-family home that it now owned by the Maycroft Club, which plans to demolish the home there and build a new structure to serve as its headquarters. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the Maycroft Club is essentially a spin-off organization of the Sag Harbor Yacht Club, and plans to operate as a membership-based nonprofit with activities centered on “educational programs, maritime history, fellowship and preservation of local tradition,” according to its mission statement. The residentially zoned property is directly across Bay Street from the yacht club and faces the parking lot of the American Legion and the back of 34 Bay Street, the commercial building that is home to the Sag Harbor Cycle Company and, until recently, GeekHampton. While many people at the meeting expressed support for the application, a handful of neighboring homeowners expressed opposition to the project and had hired lawyers to represent them. Attorney Jeff Bragman, hired by Frank Coniglio, spoke at length during public comment, taking issue with, among other things, the fact that the plan includes using three bedrooms in the structure as staff housing for workers at the Sag Harbor Yacht Club. “A club is not allowed to have this kind of housing for employees,” he added. “They’re allowed to have one living space for an owner or manager.” Tiffany Scarlato, who is representing the applicant, said the precedent for having a similar structure and setup already exists in the Village of Sag Harbor, in the form of The Church, the nonprofit arts and cultural center at 48 Madison Street that also includes a residency space for artists. Scarlato added, “The application is technically complete…Are there other questions and site plan issues? Of course. To me, this is just the beginning of the process, not the end.” The hearing was held open. *** The Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt’s Sundays at Two program continues (this Sunday at 2 p.m.) with “Wild Long Island” with The Fish Guy, Chris Paparo at the Long Pond Greenbelt Nature Center in Bridgehampton. Discover the incredible diversity of wildlife that calls Long Island home. From the creatures of the land to the birds soaring above and the marine life beneath the waves, explore the rich and fascinating natural wonders that make Long Island a haven. Chris Paparo is a wildlife photographer, writer, and lecturer. Passionate about coastal ecology, fishing, and the outdoors, he manages the Marine Sciences Center at Stony Brook University, Southampton. Chris is an award-winning member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. His presentation is this Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Long Pond Greenbelt Nature Center, 1061 Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike, Bridgehampton, N.Y. And enjoy refreshments and conversation after the talk. For more information call Dai Dayton, 631-745-0689. RSVP: info@longpondgreenbelt.org *** Gov. Kathy Hochul sent a letter yesterday to President Donald Trump appealing his decision to deny federal disaster aid to New York for the February blizzard, calling it "arbitrary" and unprecedented. Politico reported earlier this month that Trump overruled a determination by his own Federal Emergency Management Agency, which had said New York and three other Northeastern states — all led by Democrats — should receive financial aid for costs associated with the record-breaking storm. This was the first time Trump denied a New York request for a "major disaster declaration," a Hochul administration official who requested anonymity said on Thursday. Yancey Roy reports in NEWSDAY that it is unusual for a President to deny a disaster-aid request once a federal agency has determined a state has met the requirements regarding the cost of damages. Hochul, a Democrat, said the February blizzard wasn’t a routine snowstorm and was complicated by extremely high winds — especially on Long Island. "The Long Island Power Authority, with services in three affected counties, reported over $20 million in FEMA validated damages due to wind-blown trees falling on power lines. Another $3 million was submitted to [FEMA] for other emergency measures such as warming centers for residents who lost power," Hochul wrote in the letter. The state declared emergencies in 22 counties, some 40,000 households lost power and five people died, the governor said. When the administration denied New York’s request, a FEMA spokesperson said partisan politics wasn’t involved, and that, "FEMA worked closely with the State of New York to collect and analyze damage information." Further, the office of Congressman Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) told Newsday that New York’s funding request failed to meet federal requirements. *** An accident on County Road 39 in Southampton at approximately 6 p.m. last evening closed the eastbound lanes of the highway in front of the Southampton Golf Range, and the westbound lanes were only partially open. A motorcycle was involved. Meanwhile, Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that whether new traffic patterns put in place along County Road 39 in Southampton last fall have “worked” to improve the flow of traffic westward during the afternoon and evening rush hours is a matter of widespread debate and much consternation among motorists stuck in daily traffic jams that — whether or not they are worse or better than they would have been before the changes — are maddening. Southampton Town officials have begun discussions about whether the patterns have improved traffic enough to be worth the tens of thousands of dollars spent in overtime for Highway Department salaries. Some think the changes have helped in enough ways to justify them. Others want to look more closely at the details. All want to see Suffolk County come up with some more concrete suggestions for how to improve the CR39 corridor everywhere between Water Mill and Hampton Bays. On Tuesday, the Southampton Town Board approved allotting an additional $136,051 from town contingency reserves to the Highway Department’s 2026 budget to cover overtime salaries for highway crews helping bypass the traffic light at Canoe Place Road in the mornings and control traffic along the CR39 corridor in the afternoon. Board members said that the question at hand is whether the improvements of the new traffic patterns justifies the additional expenses. “It was a pilot program; now are we going to continue it, based on what and what are the costs going to be,” Supervisor Maria Moore said. *** Peconic Landing’s memory support neighborhood, Harbor South, has been recognized for an innovative learning program that is helping people living with dementia build new connections, both in their community and between the synapses in their brains that hold their memories together. The Greenport retirement community announced this week that Harbor South has been designated New York’s first SAIDO Learning Model Community by the SAIDO Learning Institute in Japan. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that SAIDO Learning was first developed in Japan about 25 years ago, based on the Kumon Method of learning — small-step subject matter worksheets used in elementary schools there. This designation, approved by the Kumon Learning Therapy Center, makes Peconic Landing one of only six SAIDO Learning Model Communities in the country. The need for memory care continues to grow as the large cohort of baby boomers reaches an age at which dementia becomes more prevalent. In the context of SAIDO Learning, SAIDO does not stand for an acronym; rather, it is derived from the...

  4. Jul 30

    Southampton planning to spend $11.6 mil. to protect wetlands and expand access to Mecox Bay

    As calls intensify for the Town of Southold to adopt guidelines for responding to immigration raids, its police department is weighing a new policy to deploy officers to reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions to keep residents safe. Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that Police Chief Steven Grattan said the policy is still a draft and stemmed from discussions with the town’s public safety task force, a 12-member group formed in February to review legislation proposed by OLA (Organización Latino Americana) of Eastern Long Island, a Latino advocacy group. Under the policy, Southold Town officers would respond if alerted to immigration operations, Grattan said during a packed town board meeting on the topic yesterday. But he cautioned that outside law enforcement agencies don’t always alert the town to their presence. “We take public safety very seriously, and these can be very contentious exchanges as we’ve all seen across this country,” he said. “Having members of law enforcement there for peacekeeping efforts is important to us.” The chief said the internal policy could be implemented separately from official town board legislation. At Wednesday’s meeting, Southold officials met with residents, first responders and advocates who overwhelmingly urged the board to adopt the legislation amid heightened immigration enforcement across the East End. Five members of the public safety task force made specific recommendations for the town to consider, including reporting verified immigration actions to the town supervisor and village mayor, and circulating informational tools to help residents distinguish Southold police from ICE officers. The group also recommended coordination with local schools and hospitals if ICE attempts to enter those properties, more de-escalation training for police and limiting ICE access to town facilities and license plate readers. Supporters of the legislation said it would improve transparency, strengthen public safety and reassure immigrant communities, while opponents argued it would hinder federal law enforcement efforts and jeopardize discretionary federal funding. *** Meyer Merger Studies & Consulting will lead a merger feasibility study to collect information and provide facts to the Southampton Union Free School District and Tuckahoe Common School District and their communities regarding a potential merger. Michelle Trauring reports on 27east.com that in a letter to the community, Southampton Board of Education President Zach Epley explained that the district is creating a community advisory committee for the study to provide representation “for all residents, taxpayers and stakeholders of each respective district in the study process.” A similar committee will be formed in the Tuckahoe School District, he said. “A goal of the committee is to enhance the flow of information to and from district staff and residents during the study process and ensure that the most accurate and up-to-date information is analyzed, easily available and widely communicated to school district stakeholders,” Epley wrote. Meetings will be held on October 13, November 10, January 12, March 8, and April 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. at a central site. Between meetings, committee members will be asked to review various documents and community concerns that have been raised, as well as provide ideas and insights electronically as necessary to the study consultant team. To be considered for Southampton’s advisory committee, email Epley at zepley@southamptonschools.org. The size of the committee is limited, so not everyone will be selected. *** Friends of the Rogers Memorial Library present SympaticoJazz in Concert this evening from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton. SympaticoJazz performs a nostalgic blend of jazz, blues, and pop hits from the 1960s and 70s. The repertoire features music made famous by iconic artists such as Burt Bacharach, Sergio Mendes, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone, and Etta James. The ensemble includes piano, upright bass, and percussion, fronted by vocalist Toni Washington. Registration required. That’s this evening starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton. Register at Myrml.org *** A toxic plume linked to utility operations a century ago has reared its head again in downtown Sag Harbor as a developer advances a plan to demolish buildings, remove contamination and erect a 48-unit condo complex on an adjacent 1-acre site. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that the plan, under review by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and several village agencies, faces sharp headwinds as Suffolk County this week vowed new tests in Sag Harbor to determine that plume's full scope and local preservation groups worry about disturbing buried toxins and the character of the neighborhood. "We want to address these concerns before anything else happens there," Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine said Tuesday about the Sag Harbor site. "We'll be out there testing groundwater and drinking wells to determine the extent of that problem." One group long opposed to the development said toxins raise new concerns. The DEC, which oversaw the voluntary cleanup of the adjacent site by National Grid more than a decade ago, has put a remediation plan out for public comment and in advance of a public meeting in Sag Harbor Village on Aug. 27 to discuss the findings and take feedback. Developer Adam Potter has sought for four years to build the project, which includes just under half its residences billed as affordable housing. Potter told NEWSDAY that the new building will fit right in, will facilitate removal of toxins and provide less costly homes for people who live in the village. "We're doing more than the requirement as it is," he said of his proposed cleanup. "We'll be taking every precaution to ensure public safety." He noted the three-floor residential building fits in with those around it, and has a brick and blue-trim design similar to the police station and hardware store. "It does work within the neighborhood of Sag Harbor," he said. Potter has a 99-year lease with National Grid on the adjacent parking lot next to his proposed condos, a lot the village is subleasing for three years. He closed it last Thursday for unspecified "safety issues" unrelated to the toxins. DEC reports show a long list of toxins, including PFAS forever chemicals "across the entire footprint of the site," which is now home to retail shops and a house. Tests to determine the extent of the contamination were commissioned by Potter, conducted by a firm he hired, filed with the DEC and are the basis of the state's report, Potter said. The site is part of the DEC's Brownfield Cleanup Program, which "encourages the voluntary cleanup of contaminated properties." Documents relating to the site can be found on the DEC's website. Potter said National Grid will pay for the cleanup, which could cost up to $10 million. The two Sag Harbor structures and a garage on Bridge Street behind Main Street in the village are directly adjacent to a site that once manufactured vaporized gas for lighting and heating by boiling coal in liquid fuel — leaving a toxic legacy of coal tar 60 feet below the surface, Newsday has reported. *** About 50 residents packed into the basement meeting room of the Southold Town Hall Annex early yesterday to air their concerns about public safety during immigration raids. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that Southold Town Police said they are considering department policy to play a peacekeeping role during federal immigration enforcement efforts on the north fork. The conversation is expected to continue at the Southold Town Board’s Aug. 11 work session. Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that supporters of legislation proposed by OLA (Organización Latino Americana) of Eastern Long Island, a Latino advocacy group, have said it would improve transparency, strengthen public safety and reassure immigrant communities, while opponents argue it would hinder federal law enforcement efforts and jeopardize discretionary federal funding. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) has warned he would not support funding requests in 1st Congressional District towns and villages that restrict cooperation with federal immigration officials. Earlier this month, LaLota visited the North Fork, presenting giant checks for local projects, including $1 million for police cars and equipment in Southold. In a statement yesterday Congressman LaLota wrote, "Like the leaders of 108 of Long Island's 110 towns and villages, I understand that enforcing federal immigration laws is safest for the community, law enforcement officers, and those being arrested when every level of law enforcement works together.” He encouraged Southold's leaders to reject proposed legislation restricting cooperation, "and I will continue fighting for their earmarks if they do." At yesterday's meeting, Southold Town Task force member Magda Rodriguez said I.C.E. arrests in Greenport this past February had far-reaching effects, describing an “economic and social ghost town” that left Main Street businesses and churches vacant as families withdrew out of fear. Rodriguez, 22, who teaches at an elementary school in New Suffolk, said roughly 60% of her students are Latino. *** Town of Southampton residents will have an opportunity to safely dispose of household hazardous waste during the next Stop Throwing Out Pollutants (STOP) collection event this coming Saturday, August 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Westhampton Recycling Center, 66 Old Country...

  5. Jul 29

    "Gas Ball" parking lot in Sag Harbor closes suddenly, distrupting parking in downtown

    The Suffolk County Water Authority plans to take a more direct route to pump more water to the Town of Southold, avoiding Sound Avenue in a move officials say will save $10 million and accelerate the project by two years. Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that the North Fork pipeline project is intended to address water supply concerns in Southold, where water authority officials say the shallow aquifer is burdened by seasonal overpumping, saltwater intrusion and contamination. To keep pace with demand, the pipeline would connect about 9,500 customers in Southold Town to deeper supplies in the pine barrens, according to the water authority. An earlier proposal envisioning the pipeline along Sound Avenue drew sharp opposition, particularly from Riverhead residents and officials over the impacts on a key agricultural and tourism corridor where traffic backs up for miles during harvest season. Under the newly proposed route, the connection would start at the intersection of Flanders Road and County Route 105 and run north until Main Road, where a new booster station would be built at the southeast corner. From there, the pipeline would run east and connect to an existing main at Franklinville Road and Main Road in Laurel. Jeff Szabo, SCWA's chief executive officer, said the new plan was formed in response to public feedback. In a statement, SCWA Chairman Charlie Lefkowitz said the project is needed to protect water availability in the region. “It protects future ratepayers and ensures that we have a sustainable supply of high-quality drinking water for the North Fork,” Lefkowitz said. Originally projected to cost $35 million, the pipeline's new estimate is $25 million, SCWA spokesman Daniel Dubois said. The new transmission line is 1 mile shorter than the original, and officials said the shift reduces traffic and environmental impacts and could be completed in 2028 rather than 2030. Three public hearings are planned in August on the new route. Riverhead Supervisor Jerry Halpin said the town is reviewing the new route and draft environmental impact statement with its outside counsel and environmental consultant. The water authority's three hearings on the new plan and draft environmental review are scheduled for Aug. 19 at the SCWA facility on Old Riverhead Road in Westhampton Beach at 6 p.m. Aug. 20 at 5 p.m. at the Southold Town Recreation Center; and Aug. 26 at 4:30 p.m. at Riverhead Free Library. SCWA is also accepting written public comments through Sept. 11. *** The Suffolk County Department of Public Works will hold a Public Information Meeting on the proposed replacement of the CR 80 Montauk Highway Bridge over the Long Island Rail Road, also known as the Hampton Bays Overpass, tomorrow, Thursday, July 30, at Southampton Town Hall, 116 Hampton Road, Southampton, NY beginning at 6 p.m. The first hour of tomorrow’s open house will be an informal discussion with county engineers, who will have graphics illustrating the work that will be done and how it will impact traffic along that eastern stretch of Montauk Highway in Hampton Bays, followed by an informational presentation from county officials at 7 p.m. That’s tomorrow evening from 6 to 8 p.m. in Southampton Town Hall. The LIRR will hold a second similar meeting in the fall at Hampton Bays High School. Tomorrow’s public meeting is a Suffolk County Department of Public Works initiative. Written comments will be accepted through August 6, 2026, and may be submitted by: Email: hamptonbaysoverpass@gmail.com U.S. Mail: The Calladium Group 26 Broadway, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10004 *** In East Hampton yesterday, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine was unequivocal in his stance that the battery energy storage system, or BESS, on Cove Hollow Road in East Hampton was the source of a toxic plume in the area. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that last month, the Suffolk County Water Authority detected a “forever chemical” in amounts exceeding New York State’s maximum contaminant level in wells near Cove Hollow Road — a development that the authority has linked, in a lawsuit, to a fire in May 2023 at the East Hampton Energy Storage Center. “There is no question in my mind, there is no question in the water authority’s mind, that the source of this contamination is the battery energy storage plant,” Romaine said at his press conference on Tuesday near Georgica Cove. Romaine, a Republican, has been an advocate for clean water during his tenure as county executive, and his remarks yesterday pointedly addressed comments from the State Department of Environmental Conservation in which the agency “refused to point to a source” of the contaminated water. The county’s investigation will also be expanded to test not just the groundwater, but the surface water in Georgica Pond, Hook Pond, Lily Pond and any other water bodies within the catchment area. “I want to make this clear today: All the Suffolk County Health data will be public,” Romaine said. “It will not be massaged. It will not be tailored to any predetermined narrative. It will be out there for all to see.” The forever chemical detected in the area is called perfluoropropionic acid, or PFPrA, and it was found in four of the authority’s wells. In two, the levels exceeded the typical 50 parts per billion state guidelines and were pulled offline right away, impacting the water supply. The two wells that were over the state guidelines clocked in at contaminant levels of about 100 parts per billion. The state has since established a separate, site-specific maximum contaminant level for the wellfield in East Hampton of 3 parts per billion. The Suffolk County Water Authority confirmed this week that it will not serve water that tests above 3 parts per billion for the ultrashort chain PFAS. The investigation remains ongoing, but Romaine said the county plans to release the results of the tests to the public, as well as those involved in the litigation, as they become available. *** Social media companies will need to take extra steps to prevent children from accessing personalized feeds and getting nighttime notifications under new rules announced yesterday by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and State Attorney General Letitia James. Steve Hughes reports in NEWSDAY that the rules under the 2024 SAFE for Kids Act lay out which platforms are subject to the new requirements and outline standards for companies to determine users’ age and obtain parental consent. "Today, we’re sending a clear message: our kids’ mental health isn’t for sale," Hochul said in a statement. "We promised action and the SAFE For Kids Act is delivering by ensuring that any platform that targets our children with addictive feeds will face legal consequences." The rules are meant to help protect children from unhealthy social media behaviors. "These rules set standards for age verification and parental control to ensure tech companies are doing their part to keep kids safe on their platforms," A.G. James said. Algorithmically personalized feeds, or addictive feeds, personalize content for users based on data that the platform gathers about the user. They are designed to encourage a user to return to a platform. Social media use among young children has been linked to negative mental health outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and eating and sleep disorders. So now in New York State, social media companies will need to take extra steps to prevent children from accessing personalized feeds and getting nighttime notifications under the new rules. Plus, 2024 SAFE for Kids Act rules lay out which platforms are subject to the new requirements and outline standards for companies to determine users’ age and obtain parental consent. *** People trying to find a parking spot in Sag Harbor’s downtown this past weekend likely found it even more difficult and time-consuming than usual. That’s because the parking lot at 5 Bridge Street known to many as the “Gas Ball” parking lot was abruptly closed last Thursday and there’s no indication that it will open again any time soon. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the limited liability company 11 Bridge Street LLC, which is owned by developer Adam Potter, currently leases the property at 5 Bridge Street from KeySpan Gas East Corporation (National Grid). The Village of Sag Harbor has been sub-leasing the parking lot since May 2024 from 11 Bridge Street LLC as part of a three-year agreement. According to Sag Harbor Village Trustee Jeanne Kane, who shared a statement from the village with The Express on Monday evening, the decision to close the lot was made abruptly and without a heads-up from 11 Bridge Street LLC representatives. The LLC “believes it had the right to close the parking lot for ‘maintenance’ without notice to the village,” Kane said. “The Village disagrees and will be pursuing all legal remedies in furtherance of keeping the parking lot open pursuant to the terms set forth in the sublease agreement.” Attorney Alex Kriegsman, who represents the LLC, asserted that the LLC did contact the village regarding “maintenance obligations” he said the Village of Sag Harbor is required to fulfill under the terms of the sublease. “The village has some maintenance obligations,” he said. “It’s pretty standard stuff. They failed to do them even after they got a notice, and there’s some dangerous conditions on the premises.” “There was written notice about the maintenance obligations,” he said, adding that, as the primary lessee, 11 Bridge Street LLC would be held liable if anything happened. “We thought it would be taken care of quickly and be done already,” Kriegsman said. “But we got an...

  6. Jul 28

    LIRR announces weekday evening train from Manhattan to Montauk will be permanent addition

    The Long Island Rail Road carried more nonrush-hour riders this past June than in any month on record, boosted by major sporting events including the Knicks' NBA championship run and the U.S. Open Golf Championship in Southampton, according to new LIRR figures. Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that while celebrating last month’s ridership surge, railroad officials also acknowledged a dip in on-time performance through the first half of 2026. At a meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board’s railroad committee yesterday, LIRR president Rob Free said the 7.9 million customers in June 2026 marked the first month since the COVID-19 pandemic that the railroad carried more riders compared with 2019, when ridership was at its peak. And riders traveling outside the weekday rush hours reached 5 million in June, "the highest non-commutation ridership in the history of the railroad since we’ve been keeping track," Free said. "This is truly remarkable." Other LIRR metrics halfway through 2026 were less encouraging. After setting a non-pandemic record for punctuality last year, LIRR on-time performance fell in each of the first six months of this year, as compared with the same months in 2025, according to railroad data. At 94.7%, the LIRR’s monthly average on-time performance through June is still above the agency’s goal of 94%, but below the 96.6% average set in the first half of 2025. The LIRR considers a train on time if it arrives at its final destination less than 6 minutes after its scheduled time. *** The Long Island Rail Road announced yesterday that it will make the 5:14 p.m. train from Manhattan to Montauk on weekday evenings a permanent part of its year-round service to the East End. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that for years, the 5:14 p.m. eastbound train on the Montauk branch ended in Speonk, except on Friday evenings in summer, when it would run all the way to Montauk. Two years ago, the LIRR started sending the train to Montauk on Wednesdays also, and this summer has it rolling all the way to Montauk Monday THRU Friday. LIRR President Rob Free told The Press this week that after Labor Day this year the train will continue running from Penn Station to Montauk every weekday year-round, without having to change trains in Jamaica, Queens. “It will give our East End customers another opportunity to get home from New York City after work — a one-seat ride from Penn all the way to Montauk,” Free said. “We’re always looking for ways to improve service out there, and we’ve come to the conclusion that we can operate this train year-round, so we’re pretty pleased about that.” The LIRR chief said that the railroad has always struggled to increase service to the South Fork because of finite numbers of locomotives and passenger cars in its fleet and also because of the fact the South Fork is served by 60 miles of single track, so trains cannot pass each other. Track sidings — offshoot tracks that allow one train to pull off the main track and stop to let another pass — were extended in Southampton ahead of the U.S. Open to allow the dozens of extra trains the railroad put online for the tournament week to pass each other. The railroad also constructed a second platform at the Hampton Bays station, where there is another set of siding tracks, to allow two trains to board or disembark at the same time. The railroad has said the platform is temporary but has no specific plans to remove it as it studies the benefits it gives train service in the region under normal conditions that Free said he hopes will “lead to other things.” And Free said that new signal control systems that have been installed throughout the region over the last year are allowing trains to make their runs at higher speeds. *** The Hampton Bays Civic Association, which usually meets on the fourth Monday of the month, has rescheduled its July meeting for this evening at 7 p.m. in the Hampton Bays Senior Center, 25 Ponqougue Avenue in Hampton Bays. This evening’s meeting will be an open discussion on community members’ concerns. Also, concerning the Hampton Bays community, this coming Thursday the Suffolk County Department of Public Works will host an information session on the plans for the long-awaited replacement of a Hampton Bays bridge where Montauk Highway passes over the LIRR tracks. The meeting is scheduled for Southampton Town Hall on Thursday, July 30, starting at 6 p.m. The LIRR will hold a second similar meeting at Hampton Bays High School in the fall. The first hour of Thursday's open house will be an informal discussion with county engineers, who will have graphics illustrating the work that will be done and how it will impact traffic along the Montauk Highway corridor, followed by an informational presentation from county officials at 7 p.m. *** Bridgehampton residents and neighbors of a swath of open fields that had ostensibly been preserved from development…celebrated the news this week that an application by a New Jersey woman to build a sprawling equestrian center on the land has been withdrawn. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that neighbors and community members who had banded together to oppose the project, which had proposed building more than 70,000 square feet of structures, including three four-bedroom homes for employees, said that the withdrawal of the application was a win for grassroots opposition to overdevelopment and the bastardizing of preservation rules. “The withdrawal represents an important victory for the combined efforts of the Bridgehampton Civic Association, the Bridgehampton Conservation Alliance … the Channing family, whose Channing Daughters Winery and vineyard is contiguous to the reserve, and other residents who spent almost two years researching the legality and environmental impact of the proposal, attending public hearings, submitting comments, and advocating for the protection of one of the hamlet’s most visible open spaces,” the Bridgehampton Civic Association said in a statement this week. Neighbors of the property, which is at the southeast corner of the intersection of Lumber Lane and Scuttle Hole Road, had formed a new organization, the Bridgehampton Conservation Alliance, which had hired a multipronged legal team to oppose the project and had vowed to take any approval to court. A spokesman for the group this week said that the group is relieved that the application was withdrawn — for now. The Lumber Lane property was preserved from development in 2002 when Southampton Town bought the development rights of the land, stipulating that the property could only be used for agricultural purposes. But horse farms were declared agricultural uses per a 1990s court case and several developers have used the allowance to build major equestrian centers with tens of thousands of square feet of buildings — including cavernous indoor riding rings and housing for employees — that they have argued are critical components to their private riding facilities as an agricultural operation. *** ​A toddler who was found unresponsive in a Mastic Beach pool last week has died, Suffolk County police said. It was the third fatal drowning on Long Island in one week. Maureen Mullarkey reports in NEWSDAY that on July 20 at about 4:50 p.m., a 2-year-old girl was discovered unresponsive in a pool at her Mill Drive home. The child was removed from the pool and a family member performed CPR until first responders arrived, police said. The toddler was taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Suffolk in Patchogue in critical condition and then to Stony Brook University Hospital. In a news release yesterday, Suffolk police said the child died at the hospital on Thursday. The name of the girl was not released. The recent drownings follow several near-drownings of toddlers and others in Suffolk County this summer. About 125 New Yorkers drowned in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children between ages 1 and 4 across the United States. Appointing a designated watcher over those in the water, building a fence or other barrier around pools and outfitting children with Coast Guard-approved life jackets are among the precautions experts say Long Islanders should take to prevent drownings. *** The Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance has launched its new Junior EMS Program, in which any high school students in the Southampton and Tuckahoe school districts can join to learn about the equipment and skills needed to be a productive volunteer. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that the main goal of the program is to train and educate younger generations about what goes into being in the group to motivate them to join as full members once they turn 17. Members of the junior program will meet twice a month, once for a regular meeting and another that will be a drill, which could be about CPR, First Aid or learning about the ambulances themselves. The kids will not be going on emergency calls in the ambulances. The Southampton Village Board voted unanimously at its July 9 meeting to approve and support the launch of the program. Applications are currently open on the group’s website, and the first meetings will begin in September, though applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis. The only requirement to apply is that applicants must be at least a freshman in the Southampton or Tuckahoe school districts. To apply to the Junior EMS Program, visit villageems.org *** Three years...

  7. Jul 23

    Large orca spotted off coast of Montauk

    An analysis of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) tactics on Long Island shows how the agency has largely operated outside of coordinated raids and targeted home visits, and instead emphasizes parking lot surveillance and traffic stops. At least 84 of roughly 400 cases of local ICE arrests reviewed by Newsday involved immigrants who were using a car on Long Island, including during traffic stops, in parking lots and following crashes. ICE is barred by state law from accessing New York DMV records, but has run out-of-state plates in several cases that led to arrests, records show. Josefa Velásquez and Arielle Martinez report in NEWSDAY that ICE has arrested more than 2,000 people on Long Island since the start of the second Trump administration, and almost none have come from the type of attention-grabbing sweeps that have sparked unrest around the country. Instead, ICE is leveraging the region’s prevailing car culture, turning strip mall parking lots, side streets and highways into a pillar of its surveillance operation, a Newsday investigation found. The Federation for American Immigration Reform, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that favors limited immigration, said ICE is carrying out its responsibilities by surveilling parking lots and carrying out traffic stops. "Like any law enforcement department anywhere in the country, they look for violators in places where they are most likely to be found and utilize the tools that are available to them to identify people who are subject to enforcement," said Ira Mehlman, FAIR’s media director. "That appears to be precisely what ICE is doing on Long Island." Immigration arrests on Long Island reached a historic high at the start of the year and continued steadily, according to the most recently available arrest data, from October through early March. The arrests make up a growing share of detentions by ICE in the metropolitan area. Since last fall, arrests on Long Island make up more than half of the arrests in the region, although roughly 15% of New York’s undocumented immigrants call Long Island home. *** A massive and potentially legendary orca was spotted cruising off the coast of Montauk Monday in what could be the first sighting off Long Island in decades. Katherine Donlevy reports in THE NY POST that the beast — possibly the famous Old Thom whale known for patrolling the waters off Cape Cod — shocked sailors by sticking its 7-foot dorsal fin above the surface and shooting a spout of seawater from its blowhole. Incredible video captures the whale’s single, quick surfacing — and its black fin slicing through the blue waves just 10 nautical miles off Long Island’s South Fork. “It was just a really impressive animal. I think we all stood in shock and couldn’t believe what we saw and we were screaming at the top of our lungs!” said Discovery Channel superstar Dr. Craig O’Connell, who witnessed the once-in-a-lifetime event. “It’s kind of like winning the lottery that we actually got to see one.” O’Connell was at sea with the O’Seas Conservation Foundation’s Shark Camp — a program that teaches high school students how to tag and study sharks. But the sharks were seemingly scared off by the killer whale, one of the few species that make meals of sharks. Plus, the Montauk orca was traveling with a sea of dolphins rather than a pod of orcas, behavior for which Old Thom is known. The orca sighting could be the first off Long Island waters in decades. The species’ return to Long Island could simply be because it was following food, explained O’Connell. “We were in an area where there was an abundance of prey. There’s big bluefin tuna around right now. There are smaller marine mammals that they can also feed on. There’s also sharks in the area, so likely it’s prey related,” the Shark Week host said. “It’s a species that utilizes all waters. We call it circumglobal, so they can be anywhere and the fact that it’s here in Montauk is exciting and definitely unusual, but it’s not something that’s out of the realm of possibility.” *** A long-planned new headquarters for the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps {RVAC} moved a step closer to construction Tuesday, with the Town Board’s approval of two measures related to the project. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the ambulance headquarters drew the most discussion among the board’s formal actions. The board scheduled an Aug. 4 public hearing to conduct a Monroe balancing test for Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps’s proposed new emergency services facility at 1111 Osborn Avenue. The project calls for demolishing the existing one-story ambulance building and replacing it with a 25,303-square-foot, three-story building with ambulance bays, offices, meeting rooms, bunkrooms, kitchen space, recreation and fitness rooms and other support space. RVAC President Garrett Lake thanked the Riverhead Town Board, Council Member Ken Rothwell, the town attorney’s office and town financial staff for their work on the project, saying the long-term lease relieves stress for the ambulance corps’ membership. *** New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in Suffolk County yesterday touted her one-year pause on large-scale data centers as protective of utility ratepayers, natural resources and local control — as Long Island officials assess an East Hampton battery storage plant's impact on water wells and North Shore groups press for more control over a pending high-voltage cable through their community. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that during a panel session at Babylon Town Hall in Lindenhurst, Hochul defended her executive order earlier this month that put an up to 12-month pause on hyperscale data centers that would use more than 50 megawatts of power. The state will take the year to study the impacts and develop a regulatory framework for the projects that assure they don’t raise energy costs, damage natural resources or impact communities that don’t want them. "As a former local official, my initial default position is to defer to locals on these decisions," Hochul told attendees at her panel, which included local and state lawmakers and conservation groups. The question for communities, she added, will be: "Do you want this? It is up to localities to make that determination. Full stop, nothing goes anywhere unless the locality wants it." Her visit to Long Island coincided with heightened criticism of some state-backed energy projects. On Monday, Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine called for owners of an East Hampton battery storage plant to shut down the facility after recent tests found high levels of a forever chemical, prompting the closure of vital public drinking water wells and heightening a water crisis in the Hamptons. The battery plant, contracted to the state controlled Long Island Power Authority, is the subject of a federal lawsuit by the Suffolk County Water Authority which links the toxic plume to a thermal-runaway fire at the battery plant in 2023. Most Long Island towns have enacted moratoriums on big battery projects. Large battery storage plants are key to Hochul's green-energy vision for the state; she doubled the target for the plants to 6,000 megawatts by 2030. *** Speaking at a panel discussion in Babylon Town Hall yesterday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul defended her executive order instituting a 12-month pause on hyperscale data centers. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that the pause is intended to allow state officials to develop a regulatory framework and study the centers’ impacts, including on communities that don’t want them. Asked by Newsday whether battery facilities warranted the same protections as those for data centers, Hochul said the two were different. Large-scale battery projects, she said, "all need to be looked at individually. Many have been functioning for a long time without any incident." The 5-megawatt battery plant in East Hampton, she noted, "had a fire [in 2023] which really created a different dynamic. I don’t think it’s necessary to have a broad-brush approach saying every one [battery] that’s existing has to shut down." Asked if she agreed with Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine’s request to suspend the battery plant's use during state and local investigations, Hochul said, "That’s not something I’m going to get ahead of the investigation, because I don’t know the results just yet." *** The Sound Symphony will perform a free concert of patriotic music sponsored by the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Historical Council this evening at 7 p.m. on the Cutchogue Village Green. Come early to picnic and bring a chair, relax and enjoy. The show starts at 7 p.m. featuring the Sound Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Music Director Christian Olson, performing all of your patriotic favorites on the Village Green in Cutchogue Behind the Old House. And in Riverhead this evening, Northeast Stage’s free Shakespeare in the Park production of “All’s Well That Ends Well” is being staged in Grangebel Park in Riverhead. Curtain lifts at 7 p.m. After the curtain drops tonight in Riverhead the production moves to Greenport, where performances will be held at 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday, July 24 through 26. All performances are free and open to the public. For more details, visit northeaststage.org. *** A new Walgreens pharmacy taking over the former Rite Aid building in Hampton Bays will open for business this Friday, July 24, at 8 a.m. That’s tomorrow morning. The store will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Hampton Bays residents, who once had four local pharmacies to

  8. Jul 22

    Congressman LaLota makes broad claims about OLA of Eastern Long Island over sanctuary policies

    The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced last month that it will dismantle and construct new Long Island Rail Road overpasses in three locations in a project that will begin later this year. But Sagaponack Village Mayor Bill Tillotson is concerned about what the project will mean for the South Fork. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that Mayor Tillotson said that his concern stems from the plan’s intent to reduce the clearance to 19.5 feet from the current clearance of 22 feet at the three overpasses, one of which is located on Sagg Road in Sagaponack. In doing so, he said that it would permanently prevent the possibility of using trains to transport building materials and other supplies to the South Fork, a practice that he acknowledged has not been done in many years. “A lot of the bulk materials, you see tractor trailer loads of lumber and concrete products, all that bulk stuff should really be coming on a train,” he said. “And if they kill that, if someday you want to go back to that, that’s the end of it.” Tillotson also raised the idea of using trains for waste disposal as a way to reduce traffic on the village’s roads. “In terms of us, there’s a fantastic amount of garbage you could put on one of those trains and they do it in place [of garbage trucks],” he said. “Instead of running all over the roads, they could dump it on a train and get it out of here.” The other two overpasses that will be replaced are the River Avenue Bridge in Eastport and the Cranberry Hole Road Bridge in Amagansett. Unlike its counterparts in Eastport and Amagansett, which are closed to vehicles, the Sagg Road Bridge remains in service, though vehicles weighing over 5 tons are prohibited from crossing it. *** Southampton Village Police are investigating the death of a man who had been taken to the hospital late last week after being found unconscious behind the 7-Eleven convenience store on North Sea Road. A police officer responding to a report of a fight earlier that night on Aldrich Lane, the short dead-end street that runs adjacent south past the entrance to the 7-Eleven, found the man unconscious in the store’s rear parking lot shortly before 2 a.m. on Friday, July 17. The officer reported the man was “unresponsive” and “intoxicated.” As reported on 27east.com, the unconscious man was taken by ambulance to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital for evaluation and later to Stony Brook University Hospital in Stony Brook, where he died yesterday…Tuesday morning, July 21. Police have not identified the man and said they are awaiting autopsy results from the Suffolk County medical examiner’s office to determine his cause of death. S.V.P. Detective Sergeant Herman Lamison said the man’s death is not currently being investigated as a homicide, pending the medical examiner’s report. *** Local environmental organizations are inviting the community to a special Monarch Waystation Garden Tour & Talk tomorrow…that’s this Thursday afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m. at Southold Town’s Native Garden at Custer Preserve. Co-hosted by ReWild / North Fork, the Group for the East End, and the Southold Peconic Civic Association, tomorrow’s free public event offers an up-close look at the recently established native plant meadow on Southold Town property and provides actionable insights on supporting local pollinator populations. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the Town of Southold has supported the creation of this Native Garden with permission, supplies, and ongoing support since 2023. Free (Registration requested but not required due to limited walking space) Registration: Available on the Group for the East End website. *** Congressman Nick LaLota…the Republican from Amityville who represents the east end in the U.S. House of Representatives… has remained steadfast in his position that he will cut off both the town and village of East Hampton from congressional earmarks and will do the same to any other municipality in his 1st Congressional District that adopts a law championed by OLA of Eastern Long Island that blocks partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Brendan J. O’Reilly reports on 27east.com that without mentioning OLA, which stands for Organización Latino Americana, by name, LaLota wrote a letter to constituents last Thursday that characterized the Latino advocacy nonprofit as a “Far Left open-borders organization” promoting “sanctuary city policies.” “I have one simple expectation for any municipality asking me to fight for these scarce federal Community Project Funding dollars: Do not prohibit your local officials from cooperating with federal immigration law enforcement,” LaLota wrote. He claimed that under the laws the village and town adopted, “if either municipality had an illegal immigrant in custody following an arrest for crimes such as possessing child sexual abuse material, third-degree assault, and second-degree robbery while aided by another person, local officials could not use local personnel or vehicles to transport that individual into federal custody.” And he wrote that, “coupled with New York’s cashless bail laws, these sanctuary policies require that those violent criminal illegal aliens be expeditiously released from custody. That exacerbates our nation's illegal immigration crisis and makes our communities far less safe.” We will read a response from East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez at 8:06 a.m. *** U.S. Representative Nick LaLota on social media recently and in a letter to 1st Congressional District residents last week harshly criticized East Hampton Town and East Hampton Village’s “sanctuary policies.” Brendan J. O'Reilly reports on 27east.com that East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez responded to LaLota’s characterization of her town being “less safe.” “East Hampton is already an extremely safe community. We will keep our police focused on local public safety, not the congressman’s political agenda.” Then, yesterday, Burke-Gonzalez offered a further response to LaLota’s many statements about East Hampton, saying he is conflating several separate areas of law. “East Hampton’s Public Safety and Accountability law does not require the release of anyone charged with a crime, and it does not prevent cooperation with federal authorities when required by law,” Burke-Gonzalez said. “The East Hampton Town Police Department could not transport someone directly to federal immigration authorities because of the criminal charges cited by the congressman. The person must first be processed and arraigned. A judge then determines whether the person is released, held on bail, or remanded to the Suffolk County Jail.” Supervisor Burke-Gonzalez added, “If federal authorities present a judicial warrant or court order while the person remains in custody, law enforcement can hold the person for pick-up…If the person is remanded, the Suffolk County sheriff assumes custody.” The supervisor accused LaLota of singling out East Hampton over legal restrictions and police procedures that apply countywide. She pointed out that after the town adopted the law, New York State enacted a statewide prohibition on 287(g) agreements. *** Without mentioning OLA, which stands for Organización Latino Americana, by name, U.S. Congressman Nick LaLota recently characterized the Latino advocacy nonprofit as a “Far Left open-borders organization” promoting “sanctuary city policies.” Brendan J. O'Reilly reports on 27east.com that OLA Executive Director Minerva Perez responded by accusing the congressman of “continued false statements” and sowing disunity among East End residents and municipalities. She noted that the “Public Safety Law” OLA promotes does not stop local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement when required by law. “Our congressman is creating mistruths and confusion for his personal gain,” she added. Perez vowed that OLA will continue to promote the “Public Safety Law,” which she wrote is “a logical next step to safeguarding our towns and villages from chaos and panic that run through our shared communities during random immigration raids.” *** The adult spotted lanternfly is about to emerge any day on Long Island and vineyard owners are keeping a vigilant watch. The invasive red and black plant hopper, which has spared East End vineyards so far, can destroy grapevines and fruit trees by sucking out the sap and leaving a sticky substance that can cause mold. Experts say populations go up and down annually and can be somewhat impacted by the increase in birds and insects feeding on them. Lisa L. Colangelo reports in NEWSDAY that so far, Long Island’s vineyard owners have been spared the wrath of these pests. The spotted lanternfly, which is native to China, was first discovered in Pennsylvania in 2014 and on Long Island around 2021. "The populations around the Long Island vineyards are still building up and they are able to manage them," said Brian Eshenaur, senior extension associate and invasive species coordinator at Cornell University’s Integrated Pest Management Program. "But this year it will probably be more of a challenge than it was last year as the population of spotted lanternfly increases." Robin Epperson-McCarthy, the consulting winemaker at Osprey’s Dominion in Peconic and the owner of Saltbird Cellars, said they've set out specific pheromone traps for lanternflies this year but have not caught any to date. She did not see any last year. Rich Pisacano, vineyard manager...

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Ratings & Reviews

3
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    WLIW-FM
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    60
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 WLIW-FM
  • Show Website
    The Long Island Daily