Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that in a documentary released yesterday on the streaming service Peacock, Heuermann’s wife and daughter recounted conversations they had with him last summer in which he admitted to them to have killed eight women between 1993 and 2010.

The first, they said he told them, was Sandra Costilla, whose body was found in a small section of woodlands off Fish Cove Road, just north of Noyac Road.

His wife, Asa Ellerup, says in the documentary that he told her he killed Costilla, who was a sex worker he had hired and arranged to meet over the phone, inside an SUV he owned at the time, a two-tone blue Dodge Ramcharger.

“He said he killed Sandra Costilla in the Dodge — that was his first murder, before I married him,” Ellerup says in the “The Gilgo Beach Killer" fourth and final episode.

Heuermann would have been 29 in November 1993, when Sandra Costilla, 28, disappeared. Her body was discovered by two Southampton waterfowl hunters early on the morning of November 20, 1993.

“He said ‘The first one, I had no idea I was going to kill at the time, I just randomly did it,’” therapist Alison Winter, tells the documentary cameras, after speaking with Heuermann, with Ellerup, in the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverside in August 2025.

Costilla’s murder had been the earliest one that Suffolk County Distirct Attorney Ray Tierney’s office had linked to Heuermann since 2024, when a new examination of DNA evidence in cold case murders following Heuermann’s 2023 arrest linked him to the decades old Southampton case.

Costilla’s body was found, still partially clothed. Her body had been mutilated but was not disremembered, like many of the other victims, and only feint effort had been made to avoid the body being found.

“She was lying on her back with her arms outstretched over her head — her legs were uncovered, a shirt was pressed over her head,” Tierney said at a press conference in 2024, the day he announced the new charges against Heuermann. “The victim suffered numerous sharp force injuries, 25 in all, which we believed were post-mortem.”

Neither the D.A.’s office, nor the documentary, has shed any light on how Heuermann arrived at the small plot of undeveloped land in North Sea as the disposal site for Costilla’s body. The other bodies of his victims were found in dense brambles off a remote stretch of the Ocean Parkway in Gilgo Beach and in the woods of the Long Island Pine Barrens in Manorville.

***

There will not be a Republican Party candidate for East Hampton Town supervisor for the second straight election cycle, giving the winner of this year’s highly contested Democratic primary race a straight shot at the town’s top office. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen has, for months now, been running a challenge against incumbent Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, who was formally endorsed for a third term by the established Town Democratic Committee in January.

Besides running a fiery campaign for town supervisor, Larsen has been backing a push to reshape the local Democratic Committee in his image by unseating the lion’s share of the 38 sitting committee members and putting his allies in their place.

Throughout the campaign, Larsen has defended his political identity from establishment Democrats who say the Larsen-backed slate of committee candidates is sprinkled with longtime Republicans who appear to have switched their registration to wrest power from the local ruling party.

Larsen said of the Republicans failing to nominate a candidate that “the election is really decided in June for the foreseeable future.”

Burke-Gonzalez, in November, won reelection for a two-year term, in another uncontested general election, but a New York State law, which lined up local elections with the national calendar, truncated her term to one year – and put her right back on the campaign trail.

This week, Larsen wrote off the possibility of him running with a third party, which would have been possible in the event of a Burke-Gonzalez win in the June primary election: “Democrat only,” he told The East Hampton Press.

The candidates, Burke-Gonzalez and Larsen, will face off at a debate at LTV Studios in Wainscott on May 13 at 6 p.m. Express News Group Consulting Editor Joseph P. Shaw will serve as the moderator.

***

North Fork Scouts are busy this year making Southold a better place, starting just steps from the side door to Town Hall. Mattituck High School Junior Madison Tomaszewski is planning a Celebration Garden in a neglected space just outside of Southold Town Hall as part of her Gold Award project, while Brendan Boyle of Southold is placing first aid stations at a number of preserves throughout the town as an Eagle Scout project.

Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that regarding Madison Tomaszewski’s Celebration Garden, Southold Supervisor Al Krupski told Town Clerk Denis Noncarrow to get ready for a slew of applications for weddings at Town Hall.

“Quite a few weddings take place here already,” he said. “This serves as an example to younger girls, to see the kind of things they can do to help the community.”

Regarding Brendan Boyle’s project, Southold Land Management Coordinator John Sepenoski told the Southold Town Board this week that Boyle’s first aid stations will be placed at Ruth Oliva Preserve in East Marion, Arshamomaque and Pipes Cove preserves in Greenport, Paul Stoutenburgh Preserve in Southold, Downs Farm Preserve in Cutchogue and Laurel Park in Laurel.

***

Suffolk County sheriff’s deputies are testing out high-tech guns that will be mounted on police car bumpers to fire GPS darts onto suspects’ vehicles’ during high-speed chases.

The new technology, known as StarChase, already led to the tracking and arrest of a drunk driver who refused to pull over, authorities announced yesterday.

Brandon Cruz reports in THE NY POST that the program was launched several weeks ago and is being piloted by the department’s DWI enforcement unit — the first agency in the county with access to the tech.

“We have seen dozens of people try to evade arrest causing dangerous situations for themselves, our officers and the community at large,” said Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. “With our DWI team equipped with the StarChase GPS technology, it will help them apprehend subjects during high-risk events by safely giving our officers access to their real-time location, speed and direction,” the sheriff said. Once a driver makes it clear they have no intentions of pulling over, police are authorized to shoot the adhesive GPS tag onto the back of the fleeing vehicle, authorities said. It isn’t clear what the dart guns’ maximum range is.

The dart then latches onto the car, giving officers and dispatch the ability to monitor the target’s real-time location, speed and direction without having to chase them through the streets.

Once the driver believes they got away and comes to a stop, the tracking officers are then able to swoop in and make the surprise arrest.

The system, according to officials, boasts an 85% success rate across a range of offenses — from drunk driving and stolen vehicles to human trafficking and narcotics — and could possibly find itself implemented in police vehicles across the county to use beyond DWI enforcement.

With the new pilot program launching just weeks ago, Suffolk County joins neighboring New York City and Old Westbury cops in Nassau County who both implemented the tech back in 2023.

***

The president of the LIRR expressed optimism yesterday that a deal could be reached to avert a railroad union strike less than a month away. Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that ahead of a planned virtual conference with LIRR labor leaders Monday, Long Island Rail Road president Rob Free said he "absolutely" believes a settlement to the three-year-long contract dispute is within reach.

The two sides have already agreed on raises totaling 9.5% over the first three years of a new contract — terms already accepted by most Metropolitan Transportation Authority union workers. But the five LIRR labor organizations are demanding a fourth year at 5%. The MTA has countered with an offered 4.5% raise in the fourth year of the contract, but tied it to productivity increases and work rule givebacks.

"We want to talk to them. We're almost there," Free said at a Jamaica news conference. "Three years we're in agreement on. We're talking about a fourth year, and I don't think we're that far apart in what the raise would actually be."

The five labor organizations embroiled in the contract dispute represent nearly half the LIRR’s union workforce, including locomotive engineers, signal workers, machinists, ticket agents and electricians.

The unions have said the 15% in total raises they’re seeking is necessary to keep up with the rising cost of living, and with raises given to other union workers throughout the railroad industry. The LIRR’s offer, the unions have said, would amount to a pay cut.

Free said Wednesday that paying higher-than-expected wages would create added costs in the MTA’s operating budget, which is funded in part through riders’ fares. "Who’s going to pay for it?" Free asked.

Jeff Klein, general chairman of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 589, the union representing LIRR electricians, said he, too, remains optimistic that a deal can be made, but believes that raises...]]>The confessed serial killer, Rex Heuermann, told family members that the woman whose body was found in a wooded area in North Sea was indeed the first murder he committed and the only one that was not planned ahead of time.

Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that in a documentary released yesterday on the streaming service Peacock, Heuermann’s wife and daughter recounted conversations they had with him last summer in which he admitted to them to have killed eight women between 1993 and 2010.

The first, they said he told them, was Sandra Costilla, whose body was found in a small section of woodlands off Fish Cove Road, just north of Noyac Road.

His wife, Asa Ellerup, says in the documentary that he told her he killed Costilla, who was a sex worker he had hired and arranged to meet over the phone, inside an SUV he owned at the time, a two-tone blue Dodge Ramcharger.

“He said he killed Sandra Costilla in the Dodge — that was his first murder, before I married him,” Ellerup says in the “The Gilgo Beach Killer" fourth and final episode.

Heuermann would have been 29 in November 1993, when Sandra Costilla, 28, disappeared. Her body was discovered by two Southampton waterfowl hunters early on the morning of November 20, 1993.

“He said ‘The first one, I had no idea I was going to kill at the time, I just randomly did it,’” therapist Alison Winter, tells the documentary cameras, after speaking with Heuermann, with Ellerup, in the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverside in August 2025.

Costilla’s murder had been the earliest one that Suffolk County Distirct Attorney Ray Tierney’s office had linked to Heuermann since 2024, when a new examination of DNA evidence in cold case murders following Heuermann’s 2023 arrest linked him to the decades old Southampton case.

Costilla’s body was found, still partially clothed. Her body had been mutilated but was not disremembered, like many of the other victims, and only feint effort had been made to avoid the body being found.

“She was lying on her back with her arms outstretched over her head — her legs were uncovered, a shirt was pressed over her head,” Tierney said at a press conference in 2024, the day he announced the new charges against Heuermann. “The victim suffered numerous sharp force injuries, 25 in all, which we believed were post-mortem.”

Neither the D.A.’s office, nor the documentary, has shed any light on how Heuermann arrived at the small plot of undeveloped land in North Sea as the disposal site for Costilla’s body. The other bodies of his victims were found in dense brambles off a remote stretch of the Ocean Parkway in Gilgo Beach and in the woods of the Long Island Pine Barrens in Manorville.

***

There will not be a Republican Party candidate for East Hampton Town supervisor for the second straight election cycle, giving the winner of this year’s highly contested Democratic primary race a straight shot at the town’s top office. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen has, for months now, been running a challenge against incumbent Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, who was formally endorsed for a third term by the established Town Democratic Committee in January.

Besides running a fiery campaign for town supervisor, Larsen has been backing a push to reshape the local Democratic Committee in his image by unseating the lion’s share of the 38 sitting committee members and putting his allies in their place.

Throughout the campaign, Larsen has defended his political identity from establishment Democrats who say the Larsen-backed slate of committee candidates is sprinkled with longtime Republicans who appear to have switched their registration to wrest power from the local ruling party.

Larsen said of the Republicans failing to nominate a candidate that “the election is really decided in June for the foreseeable future.”

Burke-Gonzalez, in November, won reelection for a two-year term, in another uncontested general election, but a New York State law, which lined up local elections with the national calendar, truncated her term to one year – and put her right back on the campaign trail.

This week, Larsen wrote off the possibility of him running with a third party, which would have been possible in the event of a Burke-Gonzalez win in the June primary election: “Democrat only,” he told The East Hampton Press.

The candidates, Burke-Gonzalez and Larsen, will face off at a debate at LTV Studios in Wainscott on May 13 at 6 p.m. Express News Group Consulting Editor Joseph P. Shaw will serve as the moderator.

***

North Fork Scouts are busy this year making Southold a better place, starting just steps from the side door to Town Hall. Mattituck High School Junior Madison Tomaszewski is planning a Celebration Garden in a neglected space just outside of Southold Town Hall as part of her Gold Award project, while Brendan Boyle of Southold is placing first aid stations at a number of preserves throughout the town as an Eagle Scout project.

Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that regarding Madison Tomaszewski’s Celebration Garden, Southold Supervisor Al Krupski told Town Clerk Denis Noncarrow to get ready for a slew of applications for weddings at Town Hall.

“Quite a few weddings take place here already,” he said. “This serves as an example to younger girls, to see the kind of things they can do to help the community.”

Regarding Brendan Boyle’s project, Southold Land Management Coordinator John Sepenoski told the Southold Town Board this week that Boyle’s first aid stations will be placed at Ruth Oliva Preserve in East Marion, Arshamomaque and Pipes Cove preserves in Greenport, Paul Stoutenburgh Preserve in Southold, Downs Farm Preserve in Cutchogue and Laurel Park in Laurel.

***

Suffolk County sheriff’s deputies are testing out high-tech guns that will be mounted on police car bumpers to fire GPS darts onto suspects’ vehicles’ during high-speed chases.

The new technology, known as StarChase, already led to the tracking and arrest of a drunk driver who refused to pull over, authorities announced yesterday.

Brandon Cruz reports in THE NY POST that the program was launched several weeks ago and is being piloted by the department’s DWI enforcement unit — the first agency in the county with access to the tech.

“We have seen dozens of people try to evade arrest causing dangerous situations for themselves, our officers and the community at large,” said Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. “With our DWI team equipped with the StarChase GPS technology, it will help them apprehend subjects during high-risk events by safely giving our officers access to their real-time location, speed and direction,” the sheriff said. Once a driver makes it clear they have no intentions of pulling over, police are authorized to shoot the adhesive GPS tag onto the back of the fleeing vehicle, authorities said. It isn’t clear what the dart guns’ maximum range is.

The dart then latches onto the car, giving officers and dispatch the ability to monitor the target’s real-time location, speed and direction without having to chase them through the streets.

Once the driver believes they got away and comes to a stop, the tracking officers are then able to swoop in and make the surprise arrest.

The system, according to officials, boasts an 85% success rate across a range of offenses — from drunk driving and stolen vehicles to human trafficking and narcotics — and could possibly find itself implemented in police vehicles across the county to use beyond DWI enforcement.

With the new pilot program launching just weeks ago, Suffolk County joins neighboring New York City and Old Westbury cops in Nassau County who both implemented the tech back in 2023.

***

The president of the LIRR expressed optimism yesterday that a deal could be reached to avert a railroad union strike less than a month away. Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that ahead of a planned virtual conference with LIRR labor leaders Monday, Long Island Rail Road president Rob Free said he "absolutely" believes a settlement to the three-year-long contract dispute is within reach.

The two sides have already agreed on raises totaling 9.5% over the first three years of a new contract — terms already accepted by most Metropolitan Transportation Authority union workers. But the five LIRR labor organizations are demanding a fourth year at 5%. The MTA has countered with an offered 4.5% raise in the fourth year of the contract, but tied it to productivity increases and work rule givebacks.

"We want to talk to them. We're almost there," Free said at a Jamaica news conference. "Three years we're in agreement on. We're talking about a fourth year, and I don't think we're that far apart in what the raise would actually be."

The five labor organizations embroiled in the contract dispute represent nearly half the LIRR’s union workforce, including locomotive engineers, signal workers, machinists, ticket agents and electricians.

The unions have said the 15% in total raises they’re seeking is necessary to keep up with the rising cost of living, and with raises given to other union workers throughout the railroad industry. The LIRR’s offer, the unions have said, would amount to a pay cut.

Free said Wednesday that paying higher-than-expected wages would create added costs in the MTA’s operating budget, which is funded in part through riders’ fares. "Who’s going to pay for it?" Free asked.

Jeff Klein, general chairman of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 589, the union representing LIRR electricians, said he, too, remains optimistic that a deal can be made, but believes that raises for workers should not be "an unexpected operational expense."

"The MTA should not expect its workforce to subsidize its many inefficiencies by accepting a lower standard of living," Klein said.

***

Shiloh Piano and Cello Duo presents Touch the Sky Taking a Journey Through Song this coming Sunday afternoon from 3 to 4:15 p.m. at the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton.

Shiloh is the premier piano and cello duo on Long Island, and they will take you on a journey through various musical genres, performing their unique arrangements of popular songs. From the melodic strains of Danny Boy to the fun and edgy Theme from Mission Impossible, Shiloh will take you on an exploration of musical tones and textures. Genres include traditional music, jazz, hip hop, pop, film scores, anime, country, and good old rock and roll—all presented “Shiloh-Style.”

Registration is required for this event.

To register go to rogersmemorial.librarycalendar.com

That’s this Sunday at 3 p.m. in the Rogers Memorial Library, Southampton, N.Y. 11968

***

Rotavirus, the highly contagious disease that can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea in babies and young children, is on the rise on Long Island, the rest of the metropolitan area and nationwide. Doctors warn children infected can get so dehydrated they may need to go to the hospital for intravenous fluids. Lisa L. Colangelo reports in NEWSDAY that earlier this year, federal health officials dropped the rotavirus vaccination from the list of recommended childhood vaccines, a move that infectious disease experts said could cause fewer parents to get the vaccine for their babies in the coming years.

Before 2006, when the latest vaccine became available, rotavirus resulted in up to 70,000 hospitalizations and 20 to 60 deaths a year among children, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the percentage of positive rotavirus cases in the northeast United States was 9.6% for the week ending April 11. That’s higher than the previous two years around the same time. Experts said rotavirus usually appears in the spring but there are several factors that could lead to a rise in cases this year.

"During the long winter, kids spend more time indoors,” said Dr. Asif Noor, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at NYU Langone—Long Island, adding he has seen an increase in cases across the hospital system that mirrors the regional and national trend.

"Rotavirus comes on pretty quickly and spreads pretty quickly," Noor said.

The virus is passed through an infected person’s stool which can be present in microscopic amounts on hands, hard surfaces and even food, according to the CDC. Family members can easily pick up the virus from children in the home.

"It can be found in your stool two days before your diarrhea onset and up to 10 days after your initial symptoms,” said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. "So you go back to school, go back to work, the kids go back to day care and they are still infectious.”

Good hand hygiene can help but it’s not enough to stop the spread of the disease, the CDC said. The rotavirus vaccine, which is dispensed in oral drops, is given two months after birth and then given one or two more times before the age of 6 months, depending on the formulation.

Nachman said the rotavirus vaccine is 98% protective against severe illness, and 96% protective against hospitalization and emergency department visits.

An increase in vaccine hesitancy and the Department of Health and Human Services decision earlier this year to leave it off the list of recommended vaccines for children may cause a "catastrophic” number of cases next year and beyond, she said.

Every year, he oversees tick surveillance in Suffolk to see which species are in the environment and which pathogens they are carrying.

"I’ve never seen a shortage of ticks," Campbell said. "You still have to take precautions whether you are in contact with one tick or 100 ticks."

But there are some signs it will be a busy season

Snow, blanketed Long Island this winter, can insulate ticks from cold temperatures.

"The question is always, 'It's been a terrible winter — will there be fewer ticks?' " entomologist Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann told members of the Adirondacks Club's Long Island Chapter at a meeting this month. "We were snow covered for a whole month at least. That means the ticks and all the insects that are under the snow are buffered from the very cold."

Ticks can be active when the temperatures are about 37 degrees or higher. They are less likely to survive in dry conditions, whether they are extremely hot or cold.

Gangloff-Kaufmann said an abundant acorn season, called an "acorn mast," two years ago may also foretell a tough tick season because it can lead to a burst in the mouse and chipmunk population. Mice are a common reservoir for disease.

7:06am - 7:07:30am

Are tick-borne illnesses going up?

"The trends are up for everything you measure," said Nicole Baumgarth, director of the Lyme and Tickborne Diseases Research and Education Institute at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. "The question is whether [tick-borne diseases] are being diagnosed more, or are they more prevalent?" Lisa L. Colangelo reports in NEWSDAY that emergency department visits for tick bites have been rising. For the most recent week in April available, 168 out of every 100,000 visits to emergency departments in the Northeast were for a tick bite, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the same week last year it was 107 out of every 100,000 visits.

Stony Brook Southampton Hospital's Tick-Borne Disease Clinic in Hampton Bays has received a steady stream of calls and appointment requests over the last two weeks.

"We're starting to see more tick activity and more tick bites," said Dr. Andrew Handel, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Stony Brook Children's Hospital who has a focus on tick-borne illnesses. "I expect in the coming weeks to start seeing cases of tick-borne diseases."

Researchers in the United States and Australia spent years piecing together the mystery of why some people were developing an allergy to meat. Scientists at the University of Virginia found a "range of evidence" by 2010 to link it to the bite of a lone star tick, and specifically a sugar molecule in the tick's saliva that can cause an overactive immune response.

Dr. Erin McGintee, an allergist and immunologist at ENT and Allergy Associates in Southampton, started diagnosing cases on Long Island around 2011 and has treated more than 1,000 patients with the allergy since that time.

McGintee, an alpha-gal expert, said cases were once more common on the East End of Long Island but now show up in patients from various places including Port Jefferson, Islip, Stony Brook and Smithtown.

"It's following where the deer are going and the lone star tick is spreading," she said.

Lisa L. Colangelo reports in NEWSDAY that wildlife experts believe much of Suffolk County’s large tick population can be attributed to the warming climate and a growing wildlife population, in particular white-tail deer that provide a food source and mode of transportation for ticks.

The region's deer population, almost wiped out at the start of the 20th century due to over hunting and other issues, rebounded in recent decades due to conservation efforts and the lack of natural predators.

"The deer population on Long Island exploded," said entomologist Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, associate director at Cornell’s Integrated Pest Management program. She is based in Babylon.

Scott Campbell, Suffolk County's chief entomologist, said the deer on Long Island are moving westward as their numbers grow and they search for food.

"Decades ago, people in Huntington, Smithtown, Islip didn’t have problems with ticks," said Campbell. There's less food for deer in forests, so they "come into residential areas to feed on the arborvitae or plantings in our yards and they bring those ticks with them."

If you do have a tick bite, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital's Tick-Borne Disease Clinic recommends taking a photo of it, removing it with pointy tweezers, and placing it in a container of alcohol. This will kill the tick and preserve it in case it's needed later to be identified and tested for bacteria that causes disease in humans.

Not all ticks carry bacteria and viruses that cause disease, but removing one quickly lowers the chance of transmission. Watch for symptoms including fever, headache, swollen joints and a rash, and follow up with your health care provider.

***

A white-tailed deer with rare nearly all-white coloring has been frequenting a grassy yard on eastern Long Island.

A resident, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect the animal and whose exact location Newsday is keeping private, said the deer started showing up in his backyard, which borders a wooded area, in December, and he began snapping photos.

Tracy Tullis reports in NEWSDAY that the deer has a genetic trait called leucism, which causes a loss of pigment. Deer with leucism can be nearly all white, like this one, or spotted like a pinto pony — a variation commonly called piebald. The condition can affect nearly any animal, including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish.

Leucism is the result of a recessive gene, so both parents must carry that gene in order to produce a leucistic fawn. Only about 1% of deer have this trait, according to The Nature Conservancy. It’s different from albinism, also a genetic mutation, which results in a complete lack of melanin. A leucistic deer will still have dark eyes, nose, and hooves.

Leslie Lupo, a wildlife biologist at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s Stony Brook office, said she’d never seen a deer with leucism on Long Island.

This rare Long Island animal seems content to browse on tender spring greens, the east end resident said, sometimes alone and sometimes accompanied by a more conventionally attired companion.

"I was and still am very fortunate to see this deer," the man told NEWSDAY. "I realized how lucky I am when something that rare chooses your yard to feel safe in."

***

Frustration with the slow pace of progress in the cleanup of the former Grumman superfund site in Calverton has residents and government officials fed up. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that in a grassroots effort, members of the Calverton Restoration Advisory Board, community members and county and town officials have scheduled their own meeting outside of the Navy’s twice-annual cleanup updates in order to receive data obtained through an investigation by Suffolk County health department officials. The meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday, April 28 at the Manorville Fire Department headquarters.

At the last Calverton Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting on Feb. 10, the Navy would not allow Suffolk County health department staff to present well-testing data they’d collected over the prior year.

Calverton RAB member and clean water advocate Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said the county sampling was requested through the RAB, the data collection was completed, and members expected it would be shared as part of the Navy’s public process.

Addison Phoenix, the Navy’s current project manager for the Calverton site, said that Navy representatives and contractors are authorized to discuss “Navy-generated data associated with the environmental restoration program.”

Esposito called that decision “very unhelpful,” because it undermined the idea of agencies working together in partnership. Further, she said, the information would “educate members of the public” and “add to the understanding of what is a concern and what is not a concern” as a result of groundwater contamination at the site and a plume of contamination that has been migrating off-site.

Members of the RAB are appointed by the Navy to provide citizen input on the environmental cleanup and restoration of the former military manufacturing and testing facility. Its meetings are intended to provide the community with periodic updates from the Navy on the status of its investigation and cleanup/restoration efforts — as well as an opportunity to give the Navy feedback and ask questions.

The first Calverton RAB meeting was convened on April 28, 1998. The most recent meeting held in February was the Calverton RAB’s 62nd meeting.

The flyer being circulated by organizers of the April 28 community meeting bluntly states that the Navy has been dragging its feet for decades and “it’s time for accountability and action NOW!”

This coming Tuesday’s meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Manorville Fire Department headquarters, 16 Silas Carter Road, Manorville.

Since the early 1980s, Long Island has become a hotbed for ticks and an epicenter for the diseases they can carry, such as Lyme disease, babesiosis and more recently, alpha-gal syndrome, the meat allergy sparked by a tick bite. Lisa L. Colangelo reports in NEWSDAY that predicting whether this will be a "bad" tick year is difficult because population is driven by factors such as weather, vegetation and availability of hosts — such as deer and mice — to feed on, said Scott Campbell, Suffolk County's chief entomologist.

Every year, he oversees tick surveillance in Suffolk to see which species are in the environment and which pathogens they are carrying.

"I’ve never seen a shortage of ticks," Campbell said. "You still have to take precautions whether you are in contact with one tick or 100 ticks."

But there are some signs it will be a busy season

Snow, blanketed Long Island this winter, can insulate ticks from cold temperatures.

"The question is always, 'It's been a terrible winter — will there be fewer ticks?' " entomologist Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann told members of the Adirondacks Club's Long Island Chapter at a meeting this month. "We were snow covered for a whole month at least. That means the ticks and all the insects that are under the snow are buffered from the very cold."

Ticks can be active when the temperatures are about 37 degrees or higher. They are less likely to survive in dry conditions, whether they are extremely hot or cold.

Gangloff-Kaufmann said an abundant acorn season, called an "acorn mast," two years ago may also foretell a tough tick season because it can lead to a burst in the mouse and chipmunk population. Mice are a common reservoir for disease.

7:06am - 7:07:30am

Are tick-borne illnesses going up?

"The trends are up for everything you measure," said Nicole Baumgarth, director of the Lyme and Tickborne Diseases Research and Education Institute at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. "The question is whether [tick-borne diseases] are being diagnosed more, or are they more prevalent?" Lisa L. Colangelo reports in NEWSDAY that emergency department visits for tick bites have been rising. For the most recent week in April available, 168 out of every 100,000 visits to emergency departments in the Northeast were for a tick bite, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the same week last year it was 107 out of every 100,000 visits.

Stony Brook Southampton Hospital's Tick-Borne Disease Clinic in Hampton Bays has received a steady stream of calls and appointment requests over the last two weeks.

"We're starting to see more tick activity and more tick bites," said Dr. Andrew Handel, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Stony Brook Children's Hospital who has a focus on tick-borne illnesses. "I expect in the coming weeks to start seeing cases of tick-borne diseases."

Researchers in the United States and Australia spent years piecing together the mystery of why some people were developing an allergy to meat. Scientists at the University of Virginia found a "range of evidence" by 2010 to link it to the bite of a lone star tick, and specifically a sugar molecule in the tick's saliva that can cause an overactive immune response.

Dr. Erin McGintee, an allergist and immunologist at ENT and Allergy Associates in Southampton, started diagnosing cases on Long Island around 2011 and has treated more than 1,000 patients with the allergy since that time.

McGintee, an alpha-gal expert, said cases were once more common on the East End of Long Island but now show up in patients from various places including Port Jefferson, Islip, Stony Brook and Smithtown.

"It's following where the deer are going and the lone star tick is spreading," she said.

Lisa L. Colangelo reports in NEWSDAY that wildlife experts believe much of Suffolk County’s large tick population can be attributed to the warming climate and a growing wildlife population, in particular white-tail deer that provide a food source and mode of transportation for ticks.

The region's deer population, almost wiped out at the start of the 20th century due to over hunting and other issues, rebounded in recent decades due to conservation efforts and the lack of natural predators.

"The deer population on Long Island exploded," said entomologist Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, associate director at Cornell’s Integrated Pest Management program. She is based in Babylon.

Scott Campbell, Suffolk County's chief entomologist, said the deer on Long Island are moving westward as their numbers grow and they search for food.

"Decades ago, people in Huntington, Smithtown, Islip didn’t have problems with ticks," said Campbell. There's less food for deer in forests, so they "come into residential areas to feed on the arborvitae or plantings in our yards and they bring those ticks with them."

If you do have a tick bite, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital's Tick-Borne Disease Clinic recommends taking a photo of it, removing it with pointy tweezers, and placing it in a container of alcohol. This will kill the tick and preserve it in case it's needed later to be identified and tested for bacteria that causes disease in humans.

Not all ticks carry bacteria and viruses that cause disease, but removing one quickly lowers the chance of transmission. Watch for symptoms including fever, headache, swollen joints and a rash, and follow up with your health care provider.

***

A white-tailed deer with rare nearly all-white coloring has been frequenting a grassy yard on eastern Long Island.

A resident, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect the animal and whose exact location Newsday is keeping private, said the deer started showing up in his backyard, which borders a wooded area, in December, and he began snapping photos.

Tracy Tullis reports in NEWSDAY that the deer has a genetic trait called leucism, which causes a loss of pigment. Deer with leucism can be nearly all white, like this one, or spotted like a pinto pony — a variation commonly called piebald. The condition can affect nearly any animal, including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish.

Leucism is the result of a recessive gene, so both parents must carry that gene in order to produce a leucistic fawn. Only about 1% of deer have this trait, according to The Nature Conservancy. It’s different from albinism, also a genetic mutation, which results in a complete lack of melanin. A leucistic deer will still have dark eyes, nose, and hooves.

Leslie Lupo, a wildlife biologist at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s Stony Brook office, said she’d never seen a deer with leucism on Long Island.

This rare Long Island animal seems content to browse on tender spring greens, the east end resident said, sometimes alone and sometimes accompanied by a more conventionally attired companion.

"I was and still am very fortunate to see this deer," the man told NEWSDAY. "I realized how lucky I am when something that rare chooses your yard to feel safe in."

***

Frustration with the slow pace of progress in the cleanup of the former Grumman superfund site in Calverton has residents and government officials fed up. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that in a grassroots effort, members of the Calverton Restoration Advisory Board, community members and county and town officials have scheduled their own meeting outside of the Navy’s twice-annual cleanup updates in order to receive data obtained through an investigation by Suffolk County health department officials. The meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday, April 28 at the Manorville Fire Department headquarters.

At the last Calverton Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting on Feb. 10, the Navy would not allow Suffolk County health department staff to present well-testing data they’d collected over the prior year.

Calverton RAB member and clean water advocate Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said the county sampling was requested through the RAB, the data collection was completed, and members expected it would be shared as part of the Navy’s public process.

Addison Phoenix, the Navy’s current project manager for the Calverton site, said that Navy representatives and contractors are authorized to discuss “Navy-generated data associated with the environmental restoration program.”

Esposito called that decision “very unhelpful,” because it undermined the idea of agencies working together in partnership. Further, she said, the information would “educate members of the public” and “add to the understanding of what is a concern and what is not a concern” as a result of groundwater contamination at the site and a plume of contamination that has been migrating off-site.

Members of the RAB are appointed by the Navy to provide citizen input on the environmental cleanup and restoration of the former military manufacturing and testing facility. Its meetings are intended to provide the community with periodic updates from the Navy on the status of its investigation and cleanup/restoration efforts — as well as an opportunity to give the Navy feedback and ask questions.

The first Calverton RAB meeting was convened on April 28, 1998. The most recent meeting held in February was the Calverton RAB’s 62nd meeting.

The flyer being circulated by organizers of the April 28 community meeting bluntly states that the Navy has been dragging its feet for decades and “it’s time for accountability and action NOW!”

This coming Tuesday’s meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Manorville Fire Department headquarters, 16 Silas Carter Road, Manorville.

More info available on line.

***

In order to ensure effective communications during emergencies, the Southold Fire Department would like to install a wireless tower at its Baywater Avenue substation.

The Southold-Peconic Civic Association is hosting a community discussion about the Southold Fire Department’s planned wireless tower and Southold Town wireless rules this coming Saturday at 10 a.m. at the fire department substation, 650 Baywater Avenue in Southold.

The Southold Peconic Civic Association was founded in 2022 to preserve and enhance the unique hamlets of Southold and Peconic by promoting civic engagement, ensuring residents are given a forum to learn, consider and act upon issues that affect our north fork communities.

That discussion is this Saturday at 10 a.m. In the Southold Fire House on Baywater Avenue.

***

Noise complaints linked to flights at East Hampton Town Airport in Wainscott have dropped by more than 61% over the past four years, a sharp decline as the number of overall flights also fell, according to a new report. Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that aircraft noise complaints fell for four straight years — from 47,096 in 2021 to 18,169 in 2025. The number of flights logged at the airport declined by nearly 22%, from 32,298 in 2021 to 25,252 last year.

Flights at the airport spiked in 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic, which saw people forgo international trips and travel to the Hamptons instead, East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said.

The steep drop holds across most aircraft types, including helicopters, which remain the largest source of the noise complaints. Helicopter operations generate about twice as many complaints as fixed-wing aircraft, according to the data.

For years, residents in Wainscott and across the East End have complained about incessant flight noise. Amid a debate on whether to close the airport, the Town of East Hampton has tried to set new rules to curb noise, but those efforts have been thwarted by lawsuits.

Recent measures targeted at noise reduction, including designated flight routes and a nighttime curfew — both voluntary — may be contributing to the shift, officials said this week. They took the decline as an encouraging sign.

Councilman Ian Calder-Piedmonte said, “…I'm encouraged … that there has been some improvement, and I also appreciate that it seems like there's a lot of voluntary compliance.”

Matthew Simon of HMMH, an aviation consulting firm based in Burlington, Massachusetts, presented the report to the town board during a work session on Tuesday.

Simon said most complaints occur during peak air traffic periods, particularly in summer and during high-traffic travel windows such as Thursday, Friday and Sunday evenings, as well as Monday mornings.

Many of the complaints stem from a relatively small number of households, Simon's data showed. While most residents filed only a handful of reports over the past five years, a limited number of households filed hundreds or even thousands of complaints.

Among the skeptics, Teresa McCaskie, who lives on the North Fork in Mattituck, said the drop reflects apathy rather than meaningful improvements.

“There’s a reduction in complaints because many people have given up,” McCaskie, who attended the presentation, told Newsday.

Shifting flight routes is only a temporary solution because “eventually somebody is going to be suffering from the noise,” said McCaskie, chairwoman of Southold Town’s Aircraft Noise Committee.

Barry Raebeck of Wainscott, who leads a group that advocates for restrictions at the airport, said he knows people who recently sold their homes because they lived under the flight path and couldn’t stand the noise. Most flights don’t occur overnight, making the curfew practically “non-existent,” he said.

The findings come as the airport remains the focus of a long-running debate. The Town of East Hampton attempted to close the public airport in 2022 and reopen it as a private facility, a move that would have given officials more control over air traffic and noise. The effort was met with lawsuits from aviation interests and adverse court rulings. The town remains in litigation.

"Gas-powered landscaping equipment emits a stunning amount of air pollution, not to mention the noise that blights communities across the state," Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan), who sponsored the bill, told Newsday in a statement. "This bill will make it easier for New York's landscaping companies to transition to cleaner, quieter equipment."

The proposed legislation — which also applies to nonprofits, universities and school districts — would set up a state rebate program for battery-powered equipment, including leaf blowers, lawn mowers, tree trimmers and snow blowers, as well as batteries and chargers. The bill aims to "reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and reduce noise pollution," according to the legislative language.

The rebate amount would be set by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, or NYSERDA, and be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. The funding would come from existing revenues controlled by NYSERDA.

Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that the State Senate yesterday passed the bill by a 54-8 vote, and it was approved by a 99-42 margin in the Assembly on Monday. The measure will now head to the desk of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose office said she would review the bill.

Assemb. Scott Gray (R-Watertown) was among those who voted against the measure.

"If the product is appealing and the marketplace is doing a good job trying to move the product along, I think government is the last...entity that should step in and put its fingers on the scale in a private marketplace and try to drive customers to a certain product," Gray said on the Assembly floor.

Gray also cited concerns over the use of taxpayer dollars for the program as well as with the safety of lithium-ion batteries.

Statewide, over 69 communities, including several on Long Island, have adopted laws to ban or restrict the use of gas-powered equipment, Assemb. Steven Otis (D-Port Chester), the bill’s sponsor said on the Assembly floor.

The bill also would save taxpayers money by lowering costs for school districts and municipalities purchasing new equipment, Otis said.

Long Island business and landscaping groups favor a rebate program as business owners struggle to meet new municipal restrictions along with the rising cost of gas and oil.

***

Southampton School District parents who wish to enroll their children in the elementary school’s dual language program must attend an upcoming informational session and sign a one-year commitment letter by May 15 to gauge interest, as part of a series of expected changes to the curriculum’s format.

In the event that more students want to participate than there are seats, a lottery will be held on May 20, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Fatima Morrell.

“The whole program is not changing,” Dr. Morrell said during a Board of Education meeting last night. “We do have to think a little bit more systemically, though, about how we use our teachers to get the best for our kids. And I think there were some serious concerns about our program.”

Michelle Trauring reports on 27east.com that a nearly two-hour-long presentation and discussion dominated last night’s meeting, eliciting questions and feedback from board members, parents and students alike. A deeper dive into the proposed changes — some of which are being brought on by decreased enrollment — will be discussed at pre-K informational sessions this coming Friday, April 24, at 8:30 a.m. and on Monday, April 27, at 2 and 6:30 p.m., and kindergarten through third grade sessions on Thursday, April 30, at 8:30 a.m. and Wednesday, May 6, at 2 and 6:30 p.m.

For over 20 years, the dual language program has been a pillar of strength in the district, Morrell said. The Spanish Embassy’s Ministry of Culture, Education and Sports recognizes each of Southampton’s schools as an International Spanish Academy, or ISA, which “implement a Spanish-English dual language immersion curriculum with the support, consultancy and recognition of the Ministry,” according to its website.

Southampton is the only district in the state with this designation, reported Dr. Brian Zahn, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

However, Spanish and English teachers said they often find themselves competing for time, and families also are lacking information about the program. Some parents agreed, saying that they don’t fully understand how the program works and want the ability to choose whether it’s the right fit for their children.

Addressing School Board President Zach Epley, a parent and new Southampton home owner said, “You're saying you're giving us choice, but if we go to a lottery, you're taking away that choice from us, that choice that we've worked very hard for, to sacrifice and be part of this very expensive community.”

***

The Town of Southampton Youth Bureau will host two upcoming events showcasing local young talent, including the 2026 Hamptons Got Talent competition and the 23rd annual Battle of the Bands.

Hamptons Got Talent is scheduled for Friday, May 1, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Westhampton Beach High School. Eleven local middle and high school students will perform in front of a panel of professional judges, competing for prize packages that include gift certificates from Bay Street Theater, the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, Hampton Theatre Company, Dream Recording Studios, Edgewater Restaurant, Guild Hall and Hampton Coffee Co., among others.

Audience members will have the opportunity to win giveaways and vote for a People’s Choice Award. Admission is free and open to the public.

So, Hamptons Got Talent is scheduled for Friday, May 1, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Westhampton Beach High School.

The Southampton Town Youth Bureau is also accepting applications for its 23rd annual Battle of the Bands competition, scheduled for Friday, June 5, from 8 to 11 p.m. at Ponquogue Beach in Hampton Bays, with a rain date of June 12. Bands interested in participating must submit applications and demo recordings by 4 p.m. on Friday, May 8, 2026. Submissions can be mailed or delivered to the Southampton Youth Bureau, 655 Flanders Road, Flanders, NY 11901.

For more information, call the Southampton Youth Bureau at 631-702-2425 or visit southamptontownny.gov/youthbureau.

***

New scientific findings presented yesterday in downtown Riverhead point to worsening threats in Long Island’s coastal waters, including harmful algal blooms, low-oxygen zones and environmental conditions that promote dangerous bacteria, according to Stony Brook University coastal ecologist Christopher Gobler.

Speaking on the Peconic River boardwalk in Riverhead, ahead of Friday’s annual State of the Bays symposium to take place at Stony Brook University in Southampton, Gobler said water bodies across Long Island failed to meet state and federal water quality standards last year and that 2026 is already off to a troubling start. He had a map of Long Island on display depicting “dozens and dozens of locations in our estuaries and our harbors and our bays and our lakes and our ponds” that didn’t meet water quality standards in 2025.

Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that among the most serious concerns are harmful algal blooms in both freshwater and marine waters, shellfish closures tied to paralytic shellfish poisoning and low-oxygen “dead zones” that harm marine life.

Gobler said three Southold water bodies are currently closed to shellfishing because of paralytic shellfish poisoning and that the western half of Shinnecock Bay is also closed.

Gobler said nearly three dozen Long Island locations are also experiencing hypoxic conditions, with dissolved oxygen levels below the state standard of 3 milligrams per liter.

“Every hour that a water body spends below three milligrams per liter is an hour that is doing harm to marine life,” said Professor Gobler.

The annual State of the Bays symposium is scheduled for this coming Friday in Stony Brook Southampton’s Avram Theater at 7 p.m. The event is free to attend and open to the public. For more information and to reserve free tickets, visit the Stony Brook Southampton website.

***

The Town of East Hampton and the Village of East Hampton are advancing legislation to bar police from cooperating with federal agencies on civil immigration enforcement — becoming the first East End municipalities to back the proposal.

The proposal would also require police departments to notify newly created task forces about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities if their officers were called to respond to a raid.

Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that the two municipalities are the first to support a "public safety and accountability” bill originally drafted by Organización Latino Americana - OLA of Eastern Long Island, Inc. - a Latino advocacy nonprofit based in East Hampton. Drafting the proposal was also assisted by former NYS Assemb. Fred Thiele, an OLA board member. OLA has been lobbying East End municipalities that have police departments to adopt the proposal since early February.

“It's an important step in reassuring the public that our police department is doing the right thing,” East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen said in an interview. “The last thing we want is local police being involved in immigration ... because if people can't trust the local...]]>Commercial landscaping companies and governments on Long Island would be eligible for rebates to transition from gas-powered to electric lawn care and snow removal equipment, under a bill passed by the New York State Legislature.

"Gas-powered landscaping equipment emits a stunning amount of air pollution, not to mention the noise that blights communities across the state," Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan), who sponsored the bill, told Newsday in a statement. "This bill will make it easier for New York's landscaping companies to transition to cleaner, quieter equipment."

The proposed legislation — which also applies to nonprofits, universities and school districts — would set up a state rebate program for battery-powered equipment, including leaf blowers, lawn mowers, tree trimmers and snow blowers, as well as batteries and chargers. The bill aims to "reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and reduce noise pollution," according to the legislative language.

The rebate amount would be set by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, or NYSERDA, and be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. The funding would come from existing revenues controlled by NYSERDA.

Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that the State Senate yesterday passed the bill by a 54-8 vote, and it was approved by a 99-42 margin in the Assembly on Monday. The measure will now head to the desk of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose office said she would review the bill.

Assemb. Scott Gray (R-Watertown) was among those who voted against the measure.

"If the product is appealing and the marketplace is doing a good job trying to move the product along, I think government is the last...entity that should step in and put its fingers on the scale in a private marketplace and try to drive customers to a certain product," Gray said on the Assembly floor.

Gray also cited concerns over the use of taxpayer dollars for the program as well as with the safety of lithium-ion batteries.

Statewide, over 69 communities, including several on Long Island, have adopted laws to ban or restrict the use of gas-powered equipment, Assemb. Steven Otis (D-Port Chester), the bill’s sponsor said on the Assembly floor.

The bill also would save taxpayers money by lowering costs for school districts and municipalities purchasing new equipment, Otis said.

Long Island business and landscaping groups favor a rebate program as business owners struggle to meet new municipal restrictions along with the rising cost of gas and oil.

***

Southampton School District parents who wish to enroll their children in the elementary school’s dual language program must attend an upcoming informational session and sign a one-year commitment letter by May 15 to gauge interest, as part of a series of expected changes to the curriculum’s format.

In the event that more students want to participate than there are seats, a lottery will be held on May 20, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Fatima Morrell.

“The whole program is not changing,” Dr. Morrell said during a Board of Education meeting last night. “We do have to think a little bit more systemically, though, about how we use our teachers to get the best for our kids. And I think there were some serious concerns about our program.”

Michelle Trauring reports on 27east.com that a nearly two-hour-long presentation and discussion dominated last night’s meeting, eliciting questions and feedback from board members, parents and students alike. A deeper dive into the proposed changes — some of which are being brought on by decreased enrollment — will be discussed at pre-K informational sessions this coming Friday, April 24, at 8:30 a.m. and on Monday, April 27, at 2 and 6:30 p.m., and kindergarten through third grade sessions on Thursday, April 30, at 8:30 a.m. and Wednesday, May 6, at 2 and 6:30 p.m.

For over 20 years, the dual language program has been a pillar of strength in the district, Morrell said. The Spanish Embassy’s Ministry of Culture, Education and Sports recognizes each of Southampton’s schools as an International Spanish Academy, or ISA, which “implement a Spanish-English dual language immersion curriculum with the support, consultancy and recognition of the Ministry,” according to its website.

Southampton is the only district in the state with this designation, reported Dr. Brian Zahn, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

However, Spanish and English teachers said they often find themselves competing for time, and families also are lacking information about the program. Some parents agreed, saying that they don’t fully understand how the program works and want the ability to choose whether it’s the right fit for their children.

Addressing School Board President Zach Epley, a parent and new Southampton home owner said, “You're saying you're giving us choice, but if we go to a lottery, you're taking away that choice from us, that choice that we've worked very hard for, to sacrifice and be part of this very expensive community.”

***

The Town of Southampton Youth Bureau will host two upcoming events showcasing local young talent, including the 2026 Hamptons Got Talent competition and the 23rd annual Battle of the Bands.

Hamptons Got Talent is scheduled for Friday, May 1, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Westhampton Beach High School. Eleven local middle and high school students will perform in front of a panel of professional judges, competing for prize packages that include gift certificates from Bay Street Theater, the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, Hampton Theatre Company, Dream Recording Studios, Edgewater Restaurant, Guild Hall and Hampton Coffee Co., among others.

Audience members will have the opportunity to win giveaways and vote for a People’s Choice Award. Admission is free and open to the public.

So, Hamptons Got Talent is scheduled for Friday, May 1, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Westhampton Beach High School.

The Southampton Town Youth Bureau is also accepting applications for its 23rd annual Battle of the Bands competition, scheduled for Friday, June 5, from 8 to 11 p.m. at Ponquogue Beach in Hampton Bays, with a rain date of June 12. Bands interested in participating must submit applications and demo recordings by 4 p.m. on Friday, May 8, 2026. Submissions can be mailed or delivered to the Southampton Youth Bureau, 655 Flanders Road, Flanders, NY 11901.

For more information, call the Southampton Youth Bureau at 631-702-2425 or visit southamptontownny.gov/youthbureau.

***

New scientific findings presented yesterday in downtown Riverhead point to worsening threats in Long Island’s coastal waters, including harmful algal blooms, low-oxygen zones and environmental conditions that promote dangerous bacteria, according to Stony Brook University coastal ecologist Christopher Gobler.

Speaking on the Peconic River boardwalk in Riverhead, ahead of Friday’s annual State of the Bays symposium to take place at Stony Brook University in Southampton, Gobler said water bodies across Long Island failed to meet state and federal water quality standards last year and that 2026 is already off to a troubling start. He had a map of Long Island on display depicting “dozens and dozens of locations in our estuaries and our harbors and our bays and our lakes and our ponds” that didn’t meet water quality standards in 2025.

Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that among the most serious concerns are harmful algal blooms in both freshwater and marine waters, shellfish closures tied to paralytic shellfish poisoning and low-oxygen “dead zones” that harm marine life.

Gobler said three Southold water bodies are currently closed to shellfishing because of paralytic shellfish poisoning and that the western half of Shinnecock Bay is also closed.

Gobler said nearly three dozen Long Island locations are also experiencing hypoxic conditions, with dissolved oxygen levels below the state standard of 3 milligrams per liter.

“Every hour that a water body spends below three milligrams per liter is an hour that is doing harm to marine life,” said Professor Gobler.

The annual State of the Bays symposium is scheduled for this coming Friday in Stony Brook Southampton’s Avram Theater at 7 p.m. The event is free to attend and open to the public. For more information and to reserve free tickets, visit the Stony Brook Southampton website.

***

The Town of East Hampton and the Village of East Hampton are advancing legislation to bar police from cooperating with federal agencies on civil immigration enforcement — becoming the first East End municipalities to back the proposal.

The proposal would also require police departments to notify newly created task forces about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities if their officers were called to respond to a raid.

Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that the two municipalities are the first to support a "public safety and accountability” bill originally drafted by Organización Latino Americana - OLA of Eastern Long Island, Inc. - a Latino advocacy nonprofit based in East Hampton. Drafting the proposal was also assisted by former NYS Assemb. Fred Thiele, an OLA board member. OLA has been lobbying East End municipalities that have police departments to adopt the proposal since early February.

“It's an important step in reassuring the public that our police department is doing the right thing,” East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen said in an interview. “The last thing we want is local police being involved in immigration ... because if people can't trust the local police to report crimes, then things are going to turn bad in the community.”

The East End, home to a large Latino immigrant population, has seen ICE raids as President Donald Trump’s administration ramped up deportation efforts last year.

Both East Hampton proposals would ban Section 287(g) agreements between the Department of Homeland Security and local police departments. Those agreements allow ICE to partner with local law enforcement on certain immigration enforcement activities. Nassau County has deputized 10 Nassau police detectives as ICE agents and rented jail cells to ICE under such an agreement. A ban on those agreements is also being pushed by Democratic state lawmakers.

East Hampton Village trustees will hold a hearing on their bill today. The East Hampton Town board has scheduled a May 7 hearing on its bill.

Both proposals acknowledge the federal government’s authority to enforce immigration laws and do not prohibit local police from cooperating with federal officers in criminal matters or when presented with judicial warrants.

***

East Hampton Town officials are planning to buy the land beneath Pathfinder Day Camp for $7.25 million, with the goal of licensing the land out to keep the space as an affordable summer camp on town-owned property. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that seated on an idyllic peninsula that juts out into the western side of Fort Pond in Montauk, Pathfinder is a camp that dates back over 50 years, to 1964. East Hampton Town officials do not yet know whether the land will be under the stewardship of Pathfinder once the sale is finalized, but they say the goal is to keep a summer camp on the property — with a town-approved licensee overseeing operations.

What the purchase will do, once finalized, is link three pieces of town-owned land to form a contiguous, 11-acre sprawl of town property on the peninsula. The land that houses Pathfinder, located at 134 Second House Road, would be in the middle of that stretch.

Flanking either side of the land are two separate pieces of town-owned land. One, the Carol Morrison Park, spans 4 acres and is located directly to the east. This land is also home to the Fort Pond House, which is used for educational and cultural purposes. The land itself is meant for outdoor recreation. This property has been owned by the town for 15-plus years.

To move forward, East Hampton Town officials approved a resolution for the addition of Pathfinder’s Second House Road address to the Community Preservation Fund plan for a public hearing on May 7. Another public hearing, this one regarding town officials buying the property, will also be held on that same May 7th date.

***

Port of Egypt Marine, a marina that was established as a fishing station by the Lieblein family 80 years ago on a stretch of Route 25 between Southold and Greenport, has been sold to Hinckley Yachts. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the acquisition of Port of Egypt “strengthens Hinckley’s presence in one of the country’s most active boating regions, while extending its ability to deliver best-in-class service, maintenance and support across a broad range of vessels, all to the Hinckley standard,” said Hinckley Yachts in a statement, adding that the purchase “brings together Hinckley’s nearly century-long heritage in yacht building and service with Port of Egypt Marine’s 80-year legacy as a family-run marina on Long Island’s East End.”

The Liebleins will still be involved as partners in the property, according to Hinckley Yachts, which announced the sale yesterday, and the Port of Egypt name will remain, along with the restaurant on the property, A Lure. Existing slipholders will be able to stay and there will be no changes to dockage for the season.

“In Hinckley, we found a partner who truly understands what makes Port of Egypt special,” said Port of Egypt General Managers Will and Yvonne Lieblein. “Their commitment to craftsmanship, stewardship, and service reflects the values we have upheld here over eight decades and gives us great confidence in what comes next. We are proud of what we’ve built, and excited to see it thoughtfully enhanced and carried forward.”

Hinckley Yachts is a nearly century-old boatbuilding company with roots on Mount Desert Island in Maine, where the Hinkley family got its start servicing local lobster boats and yachts of summer residents in 1928.

Monitor Clipper Partners, a private equity firm in Boston, is currently the majority owner of Hinckley, which is now known for small luxury motor yachts with lobster boat-style “downeast” lines, including the 36-foot Picnic Boat. It also builds sailboats, most notably the Bermuda 40. The company still manufactures its boats in Maine.

Hinckley Yachts says it plans a significant investment in the Port of Egypt property, including “the conversion of a 24,000-square-foot cold storage facility into heated, year-round storage to support world-class yacht maintenance.

Hinckley says Port of Egypt will now become “a central hub within Hinckley’s growing East Coast network serving the East End, including the Hamptons, Shelter Island, and the North Fork, as well as key boating communities across Connecticut and the broader Northeast."

In 2025, Port Of Egypt had celebrated 65 years as a dealer of Grady-White boats, beloved by North Fork fishermen since 1960. The marina was the oldest Grady-White dealer in the world. The new company will no longer be a Grady-White dealer.

Two schools, one in Hempstead and another in Riverhead, were marked as needing comprehensive support and improvement, known as CSI. That designation means the schools are ranked among the bottom 5% of schools statewide. There was good news as well, though. Central Islip had no schools on the state's needs-improvement list for the first time in more than a decade.

Brentwood, Wyandanch, William Floyd, Patchogue-Medford and Westhampton Beach also were taken off the list this year. Maureen Mullarkey reports in NEWSDAY that the number of schools in Nassau and Suffolk on the 2025-26 list dropped from 29 the year prior but was higher than the 11 identified in 2023-24.

Educators have argued that the improvement labels unfairly stigmatize schools. Officials in some of the districts identified in this year’s list criticized the designations, saying they were based on the performance of a small subgroup of students and are not indicative of the student body as a whole. Others cited outside factors, like increased immigration enforcement in their communities, as having a negative impact on their schools.

State officials said the accountability ratings offer “an opportunity” to improve academic outcomes. The data used for identification can help educators zero in on learning gaps, they argued.

Rachel Connors, a NYS Education Department spokeswoman, told NEWSDAY that the accountability system is not intended to "diminish the work of educators, but to highlight where additional support and resources are needed.”

“We understand and respect that educators work incredibly hard every day to support their students, and that no single designation can fully capture the full story of a school community including its culture, relationships, or the progress happening in classrooms,” she emphasized.

***

Crossing Long Island Sound will cost you more after both the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry and the Cross Sound Ferry announced fare increases due to current fuel prices. Dandan Zou and Michael R. Ebert report in NEWSDAY that this week, the Cross Sound Ferry in Orient listed its fuel surcharge as 9.5%. That's actually down from 10.7% recently, the company reported on its website.

"Due to the volatility of fuel costs, Cross Sound Ferry uses a floating fuel surcharge," the ferry said on its website. "The fuel surcharge is a percentage applied to all published fares, and is based on our most recent fuel costs." Cross Sound Ferry is a passenger and road vehicle ferry service operating between New London, Connecticut and Orient.

As of last Wednesday, the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry enacted a 4.5% fuel surcharge to all ferry fees, increasing one way tickets from $74 to $77 off-peak and from $76 to $79 peak for a vehicle with a passenger.

"This surcharge will be reviewed weekly and may be adjusted upward or downward based on fuel costs and market conditions," the ferry website said. "Any revised fuel surcharge will be posted in advance and, unless otherwise stated, will take effect on Wednesdays."

***

ReWild Long Island will launch the fourth summer of its South Fork internship program in 2026, offering high school students hands-on experience in sustainability, food security and environmental stewardship.

The Summer Program to Fight Hunger and Climate Change is open to rising freshmen through seniors and provides modest stipends along with environmental education focused on Long Island’s unique ecology.

Applications for both interns and volunteers opened April 1 and are available to the end of this month.

ReWild Long Island also welcomes adult mentors and volunteers to support its South Fork chapter.

For more information or to apply, visit the program page at rewildlongisland.org/summerprogram.

***

Framing April 20th NOT as a celebration of cannabis culture but as a public-health warning, Suffolk County officials, law enforcement leaders and addiction treatment providers gathered yesterday at Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research in Calverton to sound the alarm about cannabis use disorder, cannabis-induced psychosis, youth access to THC products and drugged driving. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that Monday’s event, hosted by Wellbridge, featured Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, District Attorney Ray Tierney, Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr., Suffolk police Chief of Department William Doherty, Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin and clinicians from Wellbridge and Outreach Development Corp.

Again and again, speakers returned to one central point: marijuana may be legal in New York but driving while impaired by cannabis is not.

D.A. Tierney said his office has prosecuted cases involving fatal crashes, children sickened by THC-laced edibles and illegal sales to minors. He cited the 2023 death of Franklin Blake in Southampton, saying the driver who struck and killed him was high on cannabis and Xanax.

But while the public officials focused largely on impaired driving and enforcement, the most detailed warnings about cannabis itself came from the treatment providers and clinicians.

Dr. Edmond Hakimi, Wellbridge’s medical director, said the cannabis now commonly available is far more potent than marijuana used decades ago and argued that the rise in high-THC products has changed the risk profile dramatically.

“It’s not the same drug anymore,” Hakimi said, describing cannabis concentrates with THC levels far above those seen in plant marijuana in past decades.

Hakimi said Wellbridge is seeing patients admitted for treatment for cannabis use alone and said clinicians are increasingly concerned about psychiatric consequences, particularly among frequent users of high-potency products and among younger people whose brains are still developing.

He described patients arriving paranoid, hallucinating and, in some cases, losing touch with reality. He also warned that regular cannabis use can be especially risky for people with a personal or family history of mental illness.

Romaine and Tierney both pressed for changes in state law and better roadside tools for detecting cannabis impairment. Romaine said lawmakers need to address the gap between legalization and enforcement, arguing there is still no marijuana equivalent of a Breathalyzer. Tierney said technology exists but is not yet in use.

That difficulty is reflected in federal guidance as well. The CDC says cannabis can impair driving but also notes that linking THC levels in a person’s body to actual driving impairment is far more complicated than it is with alcohol.

***

Yesterday, the Trump administration took its first steps toward issuing tariff refunds with the launch of a web platform through U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Brianne Ledda reports in NEWSDAY that the system follows a Supreme Court ruling that found the president had exceeded his authority last April when he cited the U.S. trade deficit as a national emergency to invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act {IEEPA} a 1977 emergency powers law. The decision did not order the government to repay the tariffs, but a judge at the U.S. Court of International Trade determined last month that businesses subjected to IEEPA taxes should see refunds.

Customs and Border Protection has noted that the refund process is being rolled out in phases.

"Importers and brokers can visit CBP’s website for resources and step-by-step guidance," an agency spokesperson told Newsday.

Stacey Sikes, acting president and CEO of the Long Island Association, a regional business nonprofit, called the refund portal's launch "welcome news" that could help businesses experiencing tariff-induced financial challenges to recoup money, "especially at a time when they are navigating other uncertainties."

"Hopefully the processing of refunds will be expeditious," she said.

At a media event on Monday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also highlighted the refunds, as well as the added burdens that tariffs pose as many in the state struggle with continued inflation.

"Remember, everyday New Yorkers also paid the price," she said. "$13.5 billion is the additional cost that has been imposed on New Yorkers alone because of the Trump tariffs, and that's about $1,700 per the average family."

New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with 21 other state attorneys general and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, sued in March to stop tariffs implemented under the Trade Act of 1974, which the administration used to impose a 10% import tax on imports for 150 days starting Feb. 24. The suit also seeks refunds for tariffs collected under the law.

***

Until tomorrow, the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons is accepting applications for scholarship grants through its Karish Education Fund, supporting students pursuing studies in horticulture and related fields.

Eligible applicants include graduating high school seniors, college students and individuals enrolled in professional certification programs in disciplines such as agriculture, botany, landscape architecture, garden design and environmental science. Applications are due by Earth Day, April 22….that’s tomorrow.

The fund honors Paul Karish, a founding member of the]]>Twenty-three schools in 16 Long Island districts have been flagged for subpar academic performance in the state's latest accountability ratings, a Newsday analysis has found. More than half of the schools — 15 — were classified as needing targeted support and improvement, also known as TSI. Six were designated as needing additional targeted support and improvement, or ATSI.

Two schools, one in Hempstead and another in Riverhead, were marked as needing comprehensive support and improvement, known as CSI. That designation means the schools are ranked among the bottom 5% of schools statewide. There was good news as well, though. Central Islip had no schools on the state's needs-improvement list for the first time in more than a decade.

Brentwood, Wyandanch, William Floyd, Patchogue-Medford and Westhampton Beach also were taken off the list this year. Maureen Mullarkey reports in NEWSDAY that the number of schools in Nassau and Suffolk on the 2025-26 list dropped from 29 the year prior but was higher than the 11 identified in 2023-24.

Educators have argued that the improvement labels unfairly stigmatize schools. Officials in some of the districts identified in this year’s list criticized the designations, saying they were based on the performance of a small subgroup of students and are not indicative of the student body as a whole. Others cited outside factors, like increased immigration enforcement in their communities, as having a negative impact on their schools.

State officials said the accountability ratings offer “an opportunity” to improve academic outcomes. The data used for identification can help educators zero in on learning gaps, they argued.

Rachel Connors, a NYS Education Department spokeswoman, told NEWSDAY that the accountability system is not intended to "diminish the work of educators, but to highlight where additional support and resources are needed.”

“We understand and respect that educators work incredibly hard every day to support their students, and that no single designation can fully capture the full story of a school community including its culture, relationships, or the progress happening in classrooms,” she emphasized.

***

Crossing Long Island Sound will cost you more after both the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry and the Cross Sound Ferry announced fare increases due to current fuel prices. Dandan Zou and Michael R. Ebert report in NEWSDAY that this week, the Cross Sound Ferry in Orient listed its fuel surcharge as 9.5%. That's actually down from 10.7% recently, the company reported on its website.

"Due to the volatility of fuel costs, Cross Sound Ferry uses a floating fuel surcharge," the ferry said on its website. "The fuel surcharge is a percentage applied to all published fares, and is based on our most recent fuel costs." Cross Sound Ferry is a passenger and road vehicle ferry service operating between New London, Connecticut and Orient.

As of last Wednesday, the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry enacted a 4.5% fuel surcharge to all ferry fees, increasing one way tickets from $74 to $77 off-peak and from $76 to $79 peak for a vehicle with a passenger.

"This surcharge will be reviewed weekly and may be adjusted upward or downward based on fuel costs and market conditions," the ferry website said. "Any revised fuel surcharge will be posted in advance and, unless otherwise stated, will take effect on Wednesdays."

***

ReWild Long Island will launch the fourth summer of its South Fork internship program in 2026, offering high school students hands-on experience in sustainability, food security and environmental stewardship.

The Summer Program to Fight Hunger and Climate Change is open to rising freshmen through seniors and provides modest stipends along with environmental education focused on Long Island’s unique ecology.

Applications for both interns and volunteers opened April 1 and are available to the end of this month.

ReWild Long Island also welcomes adult mentors and volunteers to support its South Fork chapter.

For more information or to apply, visit the program page at rewildlongisland.org/summerprogram.

***

Framing April 20th NOT as a celebration of cannabis culture but as a public-health warning, Suffolk County officials, law enforcement leaders and addiction treatment providers gathered yesterday at Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research in Calverton to sound the alarm about cannabis use disorder, cannabis-induced psychosis, youth access to THC products and drugged driving. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that Monday’s event, hosted by Wellbridge, featured Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, District Attorney Ray Tierney, Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr., Suffolk police Chief of Department William Doherty, Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin and clinicians from Wellbridge and Outreach Development Corp.

Again and again, speakers returned to one central point: marijuana may be legal in New York but driving while impaired by cannabis is not.

D.A. Tierney said his office has prosecuted cases involving fatal crashes, children sickened by THC-laced edibles and illegal sales to minors. He cited the 2023 death of Franklin Blake in Southampton, saying the driver who struck and killed him was high on cannabis and Xanax.

But while the public officials focused largely on impaired driving and enforcement, the most detailed warnings about cannabis itself came from the treatment providers and clinicians.

Dr. Edmond Hakimi, Wellbridge’s medical director, said the cannabis now commonly available is far more potent than marijuana used decades ago and argued that the rise in high-THC products has changed the risk profile dramatically.

“It’s not the same drug anymore,” Hakimi said, describing cannabis concentrates with THC levels far above those seen in plant marijuana in past decades.

Hakimi said Wellbridge is seeing patients admitted for treatment for cannabis use alone and said clinicians are increasingly concerned about psychiatric consequences, particularly among frequent users of high-potency products and among younger people whose brains are still developing.

He described patients arriving paranoid, hallucinating and, in some cases, losing touch with reality. He also warned that regular cannabis use can be especially risky for people with a personal or family history of mental illness.

Romaine and Tierney both pressed for changes in state law and better roadside tools for detecting cannabis impairment. Romaine said lawmakers need to address the gap between legalization and enforcement, arguing there is still no marijuana equivalent of a Breathalyzer. Tierney said technology exists but is not yet in use.

That difficulty is reflected in federal guidance as well. The CDC says cannabis can impair driving but also notes that linking THC levels in a person’s body to actual driving impairment is far more complicated than it is with alcohol.

***

Yesterday, the Trump administration took its first steps toward issuing tariff refunds with the launch of a web platform through U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Brianne Ledda reports in NEWSDAY that the system follows a Supreme Court ruling that found the president had exceeded his authority last April when he cited the U.S. trade deficit as a national emergency to invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act {IEEPA} a 1977 emergency powers law. The decision did not order the government to repay the tariffs, but a judge at the U.S. Court of International Trade determined last month that businesses subjected to IEEPA taxes should see refunds.

Customs and Border Protection has noted that the refund process is being rolled out in phases.

"Importers and brokers can visit CBP’s website for resources and step-by-step guidance," an agency spokesperson told Newsday.

Stacey Sikes, acting president and CEO of the Long Island Association, a regional business nonprofit, called the refund portal's launch "welcome news" that could help businesses experiencing tariff-induced financial challenges to recoup money, "especially at a time when they are navigating other uncertainties."

"Hopefully the processing of refunds will be expeditious," she said.

At a media event on Monday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also highlighted the refunds, as well as the added burdens that tariffs pose as many in the state struggle with continued inflation.

"Remember, everyday New Yorkers also paid the price," she said. "$13.5 billion is the additional cost that has been imposed on New Yorkers alone because of the Trump tariffs, and that's about $1,700 per the average family."

New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with 21 other state attorneys general and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, sued in March to stop tariffs implemented under the Trade Act of 1974, which the administration used to impose a 10% import tax on imports for 150 days starting Feb. 24. The suit also seeks refunds for tariffs collected under the law.

***

Until tomorrow, the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons is accepting applications for scholarship grants through its Karish Education Fund, supporting students pursuing studies in horticulture and related fields.

Eligible applicants include graduating high school seniors, college students and individuals enrolled in professional certification programs in disciplines such as agriculture, botany, landscape architecture, garden design and environmental science. Applications are due by Earth Day, April 22….that’s tomorrow.

The fund honors Paul Karish, a founding member of the organization and noted horticulturalist, who established the endowment through a 1991 bequest. Additional contributions from members have helped expand the program over the years.

Since 2001, the fund has awarded more than $70,000 in scholarships, with 47 individual grants ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 distributed to students pursuing careers in plant science and environmental fields.

Application details and submission instructions are available on the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons website.

***

A federal judge delivered a scathing rebuke of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's alleged tactics in the arrests of two allegedly undocumented immigrants on Long Island, ordering agents to appear in court for a hearing on whether the men were lawfully detained. Tiffany Cusaac-Smith reports in NEWSDAY that Judge Sanket J. Bulsara of the Eastern District of New York said in his ruling this past Thursday that several ICE officers involved in the 2026 arrests of Erik Sigfredo Parada Cruz and Rene Antonio Benitez should testify in an April 30 hearing. Both men had been released from detention in February after the court issued preliminary writs of habeas corpus — a legal tool often used to challenge a person’s incarceration.

In his order calling for the hearing, Judge Bulsara, a Biden appointee, criticized some of ICE's alleged practices and what he wrote was the government lawyers' part in shielding the agency's potentially illegal conduct from scrutiny.

When ICE seeks to make an arrest, Bulsara wrote, citing case law, there must be an official Notice to Appear issued, making "removal proceedings initiated before or at the time of the arrest." The Notice to Appear is a necessary predecessor to an arrest warrant, which must be secured before an arrest is made, the judge wrote.

After-the-fact arrest warrants are "fundamentally at odds with and offensive to lawful, constitutional behavior in this country," wrote Judge Bulsara.

But in court papers, the government’s lawyers argued, in part, that the court is without jurisdiction to continue the case because Parada Cruz has been released. They also argued that prior case law cited by the judge should not necessarily apply to all immigration detentions, documents show. The government had requested the cancellation of at least one prior hearing with several ICE officers to consider the legality of Parada Cruz's detention. The federal government made similar arguments in Benitez's case, so Bulsara decided that the forthcoming hearing will cover both cases.

Bulsara, responding to the government's lawyers, said they were either deploying delays or finding excuses "to avoid producing officers for a basic fact-finding hearing."

"Such hide-the-ball litigation tactics corrode both the Court’s and the public’s confidence that Respondents are even trying notionally to adhere to constitutional requirements," he added.

The judge’s rebuke comes after the arrests of Parada Cruz and Benitez earlier this year. Parada Cruz, a Salvadoran national, was commuting to work in Roosevelt when he was arrested on Feb. 26, according to court records.

Benitez, a resident of Brentwood, had lived in the United States for nearly 15 years when officers pulled him over and took him into custody in February, court documents show. He had been driving his daughter to school. Benitez is one of several petitioners in a federal class-action lawsuit accusing ICE of detaining immigrants due to their perceived race and ethnicity. "It’s unfair that only because of looking or sounding Hispanic, that only for that, they detain you," he said in a previous interview in Spanish with Newsday.

Both men have been released from custody, with provisional writs of habeas corpus granted without final decisions, the judge said.

Janon Fisher reports in NEWSDAY that police responded to a 911 call around 4:30 p.m. Sunday from the boater who said that she was stranded about 500 feet northeast of the Shinnecock Canal, in Hampton Bays, according to a news release.

Before help arrived, the kayaker jumped into the water, but was found and pulled from the water by the Southampton Town Marine Patrol.

During the rescue, an officer suffered a leg injury “due to the sea conditions,” according to the release.

Marine Patrol took the woman to the Meschutt County Park where Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance workers treated her for hypothermia.

The injured officer was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The U.S. Coast Guard, which also responded, recovered the woman’s kayak.

***

Long Island's homeless population rose 32% between 2022 and 2024, according to a report from the New York State Comptroller’s Office.

According to the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, as of 2024, there were approximately 500 families with children in shelter and over 1,100 single adults in shelter.

Mike Giuffrida, the coalition's associate director, told NEWSDAY that homelessness and displacements are on the rise due to lack of affordable housing in Nassau and Suffolk.

***

Island Water Park Corp., which owns the Calverton amusement park, has filed a new application to amend its site plan to allow drifting events, the use of battery-powered bumper boats on the site’s manmade lake, a floating dock for the boats, a fire-suppression well drawing water from the lake and a zip line over a portion of the water.

Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that approval of the application would require the Riverhead Town Board to amend a covenant imposed as part of the June 17, 2025, site plan approval prohibiting use of the track by any vehicles other than go-karts. It would also require amendment of an earlier recorded covenant restricting the lake to nonmotorized watercraft.

That go-kart-only restriction was not incidental. It was one of the conditions the Riverhead Town Board relied on in March 2025 when it issued a conditional negative declaration under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, finding that no further environmental review was required for the then-pending site plan application.

Island Water Park’s new application came before the Town Board at its work session this past Thursday, where Senior Planner Greg Bergman outlined the proposal and cautioned that the track restriction was tied directly to the 2025 SEQRA determination because go-karts were viewed as having more limited impacts than other vehicles.

Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin, who acknowledged meeting with company representatives some time before the work session, expressed support for the application, and support for following procedures.

“Like every other business in town, you’re here. We want you to be successful. You have a CO. We want to make sure we’re going through every step…and how we can assist them…So thank you for presenting, “said Supervisor Halpin.

***

East End police officers will take part in the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee’s “No Empty Chair” campaign beginning today through Friday, with enforcement and education efforts focused on teen driving safety. School resource officers and patrol officers will participate in outreach and enforcement aimed at reducing dangerous driving during prom and graduation season.

The traffic safety committee’s message to teens is simple.

“Be buckled up. Be a cell-free motorist. Be a sober driver. Be in your chair on graduation day.”

The statewide campaign runs today through Friday, April 24.

The campaign includes daily enforcement themes this week.

• Monday, April 20: underage drinking and impaired driving
• Tuesday, April 21: seat belts and child restraints
• Wednesday, April 22: cell phone use and texting
• Thursday, April 23: Operation Safe Stop
• Friday, April 24: speeding in school zones

The campaign is intended to raise awareness of highway dangers and promote safe driving habits among young motorists, police said. State and local law enforcement agencies are expected to increase patrols near high schools and focus on violations of the Graduated Driver Licensing law and other traffic offenses.

For more information, visit trafficsafety.ny.gov.

***

East Hampton Town officials are poised to block driving on town-owned portions of Gin Beach in Montauk, a popular destination for bathing, during the summer season between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that this change comes because town officials, at the behest of Marine Patrol, say the beach is a lifeguarded one, popular among families with small children, which means beach driving should be blocked during the times when there is a lifeguard on duty. The change would take effect the Thursday before Memorial Day and run until September 15.

But the move drew pushback at an East Hampton Town Board public hearing earlier this month, with William Jakob from the Montauk Surfcasters Association saying that imposing beach driving restrictions is a slippery slope. Gin Beach, he said, is one with a long history of fishing. Others echoed Jakob’s thoughts, saying that the Town Board should appreciate longstanding local traditions. “The town has been fundamentally available for beach driving for generations,” Jakob said. “This was a fishing town. It still is a fishing town.”

Jakob called for the Town Board to leave beach driving on Gin Beach open to the public and not block that to make way for sunbathing, saying the latter is a new phenomenon that started in the 1900s.

The East Hampton Town Board, though, put itself in a position to move forward with the restrictions, which would only apply to the town-owned portions just north of the parking lot, at a work session last week. A unanimous Town Board backed the changes.

Other beaches in the area that are lifeguarded — like Hither Hills, Indian Wells and Atlantic Avenue — also have seasonal driving restrictions.

Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez spoke supportively for the measure, like her colleagues on the Town Board and Chief Harbormaster Tim Treadwell. With majority support, the measure is ready for adoption when a resolution appears.

“This beach is used by a lot of families with small kids,” Burke-Gonzalez said. “They're not ready to take them to the ocean yet — and we want to protect public safety, so I'm supportive as well.”

***

New York State has receded as a key battleground in the contest for control of the U.S. House, with independent analysts pointing to Texas, North Carolina, Maine and Ohio as better opportunities for Republicans. Billy House reports in NEWSDAY that Long Island and other areas of New York State had been projected to be among the nation's pivotal battlegrounds heading into this fall’s midterm elections. Instead, Republicans have struggled to recruit or keep top-tier candidates in the Hudson Valley, central New York and this past week in Nassau County, where former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito decided not to run.

Nationwide, Democrats need a net pickup of just three districts in the 435-member chamber to wrest the majority from Republicans. That means Republicans need to defend the seats they have and counter any losses with gains elsewhere.

New York had been seen as a key focus of that aim.

"New York is less central to the battle for control of the House because the national environment for Democrats has improved," said Erin Covey, a nonpartisan handicapper with the Cook Political Report.

On Long Island, 3 congressional races in Nassau County seem competitive. Republican Nick LaLota’s 1st Congressional District in eastern Suffolk County is not seen as very competitive.

***

Brookhaven National Laboratory physicist William Morse is part of a team of scientists honored Saturday night with a Breakthrough Prize, one of science's top honors.

Morse and his fellow researchers were honored for their studies of an obscure subatomic particle known as a muon. Scientists believe the muon's unstable nature helps to explain cosmic anomalies such as Mercury's erratic orbit around the sun.

The Breakthrough Prize comes with a $3 million award split among dozens of scientists involved in the research, officials said.

Carl MacGowan reports in NEWSDAY that the 78 year old Morse of East Patchogue and the others are credited with significant scientific advances in a quest begun in Europe six decades ago to fine-tune physicists’ understanding of the enigmatic muon.

The research led Morse and the Brookhaven lab at one point to shut down William Floyd Parkway to carry a 17-ton superconducting magnet more than 3,000 miles by truck and barge to Illinois.

And yet in spite of the award, more work remains, added Morse.

“The theorists say they need another two or three years of calculations,” he said.

***

Allowing a Westhampton property owner to clear brush and trees in the pine barrens to protect against wildfires would set a dangerous precedent for the forest’s ecosystem, the Long Island Central Pine Barrens Commission has ruled. Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that commissioners voted unanimously last Wednesday to deny the application made by Joseph Gazza, a commercial property owner who sought to clear up to 100 feet around six properties he owns...]]>Southampton Town police said yesterday that they rescued a kayaker marooned on a sandbar due to rough seas in the Great Peconic Bay.

Janon Fisher reports in NEWSDAY that police responded to a 911 call around 4:30 p.m. Sunday from the boater who said that she was stranded about 500 feet northeast of the Shinnecock Canal, in Hampton Bays, according to a news release.

Before help arrived, the kayaker jumped into the water, but was found and pulled from the water by the Southampton Town Marine Patrol.

During the rescue, an officer suffered a leg injury “due to the sea conditions,” according to the release.

Marine Patrol took the woman to the Meschutt County Park where Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance workers treated her for hypothermia.

The injured officer was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The U.S. Coast Guard, which also responded, recovered the woman’s kayak.

***

Long Island's homeless population rose 32% between 2022 and 2024, according to a report from the New York State Comptroller’s Office.

According to the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, as of 2024, there were approximately 500 families with children in shelter and over 1,100 single adults in shelter.

Mike Giuffrida, the coalition's associate director, told NEWSDAY that homelessness and displacements are on the rise due to lack of affordable housing in Nassau and Suffolk.

***

Island Water Park Corp., which owns the Calverton amusement park, has filed a new application to amend its site plan to allow drifting events, the use of battery-powered bumper boats on the site’s manmade lake, a floating dock for the boats, a fire-suppression well drawing water from the lake and a zip line over a portion of the water.

Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that approval of the application would require the Riverhead Town Board to amend a covenant imposed as part of the June 17, 2025, site plan approval prohibiting use of the track by any vehicles other than go-karts. It would also require amendment of an earlier recorded covenant restricting the lake to nonmotorized watercraft.

That go-kart-only restriction was not incidental. It was one of the conditions the Riverhead Town Board relied on in March 2025 when it issued a conditional negative declaration under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, finding that no further environmental review was required for the then-pending site plan application.

Island Water Park’s new application came before the Town Board at its work session this past Thursday, where Senior Planner Greg Bergman outlined the proposal and cautioned that the track restriction was tied directly to the 2025 SEQRA determination because go-karts were viewed as having more limited impacts than other vehicles.

Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin, who acknowledged meeting with company representatives some time before the work session, expressed support for the application, and support for following procedures.

“Like every other business in town, you’re here. We want you to be successful. You have a CO. We want to make sure we’re going through every step…and how we can assist them…So thank you for presenting, “said Supervisor Halpin.

***

East End police officers will take part in the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee’s “No Empty Chair” campaign beginning today through Friday, with enforcement and education efforts focused on teen driving safety. School resource officers and patrol officers will participate in outreach and enforcement aimed at reducing dangerous driving during prom and graduation season.

The traffic safety committee’s message to teens is simple.

“Be buckled up. Be a cell-free motorist. Be a sober driver. Be in your chair on graduation day.”

The statewide campaign runs today through Friday, April 24.

The campaign includes daily enforcement themes this week.

• Monday, April 20: underage drinking and impaired driving
• Tuesday, April 21: seat belts and child restraints
• Wednesday, April 22: cell phone use and texting
• Thursday, April 23: Operation Safe Stop
• Friday, April 24: speeding in school zones

The campaign is intended to raise awareness of highway dangers and promote safe driving habits among young motorists, police said. State and local law enforcement agencies are expected to increase patrols near high schools and focus on violations of the Graduated Driver Licensing law and other traffic offenses.

For more information, visit trafficsafety.ny.gov.

***

East Hampton Town officials are poised to block driving on town-owned portions of Gin Beach in Montauk, a popular destination for bathing, during the summer season between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that this change comes because town officials, at the behest of Marine Patrol, say the beach is a lifeguarded one, popular among families with small children, which means beach driving should be blocked during the times when there is a lifeguard on duty. The change would take effect the Thursday before Memorial Day and run until September 15.

But the move drew pushback at an East Hampton Town Board public hearing earlier this month, with William Jakob from the Montauk Surfcasters Association saying that imposing beach driving restrictions is a slippery slope. Gin Beach, he said, is one with a long history of fishing. Others echoed Jakob’s thoughts, saying that the Town Board should appreciate longstanding local traditions. “The town has been fundamentally available for beach driving for generations,” Jakob said. “This was a fishing town. It still is a fishing town.”

Jakob called for the Town Board to leave beach driving on Gin Beach open to the public and not block that to make way for sunbathing, saying the latter is a new phenomenon that started in the 1900s.

The East Hampton Town Board, though, put itself in a position to move forward with the restrictions, which would only apply to the town-owned portions just north of the parking lot, at a work session last week. A unanimous Town Board backed the changes.

Other beaches in the area that are lifeguarded — like Hither Hills, Indian Wells and Atlantic Avenue — also have seasonal driving restrictions.

Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez spoke supportively for the measure, like her colleagues on the Town Board and Chief Harbormaster Tim Treadwell. With majority support, the measure is ready for adoption when a resolution appears.

“This beach is used by a lot of families with small kids,” Burke-Gonzalez said. “They're not ready to take them to the ocean yet — and we want to protect public safety, so I'm supportive as well.”

***

New York State has receded as a key battleground in the contest for control of the U.S. House, with independent analysts pointing to Texas, North Carolina, Maine and Ohio as better opportunities for Republicans. Billy House reports in NEWSDAY that Long Island and other areas of New York State had been projected to be among the nation's pivotal battlegrounds heading into this fall’s midterm elections. Instead, Republicans have struggled to recruit or keep top-tier candidates in the Hudson Valley, central New York and this past week in Nassau County, where former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito decided not to run.

Nationwide, Democrats need a net pickup of just three districts in the 435-member chamber to wrest the majority from Republicans. That means Republicans need to defend the seats they have and counter any losses with gains elsewhere.

New York had been seen as a key focus of that aim.

"New York is less central to the battle for control of the House because the national environment for Democrats has improved," said Erin Covey, a nonpartisan handicapper with the Cook Political Report.

On Long Island, 3 congressional races in Nassau County seem competitive. Republican Nick LaLota’s 1st Congressional District in eastern Suffolk County is not seen as very competitive.

***

Brookhaven National Laboratory physicist William Morse is part of a team of scientists honored Saturday night with a Breakthrough Prize, one of science's top honors.

Morse and his fellow researchers were honored for their studies of an obscure subatomic particle known as a muon. Scientists believe the muon's unstable nature helps to explain cosmic anomalies such as Mercury's erratic orbit around the sun.

The Breakthrough Prize comes with a $3 million award split among dozens of scientists involved in the research, officials said.

Carl MacGowan reports in NEWSDAY that the 78 year old Morse of East Patchogue and the others are credited with significant scientific advances in a quest begun in Europe six decades ago to fine-tune physicists’ understanding of the enigmatic muon.

The research led Morse and the Brookhaven lab at one point to shut down William Floyd Parkway to carry a 17-ton superconducting magnet more than 3,000 miles by truck and barge to Illinois.

And yet in spite of the award, more work remains, added Morse.

“The theorists say they need another two or three years of calculations,” he said.

***

Allowing a Westhampton property owner to clear brush and trees in the pine barrens to protect against wildfires would set a dangerous precedent for the forest’s ecosystem, the Long Island Central Pine Barrens Commission has ruled. Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that commissioners voted unanimously last Wednesday to deny the application made by Joseph Gazza, a commercial property owner who sought to clear up to 100 feet around six properties he owns along Old Riverhead Road. Gazza applied after a wildfire last year caused more than 400 acres of the pine barrens to burn, damaging one of his buildings.

Gazza’s application “has significant precedent setting nature in the [pine barrens] region including potential significant adverse environmental impacts on the pine barrens ecosystem,” the commission said in its denial resolution. The rejection was unanimous, 5-0.

The commission ruled that Gazza’s application was “deficient and without scientific evidence,” and that he did not demonstrate hardship. The pine barrens are protected by a 1993 state law that limits new development. Under that law, land clearing requires a hardship waiver from the commission. Gazza’s buildings were built before the state law was enacted.

“What is it going to take to shock them into doing something and acting responsible?” Gazza told NEWSDAY after the decision. “I don’t think they’re acting reasonably,” Gazza added.

The commission said Gazza can conduct “non-development activities” to his properties, including trimming tree limbs that hang over buildings and removing items from wooded areas, where they could catch fire.

Spanning 105,000 acres, the pine barrens ecosystem purifies the region’s drinking water and supports the health of two estuaries and two major rivers.

The Long Island Pine Barrens Society, an advocacy group, celebrated the commission's ruling.

“I was absolutely delighted that the commission took the stance that we're not going to set a precedent here, and we are going to protect the pine barrens the way the pine barrens are supposed to be protected,” acting executive director Nina Leonhardt said in an interview.

Commission officials said they use prescribed burns to help create buffers that make it harder for wildfires to spread. This year, burns are scheduled in five pine barrens state forests, including in the dwarf pine plains in Westhampton, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Alfonso A. Castillo and Joseph Ostapiuk report in NEWSDAY that according to the report by the office of NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, weekend ridership on the LIRR was 27% higher last year than in 2019 — a year in which the railroad set a modern ridership record. The boom in Saturday and Sunday demand has helped offset lagging weekday rush hour ridership, which remains nearly 40% down from pre-COVID levels, according to MTA data.

Officials and riders attributed the railroad's surging weekend ridership to several factors, such as the boost in service that came with the opening of Grand Central Madison, and the growing cost of driving.

LIRR ticket prices have also recently increased. But new discount promotions have reduced the cost for families traveling on the LIRR on weekends.

The LIRR averaged 267,567 riders each weekend in 2025, up from 210,313 in 2019. The railroad's weekend ridership has been trending up for years, beating 2019 levels in nearly every month since 2023, when the railroad opened Grand Central Madison and significantly boosted service levels to accommodate a second Manhattan terminal.

Although the LIRR's overall ridership has bounced back faster than the MTA predicted, the railroad closed out 2025 still down about 8% from pre-COVID levels.

Among all Metropolitan Transportation Authority agencies, including subways, city buses and Metro-North, the LIRR on weekends is "the only transit mode analyzed where ridership has fully recovered and even improved compared to the pre-pandemic baseline," the report said.

But weekend ridership recovery has outpaced the MTA’s expectations across all its agencies since the pandemic, when trains and buses were largely empty for months. After carrying 91 million passengers in 2019 — the most in 70 years — LIRR ridership plummeted to just 30 million in 2020. Last year, it was nearly 82 million, buoyed by particularly strong weekend crowds.

***

Later this month, Southampton Town Highway Department crews will begin work on a long-awaited pedestrian enhancement project in Noyac that will bring sidewalks and crosswalks to a more than 2-mile stretch of Noyac Road, improving pedestrian accessibility and safety along the busy corridor. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that Southampton Town Highway Superintendent Charles McArdle and engineer Nick Jimenez were on hand at the Noyac Civic Council meeting last week to discuss the plan, which is being fully funded by the Town of Southampton. Jimenez and McArdle said they expected crews to start breaking ground on April 27, but cautioned that the project will take much longer to complete than the recent repaving and restriping of Noyac Road, which was done in about a week. This project could take up to 12 weeks to complete.

On the bright side, McArdle and Jimenez said there was a good chance the sidewalks would be finished before the height of the summer season, as long as the weather cooperates. If there are extended delays, and the traffic becomes untenable as the summer season bears down, it’s possible the project would require a break and then be picked back up in September to complete.

Sidewalks and several crosswalks will be added down a roughly 2.5-mile stretch of Noyac Road, starting at Ruggs Path east of Trout Pond Park and will continue easterly along Noyac Road, past Serene Green, to Cove Avenue East, where it will meet an existing sidewalk that extends all the way to Sag Harbor Village.

The sidewalks will predominantly be on the south side of the road, but will be installed on the north side at certain points, including near MJ Dowlings and Jimmy Jim’s.

Several new crosswalks will be installed, along with the diamond-shaped pedestrian crossing signs with blinking lights.

The Noyac Civic Council leadership strongly urged members who live along that stretch to review the plans, which can be found in detail at noyac.org.

***

Shelter Island Friends of Music presents Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, on piano in concert tomorrow at 6pm in Shelter Island Presbyterian Church. A full capacity crowd is expected so you are encouraged to arrive early to get a seat. Due to fire code regulations, organizers cannot guarantee seating once that capacity is reached. Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner has emerged as one of the most compelling pianists of his generation.

Saturday’s concert is free; donations are greatly appreciated.

The performance will begin promptly at 6 pm tomorrow in Shelter Island Presbyterian Church with no intermission.

You are invited to a reception with Llewellyn immediately following the concert!

For further info visit the Shelter Island Friends of Music website at sifriendsofmusic.org

***

Gov. Kathy Hochul…running for reelection as the Democratic party candidate in this year’s gubernatorial race…is getting politically pulled further to the left on New York’s sanctuary policies – now saying she supports banning nearly all cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE. Vaughn Golden reports in The N.Y. POST that Governor Hochul, who proposed a slate of anti-ICE measures at the start of this year, yesterday unveiled several new restrictions that she wants to put into state law as part of the ongoing budget negotiations with the Democrat-controlled Legislature.

“I just want to have more protections in place that I think are long overdue. So I’m anxious to get this done,” Hochul told reporters at a quickly assembled press event in Albany Thursday afternoon.

Among the newly announced measures was a ban on police cooperating with federal immigration enforcement agents — unless it involves a criminal conviction or cops have “probable cause” to suspect someone of a misdemeanor or felony offense. “Local cops should be focused on local crimes, keeping our streets safe … not doing ICE’s job,” she said. Hochul also wants to ban US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from wearing masks, though it’s unclear how the state would be able to enforce such a mandate. The proposed legislation would make it a misdemeanor for an ICE agent to wear a mask in the State of New York.

And it would expand the list of public areas where ICE is prohibited from operating without a judicial warrant, to include virtually any public land like parks, shelters and “housing accommodations.”

Hochul also said that ICE agents, for example, wouldn’t be allowed to operate alongside a local police DWI checkpoint.

“We’re talking about basically separating out civil infractions, vehicle and traffic law, for example, and other areas that they’ve been using as ruses,” she said.

“There’s sometimes ICE officers, are at a DWI stop, are at a traffic stop. Like why are they there? Explain to me why they’re there,” she questioned.

The new policy would also create an overarching ban on any public employee using state resources, including their working hours, to aid federal immigration authorities.

It means New York would essentially have a blanket sanctuary state law on its books. Hochul, during her tenure, has continued to extend an executive order signed in 2018 by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo barring state employees and law enforcement from helping immigration authorities.

The Democratic incumbent is now expanding her initial anti-ICE proposal unveiled in January following talks with the legislature, coinciding with her $263 billion spending and policy plan, which was due April 1.

***

New York will lose more than $73.5 million in federal money because the Transportation Department said yesterday that the State of New York has refused to revoke nearly 33,000 questionable commercial driver's licenses for immigrants since an audit uncovered problems last year.

The department said that more than half of the 200 licenses reviewed during the audit had significant problems such as remaining valid long after an immigrant was authorized to be in the country. So the state was ordered to review all of this type of licenses and revoke illegal ones.

As reported by The Associated Press and posted on NEWSDAY.com, the federal government has reviewed records related to these non-domiciled CDLs in every state since Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy put a spotlight on this issue after an August crash in Florida that killed three people. Most states have either complied or are in negotiations with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, but California has lost $200 million. Several other states — including Pennsylvania, Minnesota and North Carolina — have been warned they are at risk of losing some funding.

“I promised the American people I would hold any state leader accountable for failing to keep them safe from unvetted, unqualified foreign drivers. I’m delivering on that promise today,” Duffy said.

Duffy has said that immigrants account for about 20% of all truck drivers nationwide, but these non-domiciled licenses immigrants can receive only represent about 5% of all commercial driver’s licenses or about 200,000 drivers. New York issued 32,606 of them. New rules the Transportation Department has announced will prevent 97% of those foreign drivers from getting a commercial license again.

New York officials have defended their licensing practices and said they are complying with federal law and that audits during the first Trump administration supported that.

Trucking industry groups have praised the Transportation Department's efforts to get unqualified drivers off the road,]]>After keeping their social distance from trains during the height of the pandemic, weekend Long Island Rail Road riders are back in a big way, and then some, according to a new state report.

Alfonso A. Castillo and Joseph Ostapiuk report in NEWSDAY that according to the report by the office of NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, weekend ridership on the LIRR was 27% higher last year than in 2019 — a year in which the railroad set a modern ridership record. The boom in Saturday and Sunday demand has helped offset lagging weekday rush hour ridership, which remains nearly 40% down from pre-COVID levels, according to MTA data.

Officials and riders attributed the railroad's surging weekend ridership to several factors, such as the boost in service that came with the opening of Grand Central Madison, and the growing cost of driving.

LIRR ticket prices have also recently increased. But new discount promotions have reduced the cost for families traveling on the LIRR on weekends.

The LIRR averaged 267,567 riders each weekend in 2025, up from 210,313 in 2019. The railroad's weekend ridership has been trending up for years, beating 2019 levels in nearly every month since 2023, when the railroad opened Grand Central Madison and significantly boosted service levels to accommodate a second Manhattan terminal.

Although the LIRR's overall ridership has bounced back faster than the MTA predicted, the railroad closed out 2025 still down about 8% from pre-COVID levels.

Among all Metropolitan Transportation Authority agencies, including subways, city buses and Metro-North, the LIRR on weekends is "the only transit mode analyzed where ridership has fully recovered and even improved compared to the pre-pandemic baseline," the report said.

But weekend ridership recovery has outpaced the MTA’s expectations across all its agencies since the pandemic, when trains and buses were largely empty for months. After carrying 91 million passengers in 2019 — the most in 70 years — LIRR ridership plummeted to just 30 million in 2020. Last year, it was nearly 82 million, buoyed by particularly strong weekend crowds.

***

Later this month, Southampton Town Highway Department crews will begin work on a long-awaited pedestrian enhancement project in Noyac that will bring sidewalks and crosswalks to a more than 2-mile stretch of Noyac Road, improving pedestrian accessibility and safety along the busy corridor. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that Southampton Town Highway Superintendent Charles McArdle and engineer Nick Jimenez were on hand at the Noyac Civic Council meeting last week to discuss the plan, which is being fully funded by the Town of Southampton. Jimenez and McArdle said they expected crews to start breaking ground on April 27, but cautioned that the project will take much longer to complete than the recent repaving and restriping of Noyac Road, which was done in about a week. This project could take up to 12 weeks to complete.

On the bright side, McArdle and Jimenez said there was a good chance the sidewalks would be finished before the height of the summer season, as long as the weather cooperates. If there are extended delays, and the traffic becomes untenable as the summer season bears down, it’s possible the project would require a break and then be picked back up in September to complete.

Sidewalks and several crosswalks will be added down a roughly 2.5-mile stretch of Noyac Road, starting at Ruggs Path east of Trout Pond Park and will continue easterly along Noyac Road, past Serene Green, to Cove Avenue East, where it will meet an existing sidewalk that extends all the way to Sag Harbor Village.

The sidewalks will predominantly be on the south side of the road, but will be installed on the north side at certain points, including near MJ Dowlings and Jimmy Jim’s.

Several new crosswalks will be installed, along with the diamond-shaped pedestrian crossing signs with blinking lights.

The Noyac Civic Council leadership strongly urged members who live along that stretch to review the plans, which can be found in detail at noyac.org.

***

Shelter Island Friends of Music presents Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, on piano in concert tomorrow at 6pm in Shelter Island Presbyterian Church. A full capacity crowd is expected so you are encouraged to arrive early to get a seat. Due to fire code regulations, organizers cannot guarantee seating once that capacity is reached. Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner has emerged as one of the most compelling pianists of his generation.

Saturday’s concert is free; donations are greatly appreciated.

The performance will begin promptly at 6 pm tomorrow in Shelter Island Presbyterian Church with no intermission.

You are invited to a reception with Llewellyn immediately following the concert!

For further info visit the Shelter Island Friends of Music website at sifriendsofmusic.org

***

Gov. Kathy Hochul…running for reelection as the Democratic party candidate in this year’s gubernatorial race…is getting politically pulled further to the left on New York’s sanctuary policies – now saying she supports banning nearly all cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE. Vaughn Golden reports in The N.Y. POST that Governor Hochul, who proposed a slate of anti-ICE measures at the start of this year, yesterday unveiled several new restrictions that she wants to put into state law as part of the ongoing budget negotiations with the Democrat-controlled Legislature.

“I just want to have more protections in place that I think are long overdue. So I’m anxious to get this done,” Hochul told reporters at a quickly assembled press event in Albany Thursday afternoon.

Among the newly announced measures was a ban on police cooperating with federal immigration enforcement agents — unless it involves a criminal conviction or cops have “probable cause” to suspect someone of a misdemeanor or felony offense. “Local cops should be focused on local crimes, keeping our streets safe … not doing ICE’s job,” she said. Hochul also wants to ban US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from wearing masks, though it’s unclear how the state would be able to enforce such a mandate. The proposed legislation would make it a misdemeanor for an ICE agent to wear a mask in the State of New York.

And it would expand the list of public areas where ICE is prohibited from operating without a judicial warrant, to include virtually any public land like parks, shelters and “housing accommodations.”

Hochul also said that ICE agents, for example, wouldn’t be allowed to operate alongside a local police DWI checkpoint.

“We’re talking about basically separating out civil infractions, vehicle and traffic law, for example, and other areas that they’ve been using as ruses,” she said.

“There’s sometimes ICE officers, are at a DWI stop, are at a traffic stop. Like why are they there? Explain to me why they’re there,” she questioned.

The new policy would also create an overarching ban on any public employee using state resources, including their working hours, to aid federal immigration authorities.

It means New York would essentially have a blanket sanctuary state law on its books. Hochul, during her tenure, has continued to extend an executive order signed in 2018 by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo barring state employees and law enforcement from helping immigration authorities.

The Democratic incumbent is now expanding her initial anti-ICE proposal unveiled in January following talks with the legislature, coinciding with her $263 billion spending and policy plan, which was due April 1.

***

New York will lose more than $73.5 million in federal money because the Transportation Department said yesterday that the State of New York has refused to revoke nearly 33,000 questionable commercial driver's licenses for immigrants since an audit uncovered problems last year.

The department said that more than half of the 200 licenses reviewed during the audit had significant problems such as remaining valid long after an immigrant was authorized to be in the country. So the state was ordered to review all of this type of licenses and revoke illegal ones.

As reported by The Associated Press and posted on NEWSDAY.com, the federal government has reviewed records related to these non-domiciled CDLs in every state since Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy put a spotlight on this issue after an August crash in Florida that killed three people. Most states have either complied or are in negotiations with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, but California has lost $200 million. Several other states — including Pennsylvania, Minnesota and North Carolina — have been warned they are at risk of losing some funding.

“I promised the American people I would hold any state leader accountable for failing to keep them safe from unvetted, unqualified foreign drivers. I’m delivering on that promise today,” Duffy said.

Duffy has said that immigrants account for about 20% of all truck drivers nationwide, but these non-domiciled licenses immigrants can receive only represent about 5% of all commercial driver’s licenses or about 200,000 drivers. New York issued 32,606 of them. New rules the Transportation Department has announced will prevent 97% of those foreign drivers from getting a commercial license again.

New York officials have defended their licensing practices and said they are complying with federal law and that audits during the first Trump administration supported that.

Trucking industry groups have praised the Transportation Department's efforts to get unqualified drivers off the road, crack down on questionable trucking schools and go after trucking companies that violate the rules and then just change their names and keep operating. The industry said that too often unqualified drivers who shouldn’t have licenses or can’t speak English have been allowed to get behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound (about 39,916 kilograms) truck. " Today’s action is an important step toward safer highways and a stronger, more professional trucking industry.” said Todd Spencer, who is president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association trade group.

But immigrant groups say some drivers are now being unfairly targeted. The spotlight has been on Sikh truckers because the driver in the Florida crash and the driver in another fatal crash in California in October are both Sikhs.

***

The Village of Southampton invites you to an informational discussion on “The Clean Water Project,” during which speakers will address Southampton Village’s centralized sewer system proposal. That’s tomorrow at 10 a.m. in Village Hall, 23 Main Street in Southampton. The “The Clean Water Project” is a land swap that would alienate Lola Prentice Memorial Dog Park as part of the plan to build a sewage treatment plant on Windmill Lane.

Once again that meeting is tomorrow at 10 a.m. in Southampton Village Hall, 23 Main Street, Southampton, N.Y. 11968

***

The median price of a home on southeastern Long Island…aka THE HAMPTONS…jumped 18.3% to a record $2.4 million in the first quarter of the year, compared with the same stretch of 2025, according to a report released yesterday.

Severe winter weather contributed to a below-average number of closings, but the sales that did happen were clustered on the high end of the market, said Jonathan Miller, an appraiser and CEO of Miller Samuel in Manhattan, who published the report.

Miller said a strong year for Wall Street helped push prices higher in the Hamptons. The average bonus on Wall Street climbed to a record $246,900 last year, with firms' profits increasing more than 30% to $65.1 billion, Newsday reported last month.

More than 1 in 5 homes sold for $5 million or more during the first quarter. The share of sales at or above that price point, at 21.2%, was a record for the South Fork.

"There was a tremendous shift in the mix toward higher-end properties in the Hamptons," said Miller.

Jonathan LaMantia reports in NEWSDAY that prices rose faster in the Hamptons than elsewhere on Long Island. On the North Fork, the median price rose 5.8% to $999,999, the report showed. That was shy of the record price of nearly $1.1 million in the second quarter of 2025.

On Long Island, excluding the East End, the median price rose 4.7% during the first quarter, compared with the same stretch a year ago, increasing to $738,444. OneKey MLS, the multiple listing service covering Long Island, reported a similar moderate increase in prices in its March report released earlier this week.

Despite the strong performance at the top of the market in the Hamptons, there were only 292 sales during the first quarter, down about 31% year over year. The number of deals also was down nearly 17% compared with the average number of closings that have occurred during the past decade. The data reflects sales of one- to three-family homes and condos, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the number of homes on the market at the end of March in the Hamptons, at 1,037, was down about 10% from the same time a year ago.

"The market is underperforming, and I think that's largely because of the lack of inventory," Miller said.

Paul Brennan, an associate broker at Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Bridgehampton, believes many homeowners who would like to upgrade or downsize in the Hamptons don't like the selection or the current prices.

"Much of it is because there's nowhere to go," Brennan said. "There's just not a lot of inventory to go to, and it's going to cost you more money."

Options are particularly limited for buyers searching for properties under $1 million. Those sales represented a record low 13% of all deals in the first quarter, the data showed.

At the helm in that office at that time was former East Hampton Town Chief Building Inspector Joe Palermo, who was the first to notice — and report — what looked like unusual patterns: Building permits that should take weeks to process were being approved in a matter of days. His reports nearly two years ago ultimately launched an investigation by the district attorney’s office that ultimately led to two people being charged and indicted on five counts of receiving bribes, a class D felony, and five counts of official misconduct, a misdemeanor.

Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that Evelyn Calderon, a suspended office staffer, and Ryan Benitez, a former building inspector, are now awaiting their next court date, which is slated for May 21.

“We did such a huge volume in the Town Building Department — it's always, always busy,” Palermo said. “A mistake can always happen. But, usually, if something happens, you look into it and you make sure you correct it.”

One example came where a pool was being constructed outside a double setback. The Building Department sent the applicant to the Zoning Board of Appeals, and Palermo realized that the permit was turned around almost immediately. Typically, such a permit would get logged in, and the total turnaround would be around four weeks.

Palermo, at that time, began to get suspicious — and those suspicions were echoed elsewhere in the department. Others began to point out discrepancies.

“That’s when I realized what was going on,” Palermo said.

Palermo, who had been asking town officials what he should do, was told to observe and document — take notes, make copies — any actions that appeared suspicious, as his reports were being investigated.

Suffolk D.A. spokeswoman Emily O’Neill said interviews with the people who are said to have paid Calderon is what ultimately unraveled the scheme. This is how the D.A.’s office got word that Calderon would allegedly send half the money to Benitez as part of the stated operation.

The Suffolk County D.A. investigation did not involve working with the leaders of the local government. Investigations of that nature require strict secrecy, O’Neill said, to bring them to a successful conclusion. However, she said, the East Hampton Town attorney’s office did initially bring the stated issue forward, and a former employee in the Building Department was a “huge help and important resource.”

***

The group of five residents who are suing Southampton Village for following through with a land swap plan that would alienate Lola Prentice Memorial Park as part of a plan to build a sewage treatment plant have filed a petition for civil contempt against the Southampton Village Board. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that the filing stems from a vote that the board took at its meeting on March 12 to support the passage of a pair of bills in the New York State Assembly and Senate — sponsored by Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni and Senator Anthony Palumbo — to alienate the park as part of the land swap. The plaintiffs have said that the board’s support of this, and involving the park in the plan, violates a 2019 Suffolk County Supreme Court injunction that ordered the village to use the park “for education or recreational purposes only.”

In the petition, the plaintiffs argue that by voting for this resolution, the board “disobeyed the order” despite alleging that “each respondent had knowledge of the order prior to undertaking the above described actions…The aforesaid actions taken by the village and Village Board, collectively and individually, have impaired, frustrated and prejudiced each of the petitioners’ rights and benefits obtained by the order,” the petition reads.

Southampton Village’s current plan is to acquire the property at 135 Windmill Lane, currently home to The Express News Group, demolish the building and turn it into a new dog park. The plant would be located on village-owned property behind the ambulance barn, while leach fields would be located underground at the current park.

If a judge finds that members of the board acted in contempt of court, they could be subject to fines or possible jail time.

The village is holding an information session about the sewer plan this coming Saturday, April 18, at Southampton Village Hall at 10 a.m. The meeting will also be streamed on Zoom, which multiple attendees lobbied for on April 9.

***

East End police officers will take part in the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee’s “No Empty Chair” campaign during the week of April 20, with enforcement and education efforts focused on teen driving safety. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that school resource officers and patrol officers will participate in outreach and enforcement aimed at reducing dangerous driving during prom and graduation season.

The traffic safety committee’s message to teens is simple.

“Be buckled up. Be a cell-free motorist. Be a sober driver. Be in your chair on graduation day.”

The statewide campaign runs from Monday, April 20, through Friday, April 24.

The campaign includes daily enforcement themes next week.

· Monday, April 20: underage drinking and impaired driving

· Tuesday, April 21: seat belts and child restraints

· Wednesday, April 22: cell phone use and texting

· Thursday, April 23: Operation Safe Stop

· Friday, April 24: speeding in school zones

The campaign is intended to raise awareness of highway dangers and promote safe driving habits among young motorists, police said. The release says New York State and local law enforcement agencies will increase patrols near high schools and focus on violations of the Graduated Driver Licensing law and other traffic offenses.

For more information, visit trafficsafety.ny.gov.

***

State budget talks appeared revived yesterday by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s surprise pied-à-terre tax proposal — but several sticking points remain, including her pitches to implement protest buffer zones around houses of worship and to reform auto insurance. Vaughn Golden reports in THE NY POST that Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Westchester) acknowledged “incremental progress” was being made in negotiations behind closed doors, including inching closer to a deal on new anti-ICE measures proposed by Hochul.

The governor’s $263 billion state budget proposal was due for approval by April 1.

Stewart-Cousins expressed optimism about Hochul’s pitch to slap multi-million dollar second homes in New York City with a new tax. “The pied-a-terre is something that we’d considered and pushed our house before,” she said.

Stewart-Cousins said that the Legislature and governor have moved towards compromises on two major issues that were at an impasse – delays to the state’s controversial climate law’s mandates and new policies meant to further restrict local governments’ ability to work with federal immigration enforcement agents.

The New York 4 All bill would effectively implement statewide sanctuary policies.

Still, Stewart Cousins admitted there’s little hope of resolving talks ahead of the three-week-late mark next Tuesday.

Hochul and lawmakers remain far apart on her proposed changes to liability statutes meant to change the definition of “serious injury” as to cut down on car accident fraud and thus theoretically lower insurance rates on everyday drivers.

New issues are also starting to bubble towards the surface of the closed-door negotiations, such as resistance to Hochul’s pitch to restrict protests within 25 feet of a house of worship in response to antisemitic demonstrations outside of synagogues, including a particularly rowdy November protest outside the historic Park East synagogue in Manhattan.

Lawmakers are set to vote again today on another stop gap spending measure to keep state workers paid.

***

The Riverhead Fire Department will host a recruitment event this coming Sunday afternoon, April 19, from 4 to 7 p.m. at department headquarters, 540 Roanoke Ave., in Riverhead…inviting community members to learn what it takes to become a volunteer firefighter. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that all are welcome to stop by and speak with department members and officers about joining the all-volunteer department, training requirements, benefits and the application process, Riverhead Fire Chief Pete Kurzyna said.

The department is seeking new recruits at a time when volunteer fire departments across Long Island and New York continue to face recruitment challenges.

“Once you get the feeling of getting on that truck and helping people out, you want to respond to every call,” Kurzyna said.

To be eligible to join, applicants must be at least 18 years old, live within the Riverhead Fire District and possess a valid New York State driver’s license.

Kurzyna said there is extensive training during a new member’s first year, but the experience is valuable.

“Joining the fire service opens up a lot for your career, especially for a young person,” he said.

The department provides training, gear and equipment at no cost, according to recruitment information posted on the Riverhead Fire Department website. Benefits include participation in the Length of Service Awards Program, a free gym membership, professional training and certifications, and opportunities for]]>Arrests made after an investigation cloaked in strict secrecy and undertaken by the Suffolk County district attorney’s office, over charges that staffers were taking bribes to expedite permits, sent shockwaves through East Hampton Town last week.

At the helm in that office at that time was former East Hampton Town Chief Building Inspector Joe Palermo, who was the first to notice — and report — what looked like unusual patterns: Building permits that should take weeks to process were being approved in a matter of days. His reports nearly two years ago ultimately launched an investigation by the district attorney’s office that ultimately led to two people being charged and indicted on five counts of receiving bribes, a class D felony, and five counts of official misconduct, a misdemeanor.

Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that Evelyn Calderon, a suspended office staffer, and Ryan Benitez, a former building inspector, are now awaiting their next court date, which is slated for May 21.

“We did such a huge volume in the Town Building Department — it's always, always busy,” Palermo said. “A mistake can always happen. But, usually, if something happens, you look into it and you make sure you correct it.”

One example came where a pool was being constructed outside a double setback. The Building Department sent the applicant to the Zoning Board of Appeals, and Palermo realized that the permit was turned around almost immediately. Typically, such a permit would get logged in, and the total turnaround would be around four weeks.

Palermo, at that time, began to get suspicious — and those suspicions were echoed elsewhere in the department. Others began to point out discrepancies.

“That’s when I realized what was going on,” Palermo said.

Palermo, who had been asking town officials what he should do, was told to observe and document — take notes, make copies — any actions that appeared suspicious, as his reports were being investigated.

Suffolk D.A. spokeswoman Emily O’Neill said interviews with the people who are said to have paid Calderon is what ultimately unraveled the scheme. This is how the D.A.’s office got word that Calderon would allegedly send half the money to Benitez as part of the stated operation.

The Suffolk County D.A. investigation did not involve working with the leaders of the local government. Investigations of that nature require strict secrecy, O’Neill said, to bring them to a successful conclusion. However, she said, the East Hampton Town attorney’s office did initially bring the stated issue forward, and a former employee in the Building Department was a “huge help and important resource.”

***

The group of five residents who are suing Southampton Village for following through with a land swap plan that would alienate Lola Prentice Memorial Park as part of a plan to build a sewage treatment plant have filed a petition for civil contempt against the Southampton Village Board. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that the filing stems from a vote that the board took at its meeting on March 12 to support the passage of a pair of bills in the New York State Assembly and Senate — sponsored by Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni and Senator Anthony Palumbo — to alienate the park as part of the land swap. The plaintiffs have said that the board’s support of this, and involving the park in the plan, violates a 2019 Suffolk County Supreme Court injunction that ordered the village to use the park “for education or recreational purposes only.”

In the petition, the plaintiffs argue that by voting for this resolution, the board “disobeyed the order” despite alleging that “each respondent had knowledge of the order prior to undertaking the above described actions…The aforesaid actions taken by the village and Village Board, collectively and individually, have impaired, frustrated and prejudiced each of the petitioners’ rights and benefits obtained by the order,” the petition reads.

Southampton Village’s current plan is to acquire the property at 135 Windmill Lane, currently home to The Express News Group, demolish the building and turn it into a new dog park. The plant would be located on village-owned property behind the ambulance barn, while leach fields would be located underground at the current park.

If a judge finds that members of the board acted in contempt of court, they could be subject to fines or possible jail time.

The village is holding an information session about the sewer plan this coming Saturday, April 18, at Southampton Village Hall at 10 a.m. The meeting will also be streamed on Zoom, which multiple attendees lobbied for on April 9.

***

East End police officers will take part in the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee’s “No Empty Chair” campaign during the week of April 20, with enforcement and education efforts focused on teen driving safety. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that school resource officers and patrol officers will participate in outreach and enforcement aimed at reducing dangerous driving during prom and graduation season.

The traffic safety committee’s message to teens is simple.

“Be buckled up. Be a cell-free motorist. Be a sober driver. Be in your chair on graduation day.”

The statewide campaign runs from Monday, April 20, through Friday, April 24.

The campaign includes daily enforcement themes next week.

· Monday, April 20: underage drinking and impaired driving

· Tuesday, April 21: seat belts and child restraints

· Wednesday, April 22: cell phone use and texting

· Thursday, April 23: Operation Safe Stop

· Friday, April 24: speeding in school zones

The campaign is intended to raise awareness of highway dangers and promote safe driving habits among young motorists, police said. The release says New York State and local law enforcement agencies will increase patrols near high schools and focus on violations of the Graduated Driver Licensing law and other traffic offenses.

For more information, visit trafficsafety.ny.gov.

***

State budget talks appeared revived yesterday by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s surprise pied-à-terre tax proposal — but several sticking points remain, including her pitches to implement protest buffer zones around houses of worship and to reform auto insurance. Vaughn Golden reports in THE NY POST that Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Westchester) acknowledged “incremental progress” was being made in negotiations behind closed doors, including inching closer to a deal on new anti-ICE measures proposed by Hochul.

The governor’s $263 billion state budget proposal was due for approval by April 1.

Stewart-Cousins expressed optimism about Hochul’s pitch to slap multi-million dollar second homes in New York City with a new tax. “The pied-a-terre is something that we’d considered and pushed our house before,” she said.

Stewart-Cousins said that the Legislature and governor have moved towards compromises on two major issues that were at an impasse – delays to the state’s controversial climate law’s mandates and new policies meant to further restrict local governments’ ability to work with federal immigration enforcement agents.

The New York 4 All bill would effectively implement statewide sanctuary policies.

Still, Stewart Cousins admitted there’s little hope of resolving talks ahead of the three-week-late mark next Tuesday.

Hochul and lawmakers remain far apart on her proposed changes to liability statutes meant to change the definition of “serious injury” as to cut down on car accident fraud and thus theoretically lower insurance rates on everyday drivers.

New issues are also starting to bubble towards the surface of the closed-door negotiations, such as resistance to Hochul’s pitch to restrict protests within 25 feet of a house of worship in response to antisemitic demonstrations outside of synagogues, including a particularly rowdy November protest outside the historic Park East synagogue in Manhattan.

Lawmakers are set to vote again today on another stop gap spending measure to keep state workers paid.

***

The Riverhead Fire Department will host a recruitment event this coming Sunday afternoon, April 19, from 4 to 7 p.m. at department headquarters, 540 Roanoke Ave., in Riverhead…inviting community members to learn what it takes to become a volunteer firefighter. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that all are welcome to stop by and speak with department members and officers about joining the all-volunteer department, training requirements, benefits and the application process, Riverhead Fire Chief Pete Kurzyna said.

The department is seeking new recruits at a time when volunteer fire departments across Long Island and New York continue to face recruitment challenges.

“Once you get the feeling of getting on that truck and helping people out, you want to respond to every call,” Kurzyna said.

To be eligible to join, applicants must be at least 18 years old, live within the Riverhead Fire District and possess a valid New York State driver’s license.

Kurzyna said there is extensive training during a new member’s first year, but the experience is valuable.

“Joining the fire service opens up a lot for your career, especially for a young person,” he said.

The department provides training, gear and equipment at no cost, according to recruitment information posted on the Riverhead Fire Department website. Benefits include participation in the Length of Service Awards Program, a free gym membership, professional training and certifications, and opportunities for leadership and skill development.

The website emphasizes both the practical and personal rewards of volunteering, describing the department as a place where members gain a sense of purpose, lifelong friendships and the pride of serving their community.

People interested in joining or learning more about the Riverhead Fire Department are invited to stop by their Roanoke Avenue headquarters this coming Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

***

While researching the exhibit “Homefront to Battlefront: Southampton During World War II” exhibit, Southampton History Museum Curator Stephen Gould went to Veterans Hall to do some research. While there, he found a dog tag with the name Warren Lutz on it. Intrigued, Gould looked into Lutz and his story, which he included in the exhibit. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that the museum has now received a donation of three medals — a Purple Heart, Military Merit Medal and a small metal heart engraved with The Lord’s Prayer — that Lutz was awarded for his service in World War II. The medals enter the museum’s collection to honor Lutz, one of many Southampton residents who died serving their country during the second world war.

Lutz graduated from Southampton High School in 1939 and then trained as a pilot. He was assigned to the 368th Bomb Squadron, 306th Bomb Group, of the Army Air Forces, the primarily aerial military branch of the American military before the Air Force’s founding in 1947.

On April 29, 1944, the group flew to outside of Berlin to attack rail yards outside the city. While flying back, the plane was struck from the ground and crashed. Two men survived, though the rest of the crew, and the 23-year-old Lutz died.

But when the Germans went the crash site, they found Lutz’s remains and dog tags. His remains were sent back stateside, where he was buried at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville.

Lutz was one of dozens of Southampton residents who served in World War II.

Lutz and other veterans will be recognized by the Southampton Union Free School District as part of its Wall of Distinction Induction Ceremony tomorrow at 6 p.m. in the Southampton High School auditorium.

***

Peconic Landing hosts a panel discussion with the North Fork Environmental Council, “Rising Tides & Rising Rents,” on how we address the North Fork housing crisis while protecting the environment. That’s tomorrow afternoon from 3 to 4:00 pm at Peconic Landing in Greenport.

Panel Speakers include:

• Gwynn Schroeder – Government Liason, Town of Southold
• Glynis Barry – Partner, Studio a/b Architects
• Andrea Menjivar – Community Development Project Supervisor, Southold Town
• Diana “Dinni” Gorden – Chair, Greenport Village Affordable Housing Committee

Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the stakes couldn’t be higher: the average home prices in Southold Town have hit $1 million. Some residents repeatedly block affordable housing proposals over “NIMBY” concerns. There are over 1000 short-term rentals, which has exacerbated the affordable housing crisis. The lack of affordable housing is reshaping our economy as small businesses lose year-round employees and customers alike.

On the environmental end, the Peconic Estuary is reeling from severe nitrogen pollution to devastating shellfish die-off’s. There is a growing push to bring in water from up island as the aquifer is pushed to its limits. Climate change and rising sea levels are the elephant in the room.

And while Governor Hochul pushes to streamline New York’s landmark environmental review law, SEQRA, to build more housing, environmental groups argue it risks destroying our environment.

This panel will grapple with these challenges by asking questions such as: can we build housing for everyone who wants to live here, and if so, what would we need to do? Are Governor Hochul’s reforms to SEQRA justified? What role does expanding transit play in both affordable housing and environmental conservation? And is the main problem too many people, or a few people consuming too much?

That’s “Rising Tides & Rising Rents,” tomorrow starting at 3 p.m. in Peconic Landing, 1500 Brecknock Road in Greenport.

The wide-ranging lawsuit, filed last week by FedEx in New York's Southern District, alleges that Dr. Alexios Apazidis, along with two dozen other physicians, lawyers, chiropractors and radiologists, conspired to bilk the mammoth delivery company through sham lawsuits and inflated medical bills.

Robert Brodsky reports in NEWSDAY that the RICO lawsuit is the latest to pull back the veil on what critics contend is an interconnected fraud scheme in which motorists claim catastrophic injuries from motor vehicle crashes that they deliberately caused and then — at the recommendation of their attorneys — seek treatment at preferred medical providers. All of the accidents cited in the lawsuit occurred in the five N.Y.C. boroughs.

The FedEx lawsuit, which follows the pattern of similar complaints filed across the country by the ridesharing service Uber, comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul has launched a crackdown on staged vehicle crashes that cause drivers’ insurance premiums to escalate.

Long Island, Hochul said recently in Deer Park, has seen an 80% increase in auto premiums since 2019, in large part due to criminal networks that conspire to stage accidents and provide unneeded medical treatment to extort large settlements or insurance payouts.

"The FedEx RICO case underscores exactly why Governor Hochul's auto insurance reforms are needed now," Hochul spokeswoman Kristin Devoe said in a statement. "This case is not unique and New Yorkers are paying the price for a system that allows loopholes to be exploited by bad actors, driving up premiums across the board for everyone. The governor's proposal is about stopping these scams, lowering premiums and protecting law abiding New Yorkers."

Tom Stebbins, executive director of the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York, an advocacy organization that supports the governor's proposed changes, said the lawsuit should serve as a "wake-up call" to state lawmakers who have resisted Hochul's reform measures.

"States throughout the country are enacting liability reforms for a reason," Stebbins said. "From the Big Apple to the Big Easy, staged car crashes have become big business for crooked doctors and lawyers."

The 2026-27 New York State budget was due April 1st. Disagreements continue over policy items, including a climate bill and car insurance reform as well as this “staged accident issue.”

***

East Hampton Town officials say that multiple pairs of eyes now see each application that comes through the Building Department, ensuring in the wake of a major bribery investigation that all is done above board.

The way the beleaguered Building Department handled applications in the past had been “vertical,” in the words of East Hampton Town officials, meaning that each application went to – and stayed with – one building inspector throughout the process. This approach, which town officials said was new, was described, then, as “horizontal.”

But they say that the process now mirrors that used in departments in western towns, which have exponentially greater populations but roughly the same number of building applications.

Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that East Hampton Town Principal Building Inspector Richard Normoyle took the helm at the Building Department, which had been plagued with a backlog, turnover and lawsuits, late last year, bringing with him a 30-year background in municipal building operations that included employment in western towns, such as Huntington and Babylon.

“We're ensuring that this type of thing never takes place by breaking apart some of the responsibilities that the building inspectors previously held by themselves,” Normoyle said this week.

“The way the process used to work was once the application came in, the building inspectors would handle the process pretty much from beginning to end,” Normoyle said. “They would review the documents. They would do the inspections. They would write the permit fees. They would write the descriptions. These are now jobs that are going to be broken apart.”

But the investigation conducted by the district attorney’s office, which culminated in charges of receiving bribes against Evelyn Calderon, a suspended office staffer, and Ryan Benitez, a former building inspector, was not the only reason for the changes to departmental operations recently undertaken.

East Hampton Town officials say the procedural changes are also a means of boosting procedural efficiency in the department, bringing it more in line with the processes that Normoyle saw while he worked in western towns.

***

Shelter Island Friends of Music presents Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, on piano in concert this coming Saturday, April 18, at 6pm in Shelter Island Presbyterian Church. A full capacity crowd is expected so you are encouraged to arrive early to get a seat. Due to fire code regulations, organizers cannot guarantee seating once that capacity is reached.

Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner has emerged as one of the most compelling pianists of his generation.

Saturday’s concert is free; donations are greatly appreciated.

The performance will begin promptly at 6 pm this coming Saturday in Shelter Island Presbyterian Church with no intermission.

You are invited to a reception with Llewellyn immediately following the concert!

For further info visit the Shelter Island Friends of Music website at sifriendsofmusic.org.

***

A defiant Sag Harbor Village Mayor Tom Gardella refused to resign from his post last night after all four of his fellow board members voted in favor of a resolution formally requesting his resignation. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the resolution was one of four additional resolutions that the board added to the meeting agenda related to the mayor’s conduct over the past few months, and to an investigative report that found he’d breached the Village of Sag Harbor’s social media conduct and harassment policies.

The board also presented findings of a “pattern of procedural avoidance,” accusing the mayor of “statutory neglect” and “breach of fiduciary duty” related to the budget development process.

The board introduced a resolution to waive privilege attached to the investigative report prepared by labor attorney Vince Toomey related to Gardella’s behavior on social media, which included screenshots of his social media posts and interactions with various social media users, including members of the community, as well as emails sent to the village detailing concerns about his conduct.

The report recommended that the mayor participate in one-on-one social media and anti-harassment training, which the mayor agreed to at the meeting. The report also stated “that the board may wish to censure the mayor” to “publicly distance” itself from his comments and make it clear they aren’t reflective of the board at large, which the board voted to do.

While Mayor Gardella said he welcomed the opportunity to participate in social media and anti-harassment training, he was not willing to go further than that.

That report also accused Gardella of “a pattern of procedural avoidance” during the budget preparation, including “systematically bypassing” safeguards like consulting with labor counsel and senior administrative staff and the board. They also highlighted that the mayor had engaged in “unauthorized and unvetted negotiations for selective salary adjustments totaling an estimated $250,000 annually, which would have inflicted a $2,865,970 cumulative fiscal burden on taxpayers over the next decade.”

They accused Gardella of assigning indiscriminate raises to staff, and ignoring repeated warnings from senior administrative staff, and said he attempted to shift accountability for his own budget filings onto senior administrative staff.

The Sag Harbor Village Board will get together again this coming Friday at 3 p.m. for a special budget meeting before adopting their 2026-27 budget.

***

The Riverhead Country Fair will not take place this year, the 50th anniversary of the popular event’s founding in 1976. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the country fair committee announced the cancellation in a Facebook post yesterday. The committee has decided to put the country fair “on hold until the downtown construction is completed,” the post said.

“We have no place to be,” Sue Young, who serves on the board of directors of Riverhead Townscape, which produces the October event told Riverheadlocal.

Construction of downtown buildings on the south side of East Main Street makes use of the East End Arts Council grounds and the eastern portion of the Peconic River parking lot infeasible, Young said. The green space of the East End Arts campus hosts the agriculture and homemakers competitions and displays, while the carnival is held in the eastern area of the parking lot. Both of those sites will very soon become or be in close proximity to construction zones.

It’s not clear when the fair might be able to return, or whether the future configuration of the arts council campus or the riverfront parking lot — where a playground is planned —will provide space for the fair after construction is completed, Young said.

The fair as we know it was founded by Riverhead Townscape, an organization established during the American bicentennial year of 1976 to beautify...]]>A Deer Park orthopedic spinal surgeon, accused of copying and pasting 43 virtually identical surgical reports, has been named in another federal racketeering lawsuit, this time for providing unnecessary spinal surgeries on drivers and passengers involved in allegedly staged motor vehicle crashes with FedEx vehicles.

The wide-ranging lawsuit, filed last week by FedEx in New York's Southern District, alleges that Dr. Alexios Apazidis, along with two dozen other physicians, lawyers, chiropractors and radiologists, conspired to bilk the mammoth delivery company through sham lawsuits and inflated medical bills.

Robert Brodsky reports in NEWSDAY that the RICO lawsuit is the latest to pull back the veil on what critics contend is an interconnected fraud scheme in which motorists claim catastrophic injuries from motor vehicle crashes that they deliberately caused and then — at the recommendation of their attorneys — seek treatment at preferred medical providers. All of the accidents cited in the lawsuit occurred in the five N.Y.C. boroughs.

The FedEx lawsuit, which follows the pattern of similar complaints filed across the country by the ridesharing service Uber, comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul has launched a crackdown on staged vehicle crashes that cause drivers’ insurance premiums to escalate.

Long Island, Hochul said recently in Deer Park, has seen an 80% increase in auto premiums since 2019, in large part due to criminal networks that conspire to stage accidents and provide unneeded medical treatment to extort large settlements or insurance payouts.

"The FedEx RICO case underscores exactly why Governor Hochul's auto insurance reforms are needed now," Hochul spokeswoman Kristin Devoe said in a statement. "This case is not unique and New Yorkers are paying the price for a system that allows loopholes to be exploited by bad actors, driving up premiums across the board for everyone. The governor's proposal is about stopping these scams, lowering premiums and protecting law abiding New Yorkers."

Tom Stebbins, executive director of the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York, an advocacy organization that supports the governor's proposed changes, said the lawsuit should serve as a "wake-up call" to state lawmakers who have resisted Hochul's reform measures.

"States throughout the country are enacting liability reforms for a reason," Stebbins said. "From the Big Apple to the Big Easy, staged car crashes have become big business for crooked doctors and lawyers."

The 2026-27 New York State budget was due April 1st. Disagreements continue over policy items, including a climate bill and car insurance reform as well as this “staged accident issue.”

***

East Hampton Town officials say that multiple pairs of eyes now see each application that comes through the Building Department, ensuring in the wake of a major bribery investigation that all is done above board.

The way the beleaguered Building Department handled applications in the past had been “vertical,” in the words of East Hampton Town officials, meaning that each application went to – and stayed with – one building inspector throughout the process. This approach, which town officials said was new, was described, then, as “horizontal.”

But they say that the process now mirrors that used in departments in western towns, which have exponentially greater populations but roughly the same number of building applications.

Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that East Hampton Town Principal Building Inspector Richard Normoyle took the helm at the Building Department, which had been plagued with a backlog, turnover and lawsuits, late last year, bringing with him a 30-year background in municipal building operations that included employment in western towns, such as Huntington and Babylon.

“We're ensuring that this type of thing never takes place by breaking apart some of the responsibilities that the building inspectors previously held by themselves,” Normoyle said this week.

“The way the process used to work was once the application came in, the building inspectors would handle the process pretty much from beginning to end,” Normoyle said. “They would review the documents. They would do the inspections. They would write the permit fees. They would write the descriptions. These are now jobs that are going to be broken apart.”

But the investigation conducted by the district attorney’s office, which culminated in charges of receiving bribes against Evelyn Calderon, a suspended office staffer, and Ryan Benitez, a former building inspector, was not the only reason for the changes to departmental operations recently undertaken.

East Hampton Town officials say the procedural changes are also a means of boosting procedural efficiency in the department, bringing it more in line with the processes that Normoyle saw while he worked in western towns.

***

Shelter Island Friends of Music presents Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, on piano in concert this coming Saturday, April 18, at 6pm in Shelter Island Presbyterian Church. A full capacity crowd is expected so you are encouraged to arrive early to get a seat. Due to fire code regulations, organizers cannot guarantee seating once that capacity is reached.

Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner has emerged as one of the most compelling pianists of his generation.

Saturday’s concert is free; donations are greatly appreciated.

The performance will begin promptly at 6 pm this coming Saturday in Shelter Island Presbyterian Church with no intermission.

You are invited to a reception with Llewellyn immediately following the concert!

For further info visit the Shelter Island Friends of Music website at sifriendsofmusic.org.

***

A defiant Sag Harbor Village Mayor Tom Gardella refused to resign from his post last night after all four of his fellow board members voted in favor of a resolution formally requesting his resignation. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the resolution was one of four additional resolutions that the board added to the meeting agenda related to the mayor’s conduct over the past few months, and to an investigative report that found he’d breached the Village of Sag Harbor’s social media conduct and harassment policies.

The board also presented findings of a “pattern of procedural avoidance,” accusing the mayor of “statutory neglect” and “breach of fiduciary duty” related to the budget development process.

The board introduced a resolution to waive privilege attached to the investigative report prepared by labor attorney Vince Toomey related to Gardella’s behavior on social media, which included screenshots of his social media posts and interactions with various social media users, including members of the community, as well as emails sent to the village detailing concerns about his conduct.

The report recommended that the mayor participate in one-on-one social media and anti-harassment training, which the mayor agreed to at the meeting. The report also stated “that the board may wish to censure the mayor” to “publicly distance” itself from his comments and make it clear they aren’t reflective of the board at large, which the board voted to do.

While Mayor Gardella said he welcomed the opportunity to participate in social media and anti-harassment training, he was not willing to go further than that.

That report also accused Gardella of “a pattern of procedural avoidance” during the budget preparation, including “systematically bypassing” safeguards like consulting with labor counsel and senior administrative staff and the board. They also highlighted that the mayor had engaged in “unauthorized and unvetted negotiations for selective salary adjustments totaling an estimated $250,000 annually, which would have inflicted a $2,865,970 cumulative fiscal burden on taxpayers over the next decade.”

They accused Gardella of assigning indiscriminate raises to staff, and ignoring repeated warnings from senior administrative staff, and said he attempted to shift accountability for his own budget filings onto senior administrative staff.

The Sag Harbor Village Board will get together again this coming Friday at 3 p.m. for a special budget meeting before adopting their 2026-27 budget.

***

The Riverhead Country Fair will not take place this year, the 50th anniversary of the popular event’s founding in 1976. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the country fair committee announced the cancellation in a Facebook post yesterday. The committee has decided to put the country fair “on hold until the downtown construction is completed,” the post said.

“We have no place to be,” Sue Young, who serves on the board of directors of Riverhead Townscape, which produces the October event told Riverheadlocal.

Construction of downtown buildings on the south side of East Main Street makes use of the East End Arts Council grounds and the eastern portion of the Peconic River parking lot infeasible, Young said. The green space of the East End Arts campus hosts the agriculture and homemakers competitions and displays, while the carnival is held in the eastern area of the parking lot. Both of those sites will very soon become or be in close proximity to construction zones.

It’s not clear when the fair might be able to return, or whether the future configuration of the arts council campus or the riverfront parking lot — where a playground is planned —will provide space for the fair after construction is completed, Young said.

The fair as we know it was founded by Riverhead Townscape, an organization established during the American bicentennial year of 1976 to beautify downtown Riverhead. It is held annually on the Sunday of Columbus Day weekend.

But the event is a Riverhead staple that can trace its roots all the way back to the 1840s. From the 1840s until some time during the Great Depression, Riverhead had hosted the annual Suffolk County Agricultural Society Fair at the Suffolk County Fair Grounds, on property off Pulaski Street — later sold to the Riverhead school district. After the Depression it was held “only erratically” until the group of residents who founded Townscape decided in 1976 to resurrect the event, longtime country fair organizer Jim Lull told RiverheadLOCAL in 2010.

The Riverhead County Fair typically takes place rain or shine. But last year, with a nor’easter bearing down on the region, the fair committee decided to cancel the event. With its cancellation this year and likely continued disruption in the next few years, organizers will have to work hard to revive it, Young acknowledged — if there is even a place for it downtown.

***

Southampton Fire Department will open its doors to the public on Sunday, April 19 as part of the statewide RecruitNY Weekend initiative, offering residents an opportunity to learn about volunteering in the fire service.

The open house…this coming Sunday…is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the department’s headquarters at 470 Hampton Road in Southampton. The event is part of a broader effort involving hundreds of volunteer fire departments across New York state aimed at raising awareness about the need for new members.

Volunteer fire departments statewide have faced declining membership alongside increasing call volumes, creating an urgent need to recruit additional volunteers to maintain emergency response capabilities. The Southampton Fire Department is among those seeking to strengthen its ranks to continue providing essential services to the community.

This Sunday in Southampton, visitors will be invited to tour the station and firefighting apparatus, try on gear, observe demonstrations and speak directly with current volunteers about the responsibilities and rewards of service. Firefighters will also be available to answer questions and provide information about how to join.

Officials encourage residents of all ages, including families, to attend and explore the opportunities available through volunteer service.

For more information, visit southamptonfd.org or call the non-emergency phone number at 631-283-0853

***

Today is April 15, 2026….which means if you do not file your income tax by midnight, you will likely face a "failure-to-file" penalty of 5% of your unpaid taxes per month, up to 25%. You should file as soon as possible, even if you cannot pay, to minimize penalties and interest. If you are owed a refund, there is no penalty, but you must file within three years to claim it. If you are mailing your return today you must bring it directly to a post office before closing time…generally 5 p.m. to avoid a penalty.

Most Americans of course have already filed. Nicholas Spangler reports in NEWSDAY that with tax season almost done, Long Islanders are starting to receive refunds in what the White House has said will be the "biggest tax refund season ever" and the first after major tax reforms passed the U.S. Congress last year.

According to the Internal Revenue Service, as of April 3, the average refund amount was $3,462, up by more than 11% from last year, totaling about $242 billion.

The nonprofit Tax Foundation has said larger refunds and lower liability due at filing this year are largely because of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will yield roughly $100 billion in higher refunds, with average refunds increasing between $300 to $1,000 compared with a typical year.

The White House put the average refund increase at $1,000 "or more" and touts them as "putting more money back in the pockets of families, workers, and seniors."

The left-leaning think tank Center for American Progress, using data cited by the White House and congressional Republicans, put the average increase at $331 to $748, with the "vast majority" of that money going to people earning more than $100,000. The think tank said filers with incomes over $200,000 will see refunds averaging $2,046, while those with incomes under $20,000 will get an average of $13.

In Newsday interviews this week, some Long Islanders talked about putting their money toward home improvements; others said they needed it to meet rising costs for food, gas and other goods.

They said they disliked Trump saying Leo is "weak on crime" and caters to "the radical left" and Trump subsequently comparing himself to Jesus Christ in an apparently AI-generated image. The image disappeared from Trump's social media on Monday after backlash. Trump then said it was meant to show him working as a doctor for the Red Cross healing people. Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that the Rev. Francis Pizzarelli, a Roman Catholic priest and founder of Hope House Ministries in Port Jefferson, said that "the president really crossed the line when he disrespected the Holy Father and that should not be acceptable to any God-fearing person…It’s just another thing where the president thinks he can really go after someone with an ad hominem attack if they don’t agree with him." Father Pizzarelli added, "I don’t understand why our political leaders have not called him to task with cleaning up his language and to stop demeaning people. He’s the president of the United States. ... At least treat people respectfully."

The backlash on Long Island, home to 1.2 million baptized Catholics, came after a poll showed President Trump's standing slipping among Catholics nationwide.

Trump won the Catholic vote in the 2024 presidential election by a 12-percentage point margin over Kamala Harris, 55% to 43%. But he now has an approval rating of 48% among Catholics, according to a poll conducted jointly between March 20 and 23 by Republican pollster Shaw & Co. Research and Democratic pollster Beacon Research.

***

The Long Island Rail Road has fired another worker who admitted to possessing a cloned employee ID card that coworkers used to cover up for his absences.

Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that the termination of road car inspector Eric Smith marks the resolution of the last remaining disciplinary case against the 36 employees implicated in the ID card counterfeiting and distribution ring uncovered in a three-year investigation by the office of Metropolitan Transportation Authority Inspector General Daniel Cort, which announced the firing on social media Friday.

Exploiting a COVID-era health precaution that suspended the requirement that workers scan their fingers at biometric time clocks, the workers used equipment purchased on Amazon to run off duplicates of employee ID cards, then kept the extra cards at their job locations, including a Ronkonkoma facility where Smith worked, investigators said. Employees would use the cloned cards to swipe coworkers in and out when they arrived to work late, left early or took extended breaks, according to investigators.

MTA payroll records show Smith, who worked for the LIRR since 1997, made $164,925 in 2024, the most recent year for which data was available.

LIRR officials have said they’ve taken several measures to prevent employee wage abuse in the future, installing security cameras near time clocks and mandating regular audits of worker facilities by managers. In September 2024, the MTA reinstated the finger-scanning requirement at biometric time clocks.

***

The Peconic Baykeeper will be leading two marsh cleanups, on Saturday April 18 and Saturday April 26. After the destruction wreaked around our coastlines by ice on the bays this winter much help is needed. Mike Wright reports on 27east.com that the April 19 Meadow Lane Marsh and Shoreline Community Cleanup event will focus on the vast marshlands along the Shinnecock Bay shoreline off Meadow Lane in Southampton Village.

The Baykeeper will have a 10-yard dumpster on site for disposing of the collected junk. Baykeeper Peter Topping says “the more the merrier” for volunteers!

The gang will be gathering at the Dune Beach parking area in Southampton at 9 a.m. this Saturday.

There will be complimentary beer and wine, courtesy of the Southampton Publick House, for those volunteers over 21.

The second event, Saturday April 26, will focus on the Sag Harbor shorelines and will start at the Breakwater Yacht Club at 10:30 a.m.

For more information about either event, call the Baykeeper’s offices at 631-653-4804

***

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is taking off the gloves, accusing the powerful trial lawyers lobbying group of outright lying about her plan aimed at saving a bundle on car insurance.

Carl Campanile reports in THE NY POST that Governor Hochul is proposing changing the legal definition of “serious injury” to cut down on frivolous and fraudulent claims such as staged accidents and to cap the damages victims can receive if they are uninsured, convicted of impaired driving, or have a felony conviction connected to the accident.

At a recent press conference, the Trial Lawyers Association — accompanied by Assemblywoman Jen Lunsford (D-Rochester) — presented a handful of cases of accident victims, claiming Hochul’s proposal would have negatively impacted their ability to collect damages. But the Hochul administration reviewed the cases and claimed none of the victims would have been impacted by her proposal.

“Exploiting victims of serious accidents to peddle false information and misconstrue facts is a new low,” a Hochul spokesperson said. “The governor’s auto insurance proposals are a common sense way to root out fraud, waste and abuse, without stripping legitimate victims of their rightful compensation. While special interests continue to put profits first, Governor Hochul will continue to focus on driving down costs for New Yorkers.”

In response, a Trial Lawyers Association rep called Hochul’s analysis “blatantly false.”

“These claims are blatantly false, just like the fiction being sold to the public that this plan will result in savings.” Hochul’s proposals “incentivize the defendant to drag out the case, aiming to shift just enough blame onto the victim to avoid paying anything at all.”

A grieving family “could be left with nothing”—based on a disputed allocation of fault—under the governor’s plan, the TLA rep said.

Data show that New York drivers pay the highest car insurance rates in the nation, shelling out more than $4,000 on average.

NY POST sources say the auto insurance issue is one of the major hold-ups in adopting a new state budget, which was due April 1.

***

Sag Harbor has proposed a new budget that hikes village taxes by $600 for the median home, but officials are looking to scale back the increase before adopting a final plan.

Mayor Thomas Gardella's $18.4 million budget proposal would increase spending by 16% in the next year. It would raise the village tax levy from $9.2 million to $10.5 million, which would result in a tax hike of just under $600 for a home assessed at the median market value of $1.5 million, according to Alexandra Balserus, the village treasurer.

Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that the current budget totals $15.9 million. The new fiscal year runs from June 1 through May 31, 2027.

Mayor Gardella said the Village of Sag Harbor is imposing a hefty increase this time, but future ones would likely be smaller. He described the tentative plan as a “wish list.” The mayor and trustees have already begun identifying areas for cuts so the tax hike is smaller.

“We want to definitely set that rate to where we take that initial hit and then as we move forward, as the years go by, we can achieve where we want to be without having to go back to the taxpayer again for anything substantial,” Gardella said when he introduced the budget during a recent meeting.

The budget proposes using $582,487 in reserves to offset tax increases. But some officials said they are wary of dipping into the fund balance, arguing it could jeopardize the village's credit rating.

Officials have outlined possible trims to the tentative spending plan.

Among them is a proposed $150,000 cut for traffic mitigation measures. A study is underway but the village does not have a cost estimate for implementing potential recommendations, which could include rearranging crosswalks. Funding for improvements could come from outside grants or future budgets, officials said.

Sag Harbor officials also proposed trimming $30,000 from the $150,000 set aside for consultants who conduct environmental and traffic reviews required for large construction projects. Village officials said those costs have been underbudgeted in past years. Developers pay a portion of the expense.

***

The Children’s Museum of the East End (CMEE) will host an Earth Day Swap Party this coming Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its location in Bridgehampton.

The free, family-friendly event invites community members to donate gently used books, puzzles and sports equipment between now and April 18, then return to “swap” items during the event. Organizers say the initiative promotes sustainability while giving children access to new-to-them recreational and educational materials.

Accepted donation items include complete puzzles, board books, children’s graphic novels and a range of sports gear such as shin guards, cleats, helmets, balls, bats, hockey and lacrosse sticks, as well as balance bikes and scooters.

Admission is free, and advance registration is encouraged. Visit cmee.org.

That’s the Earth Day Swap Party at CMEE in Bridgehampton this coming Saturday at 1 p.m.

***

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has dropped into Montauk this spring to remove wooden beach access walkways damaged in the storms of 2023 and 2024 that have since sat dilapidated and blocked off.

Tucked on the edge of downtown Montauk,...]]>President Donald Trump’s attack on Pope Leo XIV offended Long Island Catholics who spoke with Newsday yesterday, including some Republicans who otherwise support the president.

They said they disliked Trump saying Leo is "weak on crime" and caters to "the radical left" and Trump subsequently comparing himself to Jesus Christ in an apparently AI-generated image. The image disappeared from Trump's social media on Monday after backlash. Trump then said it was meant to show him working as a doctor for the Red Cross healing people. Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that the Rev. Francis Pizzarelli, a Roman Catholic priest and founder of Hope House Ministries in Port Jefferson, said that "the president really crossed the line when he disrespected the Holy Father and that should not be acceptable to any God-fearing person…It’s just another thing where the president thinks he can really go after someone with an ad hominem attack if they don’t agree with him." Father Pizzarelli added, "I don’t understand why our political leaders have not called him to task with cleaning up his language and to stop demeaning people. He’s the president of the United States. ... At least treat people respectfully."

The backlash on Long Island, home to 1.2 million baptized Catholics, came after a poll showed President Trump's standing slipping among Catholics nationwide.

Trump won the Catholic vote in the 2024 presidential election by a 12-percentage point margin over Kamala Harris, 55% to 43%. But he now has an approval rating of 48% among Catholics, according to a poll conducted jointly between March 20 and 23 by Republican pollster Shaw & Co. Research and Democratic pollster Beacon Research.

***

The Long Island Rail Road has fired another worker who admitted to possessing a cloned employee ID card that coworkers used to cover up for his absences.

Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that the termination of road car inspector Eric Smith marks the resolution of the last remaining disciplinary case against the 36 employees implicated in the ID card counterfeiting and distribution ring uncovered in a three-year investigation by the office of Metropolitan Transportation Authority Inspector General Daniel Cort, which announced the firing on social media Friday.

Exploiting a COVID-era health precaution that suspended the requirement that workers scan their fingers at biometric time clocks, the workers used equipment purchased on Amazon to run off duplicates of employee ID cards, then kept the extra cards at their job locations, including a Ronkonkoma facility where Smith worked, investigators said. Employees would use the cloned cards to swipe coworkers in and out when they arrived to work late, left early or took extended breaks, according to investigators.

MTA payroll records show Smith, who worked for the LIRR since 1997, made $164,925 in 2024, the most recent year for which data was available.

LIRR officials have said they’ve taken several measures to prevent employee wage abuse in the future, installing security cameras near time clocks and mandating regular audits of worker facilities by managers. In September 2024, the MTA reinstated the finger-scanning requirement at biometric time clocks.

***

The Peconic Baykeeper will be leading two marsh cleanups, on Saturday April 18 and Saturday April 26. After the destruction wreaked around our coastlines by ice on the bays this winter much help is needed. Mike Wright reports on 27east.com that the April 19 Meadow Lane Marsh and Shoreline Community Cleanup event will focus on the vast marshlands along the Shinnecock Bay shoreline off Meadow Lane in Southampton Village.

The Baykeeper will have a 10-yard dumpster on site for disposing of the collected junk. Baykeeper Peter Topping says “the more the merrier” for volunteers!

The gang will be gathering at the Dune Beach parking area in Southampton at 9 a.m. this Saturday.

There will be complimentary beer and wine, courtesy of the Southampton Publick House, for those volunteers over 21.

The second event, Saturday April 26, will focus on the Sag Harbor shorelines and will start at the Breakwater Yacht Club at 10:30 a.m.

For more information about either event, call the Baykeeper’s offices at 631-653-4804

***

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is taking off the gloves, accusing the powerful trial lawyers lobbying group of outright lying about her plan aimed at saving a bundle on car insurance.

Carl Campanile reports in THE NY POST that Governor Hochul is proposing changing the legal definition of “serious injury” to cut down on frivolous and fraudulent claims such as staged accidents and to cap the damages victims can receive if they are uninsured, convicted of impaired driving, or have a felony conviction connected to the accident.

At a recent press conference, the Trial Lawyers Association — accompanied by Assemblywoman Jen Lunsford (D-Rochester) — presented a handful of cases of accident victims, claiming Hochul’s proposal would have negatively impacted their ability to collect damages. But the Hochul administration reviewed the cases and claimed none of the victims would have been impacted by her proposal.

“Exploiting victims of serious accidents to peddle false information and misconstrue facts is a new low,” a Hochul spokesperson said. “The governor’s auto insurance proposals are a common sense way to root out fraud, waste and abuse, without stripping legitimate victims of their rightful compensation. While special interests continue to put profits first, Governor Hochul will continue to focus on driving down costs for New Yorkers.”

In response, a Trial Lawyers Association rep called Hochul’s analysis “blatantly false.”

“These claims are blatantly false, just like the fiction being sold to the public that this plan will result in savings.” Hochul’s proposals “incentivize the defendant to drag out the case, aiming to shift just enough blame onto the victim to avoid paying anything at all.”

A grieving family “could be left with nothing”—based on a disputed allocation of fault—under the governor’s plan, the TLA rep said.

Data show that New York drivers pay the highest car insurance rates in the nation, shelling out more than $4,000 on average.

NY POST sources say the auto insurance issue is one of the major hold-ups in adopting a new state budget, which was due April 1.

***

Sag Harbor has proposed a new budget that hikes village taxes by $600 for the median home, but officials are looking to scale back the increase before adopting a final plan.

Mayor Thomas Gardella's $18.4 million budget proposal would increase spending by 16% in the next year. It would raise the village tax levy from $9.2 million to $10.5 million, which would result in a tax hike of just under $600 for a home assessed at the median market value of $1.5 million, according to Alexandra Balserus, the village treasurer.

Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that the current budget totals $15.9 million. The new fiscal year runs from June 1 through May 31, 2027.

Mayor Gardella said the Village of Sag Harbor is imposing a hefty increase this time, but future ones would likely be smaller. He described the tentative plan as a “wish list.” The mayor and trustees have already begun identifying areas for cuts so the tax hike is smaller.

“We want to definitely set that rate to where we take that initial hit and then as we move forward, as the years go by, we can achieve where we want to be without having to go back to the taxpayer again for anything substantial,” Gardella said when he introduced the budget during a recent meeting.

The budget proposes using $582,487 in reserves to offset tax increases. But some officials said they are wary of dipping into the fund balance, arguing it could jeopardize the village's credit rating.

Officials have outlined possible trims to the tentative spending plan.

Among them is a proposed $150,000 cut for traffic mitigation measures. A study is underway but the village does not have a cost estimate for implementing potential recommendations, which could include rearranging crosswalks. Funding for improvements could come from outside grants or future budgets, officials said.

Sag Harbor officials also proposed trimming $30,000 from the $150,000 set aside for consultants who conduct environmental and traffic reviews required for large construction projects. Village officials said those costs have been underbudgeted in past years. Developers pay a portion of the expense.

***

The Children’s Museum of the East End (CMEE) will host an Earth Day Swap Party this coming Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its location in Bridgehampton.

The free, family-friendly event invites community members to donate gently used books, puzzles and sports equipment between now and April 18, then return to “swap” items during the event. Organizers say the initiative promotes sustainability while giving children access to new-to-them recreational and educational materials.

Accepted donation items include complete puzzles, board books, children’s graphic novels and a range of sports gear such as shin guards, cleats, helmets, balls, bats, hockey and lacrosse sticks, as well as balance bikes and scooters.

Admission is free, and advance registration is encouraged. Visit cmee.org.

That’s the Earth Day Swap Party at CMEE in Bridgehampton this coming Saturday at 1 p.m.

***

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has dropped into Montauk this spring to remove wooden beach access walkways damaged in the storms of 2023 and 2024 that have since sat dilapidated and blocked off.

Tucked on the edge of downtown Montauk, the battered walkways had hung like a ghost over the beach the past few years…a constant reminder of the storms that battered the area and necessitated infrastructure projects like the recently completed Ditch Plains dune restoration. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that a typical sand beach access point will replace the now-removed wooden walkways once the Army Corps put the final touches on the necessary work, which is expected to happen within the next few weeks. Early May is the target for completion.

Montauk beach nourishment came as a result of the Fire Island to Montauk Point – or FIMP – project in early 2024. FIMP was a highly anticipated, but chronically and infamously stalled, plan that is aimed at boosting the coastal resiliency of the target areas. The roots of the plan stretch back to the 1960s.

Removing the damaged wooden walkways is also part of FIMP and this latest piece is being fully funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The contracts were awarded in January; the work has been underway for the past few weeks.

East Hampton Town officials had asked for the broken walkways, of which there are four total, to be removed as part of FIMP back in 2024, not long after the storms rolled through the area.

The Montauk beach nourishment came as a result of the Fire Island to Montauk Point – or FIMP – project in early 2024. FIMP was a highly anticipated, but chronically and infamously stalled, plan that is aimed at boosting the coastal resiliency of the target areas. The roots of the plan stretch back to the 1960s.

Removing the damaged wooden walkways is also part of FIMP and this latest piece is being fully funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The contracts were awarded in January; the work has been underway for the past few weeks.

East Hampton Town officials had asked for the broken walkways, of which there are four total, to be removed as part of FIMP back in 2024, not long after the storms rolled through the area. The sand paths are expected to be just as effective for beach access.

This work also serves as a prelude to the next beach nourishment project, under FIMP, which will likely come in the next few years. Under an agreement between New York State, East Hampton Town and the Army Corps, beach nourishments are expected to happen every four years. East Hampton Town officials are on the hook for 15 percent of the total cost, which is expected to even out to around $27.6 million over the next 30 years.

This work also serves as a prelude to the next beach nourishment project, under FIMP, which will likely come in the next few years. Under an agreement between New York State, East Hampton Town and the Army Corps, beach nourishments are expected to happen every four years. East Hampton Town officials are on the hook for 15 percent of the total cost, which is expected to even out to around $27.6 million over the next 30 years.

“The Town Board has a very good working relationship with the Army Corps of Engineers,” East Hampton Town Councilman David Lys said.

Proposed cuts include eliminating the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, prompting bipartisan opposition from local lawmakers concerned about the high cost of energy.

Lawmakers and officials, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, criticize the budget for exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis and prioritizing military spending over essential domestic programs.

Laura Figueroa Hernandez reports in NEWSDAY that the proposed budget also calls for the elimination of the $3.3 billion Community Development Block Grant program, which has long been used by municipalities to build affordable housing and improve blighted neighborhoods, and cutting $393 million in federal funding for homeless programs.

Members of Long Island’s congressional delegation have raised concerns about some of the cuts, particularly to the heating and cooling assistance program that the administration tried unsuccessfully to eliminate last year and as well as during Trump's first four years in office. Those attempts failed amid bipartisan pushback, and lawmakers told Newsday they’re prepared to fight again for the program. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), noting he is "the only Northeast Republican on the House Appropriations Committee," said that last year he helped secure support for an additional $20 million in funding for the LIHEAP program, but he also blamed Hochul and state lawmakers for not doing enough to keep energy prices down.

"I will continue fighting to support LIHEAP so Long Island families can afford their energy bills and stay safe," LaLota said.

Another Suffolk County U.S. Congressman, Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), told NEWSDAY, "Cutting LIHEAP is the wrong approach for those already struggling with high energy costs, especially in high-cost regions like Long Island, where energy bills can be a real burden." Garbarino noted that during past attempts to cut the program he has led a bipartisan effort in support of maintaining its funding.

***

The East End’s representatives to the New York State Legislature have introduced new legislation that would give commercial fishermen immediate relief from the state’s fuel tax, as a way to ease the burden of skyrocketing gas prices. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that since the Trump administration ordered U.S. military forces to join an Israeli assault on Iran, the per gallon price of the diesel fuel their boats run on has more than doubled, fishermen said this week.

Commercial fishermen are entitled to relief from state taxes, much like farmers are. But, unlike the agriculture industry, they have to pay the full price for their fuel at the pump and then can apply to the state for a rebate, which can take months to get back.

The bill introduced last week by NYS Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni of Sag Harbor and State Senator Anthony Palumbo of New Suffolk would give fishermen the break immediately so they do not have to carry the costs of the fuel taxes, as well as the increased burden of the cost of gas until the red tape clears.

The state’s three largest commercial fishing ports are all in the 1st Assembly and Senate districts represented by Schiavoni and Palumbo.

A similar bill that Palumbo has introduced in the State Senate would extend the fuel tax exemption to charter boat captains, as long as they can show that they earn at least 50 percent of their annual income from running for-hire fishing trips on their vessel.

Whether the proposal will win support from the rest of the Legislature and the governor’s office, and how quickly it can be implemented if it does, remains to be seen.

New York State budget for fiscal year 2025-2026 has not passed yet. It was due April 1st.

***

ReWild Long Island will launch the fourth summer of its South Fork internship program in 2026, offering high school students hands-on experience in sustainability, food security and environmental stewardship.

The Summer Program to Fight Hunger and Climate Change is open to rising freshmen through seniors and provides modest stipends along with environmental education focused on Long Island’s unique ecology. Students who complete 60 hours of supervised volunteer work will be eligible to receive a $300 stipend. Participants may also choose to complete fewer hours to earn community service credit while still taking part in the educational programming.

The program runs from the end of the East Hampton School District academic year in June through Labor Day, connecting students with local residents and nonprofit organizations working to protect biodiversity across the region’s green spaces and waterways. Applications for both interns and volunteers opened April 1 and are available to the end of the month.

ReWild Long Island also welcomes adult mentors and volunteers to support its South Fork chapter.

For more information or to apply, visit the program page at https://www.rewildlongisland.org/summerprogram.

***

The Riverhead Zoning Board of Appeals held a lengthy and contentious public hearing last Thursday night on Stony Brook Medicine’s proposal to locate an ambulance storage and service facility in the rear portion of the former Big Lots space at Staples Plaza, 1087 Route 58 in Riverhead.

The hearing ended without a decision by the board, which kept the record open for written comments until April 23. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the owner of the shopping center is seeking a zoning code interpretation on whether the proposed use is permitted in the Shopping Center zoning district, or, in the alternative, a variance from the code to allow the proposed use.

The ZBA originally held the hearing on Jan. 8 and reserved its decision to a later date. Before it made a decision, Peconic Bay Medical Center, asked the ZBA to reopen the hearing.

The application seeks permission to use about 14,236 square feet of the former Big Lots store for storage space for up to eight ambulances and one mobile stroke unit, along with office, training, break room and supply space.

The proposal drew opposition Thursday from Northwell Health/Peconic Bay Medical Center, whose Riverhead hospital is located close to the shopping center and is preparing to open a thrombectomy-capable stroke center. PBMC and Stony Brook are competitors in the regional health care market.

Speaking on behalf of PBMC, President and CEO Amy Loeb said the hospital supports advanced stroke care but questioned the need to base a mobile stroke unit a short distance from a hospital that is about to open a thrombectomy-capable stroke center.

Former PBMC president Andrew Mitchell told the board the issue before it was not whether mobile stroke units are beneficial, but whether an ambulance garage belongs in a shopping center.

Deputy Town Attorney Annmarie Prudenti, who serves as counsel to the Riverhead ZBA, said the record would remain open for written comment until April 23, after which the board would consider the matter for reserved decision on May 14.​

​***

At the site of a proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Holtsville, about 100 people protested yesterday, decrying the plan and the agency's raids on Long Island and throughout the country.

"ICE out!" the crowd of faith leaders and others yelled outside a building housing Internal Revenue Service office space that could be transformed into an ICE detention and processing facility.

"We have organized here today to insist that Brookhaven Town not be a place of detention for immigrants [and] that we stand in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors here on Long Island," said the Rev. Kate Jones Calone, chair of the Long Island Immigrant Justice Alliance, which sponsored Sunday afternoon’s protest.

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith reports in NEWSDAY that construction documents submitted to the Town of Brookhaven showed that the Holtsville facility could include holding cells and detainee interview rooms with handcuff bars.

The proposed site would be under the same roof as an existing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office, which handles legal immigration requests. Federal immigration agents have detained people there who were making regular check-ins, eventually transferring them to cells at the federal court in Central Islip.

Later, the protesters piled into dozens of vehicles to make their voices heard at Brookhaven Town Hall, they said.

For their part, Brookhaven Town officials have rejected the plans, noting that holding cells are not permitted for office space under town code.

The town can’t permanently halt the project because the applicant can seek a zoning change or use variance for the privately owned two-story Barretts Avenue property, which the federal government leases, Newsday has reported.

Suffolk County said it does not participate in ICE’s local immigration enforcement partnership. Nassau County has a pact with ICE and last year detained upward of 2,600 immigrants at the county jail in East Meadow.

***

Peconic Landing hosts a panel discussion with the North Fork Environmental Council, “Rising Tides & Rising Rents,” on how we address the North Fork housing crisis while protecting the environment. this coming Friday, April 17 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm at Peconic Landing, 1500 Brecknock Road in Greenport.

North Fork Environmental Council’s mission is to raise environmental awareness on the North Fork, and move our east end community and...]]>The Trump administration's $2.2 trillion budget proposal prioritizes defense spending while proposing significant cuts to domestic programs, notably targeting New York and other blue states for alleged program mismanagement.

Proposed cuts include eliminating the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, prompting bipartisan opposition from local lawmakers concerned about the high cost of energy.

Lawmakers and officials, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, criticize the budget for exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis and prioritizing military spending over essential domestic programs.

Laura Figueroa Hernandez reports in NEWSDAY that the proposed budget also calls for the elimination of the $3.3 billion Community Development Block Grant program, which has long been used by municipalities to build affordable housing and improve blighted neighborhoods, and cutting $393 million in federal funding for homeless programs.

Members of Long Island’s congressional delegation have raised concerns about some of the cuts, particularly to the heating and cooling assistance program that the administration tried unsuccessfully to eliminate last year and as well as during Trump's first four years in office. Those attempts failed amid bipartisan pushback, and lawmakers told Newsday they’re prepared to fight again for the program. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), noting he is "the only Northeast Republican on the House Appropriations Committee," said that last year he helped secure support for an additional $20 million in funding for the LIHEAP program, but he also blamed Hochul and state lawmakers for not doing enough to keep energy prices down.

"I will continue fighting to support LIHEAP so Long Island families can afford their energy bills and stay safe," LaLota said.

Another Suffolk County U.S. Congressman, Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), told NEWSDAY, "Cutting LIHEAP is the wrong approach for those already struggling with high energy costs, especially in high-cost regions like Long Island, where energy bills can be a real burden." Garbarino noted that during past attempts to cut the program he has led a bipartisan effort in support of maintaining its funding.

***

The East End’s representatives to the New York State Legislature have introduced new legislation that would give commercial fishermen immediate relief from the state’s fuel tax, as a way to ease the burden of skyrocketing gas prices. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that since the Trump administration ordered U.S. military forces to join an Israeli assault on Iran, the per gallon price of the diesel fuel their boats run on has more than doubled, fishermen said this week.

Commercial fishermen are entitled to relief from state taxes, much like farmers are. But, unlike the agriculture industry, they have to pay the full price for their fuel at the pump and then can apply to the state for a rebate, which can take months to get back.

The bill introduced last week by NYS Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni of Sag Harbor and State Senator Anthony Palumbo of New Suffolk would give fishermen the break immediately so they do not have to carry the costs of the fuel taxes, as well as the increased burden of the cost of gas until the red tape clears.

The state’s three largest commercial fishing ports are all in the 1st Assembly and Senate districts represented by Schiavoni and Palumbo.

A similar bill that Palumbo has introduced in the State Senate would extend the fuel tax exemption to charter boat captains, as long as they can show that they earn at least 50 percent of their annual income from running for-hire fishing trips on their vessel.

Whether the proposal will win support from the rest of the Legislature and the governor’s office, and how quickly it can be implemented if it does, remains to be seen.

New York State budget for fiscal year 2025-2026 has not passed yet. It was due April 1st.

***

ReWild Long Island will launch the fourth summer of its South Fork internship program in 2026, offering high school students hands-on experience in sustainability, food security and environmental stewardship.

The Summer Program to Fight Hunger and Climate Change is open to rising freshmen through seniors and provides modest stipends along with environmental education focused on Long Island’s unique ecology. Students who complete 60 hours of supervised volunteer work will be eligible to receive a $300 stipend. Participants may also choose to complete fewer hours to earn community service credit while still taking part in the educational programming.

The program runs from the end of the East Hampton School District academic year in June through Labor Day, connecting students with local residents and nonprofit organizations working to protect biodiversity across the region’s green spaces and waterways. Applications for both interns and volunteers opened April 1 and are available to the end of the month.

ReWild Long Island also welcomes adult mentors and volunteers to support its South Fork chapter.

For more information or to apply, visit the program page at https://www.rewildlongisland.org/summerprogram.

***

The Riverhead Zoning Board of Appeals held a lengthy and contentious public hearing last Thursday night on Stony Brook Medicine’s proposal to locate an ambulance storage and service facility in the rear portion of the former Big Lots space at Staples Plaza, 1087 Route 58 in Riverhead.

The hearing ended without a decision by the board, which kept the record open for written comments until April 23. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the owner of the shopping center is seeking a zoning code interpretation on whether the proposed use is permitted in the Shopping Center zoning district, or, in the alternative, a variance from the code to allow the proposed use.

The ZBA originally held the hearing on Jan. 8 and reserved its decision to a later date. Before it made a decision, Peconic Bay Medical Center, asked the ZBA to reopen the hearing.

The application seeks permission to use about 14,236 square feet of the former Big Lots store for storage space for up to eight ambulances and one mobile stroke unit, along with office, training, break room and supply space.

The proposal drew opposition Thursday from Northwell Health/Peconic Bay Medical Center, whose Riverhead hospital is located close to the shopping center and is preparing to open a thrombectomy-capable stroke center. PBMC and Stony Brook are competitors in the regional health care market.

Speaking on behalf of PBMC, President and CEO Amy Loeb said the hospital supports advanced stroke care but questioned the need to base a mobile stroke unit a short distance from a hospital that is about to open a thrombectomy-capable stroke center.

Former PBMC president Andrew Mitchell told the board the issue before it was not whether mobile stroke units are beneficial, but whether an ambulance garage belongs in a shopping center.

Deputy Town Attorney Annmarie Prudenti, who serves as counsel to the Riverhead ZBA, said the record would remain open for written comment until April 23, after which the board would consider the matter for reserved decision on May 14.​

​***

At the site of a proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Holtsville, about 100 people protested yesterday, decrying the plan and the agency's raids on Long Island and throughout the country.

"ICE out!" the crowd of faith leaders and others yelled outside a building housing Internal Revenue Service office space that could be transformed into an ICE detention and processing facility.

"We have organized here today to insist that Brookhaven Town not be a place of detention for immigrants [and] that we stand in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors here on Long Island," said the Rev. Kate Jones Calone, chair of the Long Island Immigrant Justice Alliance, which sponsored Sunday afternoon’s protest.

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith reports in NEWSDAY that construction documents submitted to the Town of Brookhaven showed that the Holtsville facility could include holding cells and detainee interview rooms with handcuff bars.

The proposed site would be under the same roof as an existing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office, which handles legal immigration requests. Federal immigration agents have detained people there who were making regular check-ins, eventually transferring them to cells at the federal court in Central Islip.

Later, the protesters piled into dozens of vehicles to make their voices heard at Brookhaven Town Hall, they said.

For their part, Brookhaven Town officials have rejected the plans, noting that holding cells are not permitted for office space under town code.

The town can’t permanently halt the project because the applicant can seek a zoning change or use variance for the privately owned two-story Barretts Avenue property, which the federal government leases, Newsday has reported.

Suffolk County said it does not participate in ICE’s local immigration enforcement partnership. Nassau County has a pact with ICE and last year detained upward of 2,600 immigrants at the county jail in East Meadow.

***

Peconic Landing hosts a panel discussion with the North Fork Environmental Council, “Rising Tides & Rising Rents,” on how we address the North Fork housing crisis while protecting the environment. this coming Friday, April 17 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm at Peconic Landing, 1500 Brecknock Road in Greenport.

North Fork Environmental Council’s mission is to raise environmental awareness on the North Fork, and move our east end community and representatives into action. Through education, N.F.E.C. provides the science and guidance needed to make informed decisions that protect our land and sea.

Rising Rents, Rising Tides: A NFEC Discussion is at Peconic Landing this Friday, April 17, 2026 at 3:00 PM.

***

Suffolk County may be declared a “disaster area” by the federal government over this year’s dismal oyster crop.

Brandon Cruz reports in THE NY POST that the move would allow the region’s devastated oyster farms to unlock low-interest emergency federal loans to cover millions of dollars in losses as 30% of Suffolk’s oyster haul was decimated by this winter’s historic sustained freeze.

The money loss isn’t only bad news for the sea farmers, it’s lousy for oyster-lovers, too.

“Oysters are going to become a lot more expensive,” warned a rep for Long Island Shucking Truck, a traveling raw-oyster bar based on Long Island where those prices have now jumped to roughly $20 per pound, according to multiple local menus, with price hikes predicted to hit the shelves by the summer rush.

The region’s oyster industry is now facing bankruptcy, prompting New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to ask the US Department of Agriculture to issue a Secretarial Disaster Designation for Suffolk County.

“I urge the USDA to take swift action to declare Suffolk County a disaster area and help our growers get the assistance they need to recover and move forward,” Hochul said in a statement.

An emergency order would open the door for the region’s oyster and kelp farmers to apply for low-interest emergency federal loans — capped at $500,000 — that can be used to replace damaged gear, cover production costs and pay essential living expenses to wipe this year’s losses entirely for roughly 50 farms in the region. A rep for the USDA said the agency has received Governor Hochul’s request and is working to fast-track resources to its local Farm Service Agency county offices while it reviews the emergency-declaration order.

If the USDA approves the governor’s request, Suffolk farmers would have eight months from the date of the disaster declaration to apply to the relief program.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced this morning the launch of a "customer engagement" effort as part of her proposed $50 million redesign of the Queens transit hub, which serves as the main transfer point for LIRR riders, and includes connections to buses, subways and the JFK AirTrain.

Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that starting today, customers can take an online survey with several questions about their experiences using Jamaica, and what improvements they’d like to see at the station, which serves 200,000 daily riders.

QR codes linking to the survey will be posted throughout Jamaica Station, along with staffed tables with information about the project. A poster tells customers that the survey "will help us identify areas for improvement and inform future planning and upgrades."

Hochul’s office said the survey, which will be available through May 8, focuses on "ticketing, wayfinding, transfer experience between agencies, and concessions."

Survey questions ask customers how satisfied they are with a number of issues relating to their experiences at Jamaica, including waits for LIRR transfers, availability of food and drink options, cleanliness, ease of travel from one mode of transportation to another, and "safety from crime or harassment."

Not included in the survey are any questions relating to customer comforts, including availability of seating and more spaces to take shelter from the elements. Several LIRR riders and advocates interviewed by Newsday in January said they hoped a redesign of the 113-year-old outdoor station would include the addition of more enclosed spaces.

It’s been nearly a quarter-century since Jamaica Station underwent meaningful upgrades as part of the opening of the adjacent AirTrain building in 2023.

***

A handful of spots at Montauk Harbor had to be touched up and deepened to the stated dredging depth of 17 feet, so the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers redeployed a mechanical dredge to put the final touches on what has been a monthslong operation.

Now, though, neither the massive suction dredge, Oyster Bay, nor its smaller companion, Scrod II, are in the neighborhood. A mechanical barge, equipped with an excavator, was left over from the first phase of the operation and is spearheading this latest phase.

Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that East Hampton Town officials, who worked in tandem with the Army Corps of Engineers on what was planned as a jointly funded $11.6 million operation, had said earlier in March that the operation was complete – and the Army Corps confirmed this week that it was, in fact, deemed complete at the time.

The project appeared to be complete last month,” said Army Corps spokesman James D’Ambrosio. “However, surveys afterward indicated there were still high spots that needed to be removed by the contractor to reach the authorized depth.”

The purpose of the operation has been to restore safe navigation in and out of the harbor, which sees natural shoaling and had previously been reduced to three feet in some areas, which severely limits the ability of mariners to pass through.

The project had been years in the making and saw several pieces of heavy machinery descend on Montauk Harbor, including both suction dredges, a 30-foot-by-90-foot mechanical barge and two tugboats, Uncle Bill and Manhasset Bay.

***

Southampton Arts Center has received a $50,000 grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation to support its upcoming exhibition, “The Story of America: 1776-2026, A Celebration of Freedom and Independence.”

The funding will help underwrite the presentation of the Museum of Democracy exhibition, which explores more than 250 years of American presidential campaign history. The exhibition is scheduled to be on view from May 23 through July 18.

“The Museum of Democracy’s collection of American campaign artifacts is unparalleled,” said Kathryn M. Curran, executive director of the Robert Lion Gardiner Foundation. “This exhibition is not only a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, but also a lesson in the power of the individual’s vote.”

“We are thrilled to receive a donation for this important historical show,” said Christina Mossaides Strassfield, executive director of Southampton Arts Center. “This generous support allows us to bring meaningful stories to the community and foster a deeper appreciation of history.”

The exhibition is part of a broader effort to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and highlight the evolution of democratic participation in the United States.

Southampton Arts Center is at 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton, NY 11968

***

A potential partnership involving the Town of Riverhead, Suffolk County and Peconic Land Trust could preserve about 145 acres in Baiting Hollow that Nassau County has owned and operated as a 4-H camp for more than a century. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the proposal, outlined during yesterday’s Riverhead Town Board work session, would divide the longtime camp property into several preservation components, with Suffolk County purchasing development rights on portions of the farmland, Peconic Land Trust coordinating the overall acquisition and Riverhead potentially acquiring a section as town open space.

Riverhead Town officials signaled support for taking a first step quickly, with town counsel saying a resolution could be prepared to authorize an appraisal of the portion that Riverhead might acquire.

“This is really, almost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the town of Riverhead to acquire a Sound-front parcel with access to the beach,” Suffolk County Legislator Greg Doroski told the board.

The property, known as the Dorothy P. Flint 4-H Camp, has been owned by Nassau County for 101 years. Nassau County now wants to sell it, and preservation advocates told the board that time is short to assemble a deal that would protect as much of the site as possible from future development, Doroski said.

Julie Wesnofske of Peconic Land Trust said the property sits in the middle of a large block of protected land and farmland stretching from Sound Avenue to Long Island Sound, making it especially significant from both an ecological and public-access standpoint.

A land-status map prepared by Peconic Land Trust identifies the parcel at 145.53 acres. Another concept plan shows a proposed Riverhead acquisition area of 36.13 acres, alongside county purchases of development rights on other parts of the property and two small development areas totaling less than four acres.

The town-owned portion under discussion would be acquired as open space, though Riverhead Town officials and the project partners said that does not necessarily mean the land would be left entirely untouched.

***

Southold’s land preservation efforts are on a roll. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that on the heels of a vote in March to preserve 54 acres of land on the outskirts of Greenport, the Town of Southold is en route this week to preserving a vineyard in Cutchogue and a swath of bayfront property in the Bayview section of Southold. And next on the burner is another proposal to preserve nearly 35 acres on the south side Route 48 in Southold, across from the North Fork Flower Farm, which backs up to a tributary of Hashamomuck Pond.

The Southold Town Board will hold a public hearing on this acquisition at its April 21 meeting at 6 p.m. in the Peconic Community Center auditorium.

This property, which is in an R-80, two-acre residential zoning district, extends to Long Creek, a tributary of Hashamomuck Pond, an area where Southold and the county have already preserved a significant amount of land, including a 54-acre parcel earlier this spring.

The purchase price is estimated at $3.829 million, which works out to approximately $110,000 per acre, paid in a 50/50 split between the town and the county.

The property is three parcels currently owned by Moffat Farm South LLC, Moffat Farm Rabbit LLC and Moffat Farm Tiny LLC.

Southold Town says the property is being acquired “for open space, passive recreational purposes, wetland protection, shoreline protection, habitat protection and protection of forested land,” and that proposed uses may include “a nature preserve and/or passive recreational area with trails and limited parking,” subject to a management plan to be prepared for the property.

***

Ever wonder what’s being built in our North Fork community or the best way to get a message to Town Hall? Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that Mary Eisenstein and Library Director Shauna Scholl invite residents of Mattituck and Laurel to an informational program tomorrow to help you navigate our local government with ease.

“Your Town, Your Voice: A Guide for Mattituck-Laurel Residents,” is tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 Noon at the Mattituck-Laurel Library, on Main Road in Mattituck, New York…11952

During tomorrow morning’s free event you’ll get the facts on new projects like the construction on the Sacred Heart Parish property….you’ll be shown how to find what you need on the Southold Town website…Learn the most effective ways to communicate with town officials….and how to Stay in the Loop as they’ll provide you with a complete list of meetings and resources, from the Zoning Board to Channel 22.

That’s tomorrow at 10 a.m. in the Mattituck-Laurel Library.

***

Large lithium-ion battery storage plants proposed for Suffolk County comprise the bulk of dozens of proposed projects under review by New York State for development before the...]]>Long Island Rail Road commuters now have an opportunity to weigh in on what they’d like to see in a reimagined Jamaica Station.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced this morning the launch of a "customer engagement" effort as part of her proposed $50 million redesign of the Queens transit hub, which serves as the main transfer point for LIRR riders, and includes connections to buses, subways and the JFK AirTrain.

Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that starting today, customers can take an online survey with several questions about their experiences using Jamaica, and what improvements they’d like to see at the station, which serves 200,000 daily riders.

QR codes linking to the survey will be posted throughout Jamaica Station, along with staffed tables with information about the project. A poster tells customers that the survey "will help us identify areas for improvement and inform future planning and upgrades."

Hochul’s office said the survey, which will be available through May 8, focuses on "ticketing, wayfinding, transfer experience between agencies, and concessions."

Survey questions ask customers how satisfied they are with a number of issues relating to their experiences at Jamaica, including waits for LIRR transfers, availability of food and drink options, cleanliness, ease of travel from one mode of transportation to another, and "safety from crime or harassment."

Not included in the survey are any questions relating to customer comforts, including availability of seating and more spaces to take shelter from the elements. Several LIRR riders and advocates interviewed by Newsday in January said they hoped a redesign of the 113-year-old outdoor station would include the addition of more enclosed spaces.

It’s been nearly a quarter-century since Jamaica Station underwent meaningful upgrades as part of the opening of the adjacent AirTrain building in 2023.

***

A handful of spots at Montauk Harbor had to be touched up and deepened to the stated dredging depth of 17 feet, so the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers redeployed a mechanical dredge to put the final touches on what has been a monthslong operation.

Now, though, neither the massive suction dredge, Oyster Bay, nor its smaller companion, Scrod II, are in the neighborhood. A mechanical barge, equipped with an excavator, was left over from the first phase of the operation and is spearheading this latest phase.

Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that East Hampton Town officials, who worked in tandem with the Army Corps of Engineers on what was planned as a jointly funded $11.6 million operation, had said earlier in March that the operation was complete – and the Army Corps confirmed this week that it was, in fact, deemed complete at the time.

The project appeared to be complete last month,” said Army Corps spokesman James D’Ambrosio. “However, surveys afterward indicated there were still high spots that needed to be removed by the contractor to reach the authorized depth.”

The purpose of the operation has been to restore safe navigation in and out of the harbor, which sees natural shoaling and had previously been reduced to three feet in some areas, which severely limits the ability of mariners to pass through.

The project had been years in the making and saw several pieces of heavy machinery descend on Montauk Harbor, including both suction dredges, a 30-foot-by-90-foot mechanical barge and two tugboats, Uncle Bill and Manhasset Bay.

***

Southampton Arts Center has received a $50,000 grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation to support its upcoming exhibition, “The Story of America: 1776-2026, A Celebration of Freedom and Independence.”

The funding will help underwrite the presentation of the Museum of Democracy exhibition, which explores more than 250 years of American presidential campaign history. The exhibition is scheduled to be on view from May 23 through July 18.

“The Museum of Democracy’s collection of American campaign artifacts is unparalleled,” said Kathryn M. Curran, executive director of the Robert Lion Gardiner Foundation. “This exhibition is not only a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, but also a lesson in the power of the individual’s vote.”

“We are thrilled to receive a donation for this important historical show,” said Christina Mossaides Strassfield, executive director of Southampton Arts Center. “This generous support allows us to bring meaningful stories to the community and foster a deeper appreciation of history.”

The exhibition is part of a broader effort to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and highlight the evolution of democratic participation in the United States.

Southampton Arts Center is at 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton, NY 11968

***

A potential partnership involving the Town of Riverhead, Suffolk County and Peconic Land Trust could preserve about 145 acres in Baiting Hollow that Nassau County has owned and operated as a 4-H camp for more than a century. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the proposal, outlined during yesterday’s Riverhead Town Board work session, would divide the longtime camp property into several preservation components, with Suffolk County purchasing development rights on portions of the farmland, Peconic Land Trust coordinating the overall acquisition and Riverhead potentially acquiring a section as town open space.

Riverhead Town officials signaled support for taking a first step quickly, with town counsel saying a resolution could be prepared to authorize an appraisal of the portion that Riverhead might acquire.

“This is really, almost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the town of Riverhead to acquire a Sound-front parcel with access to the beach,” Suffolk County Legislator Greg Doroski told the board.

The property, known as the Dorothy P. Flint 4-H Camp, has been owned by Nassau County for 101 years. Nassau County now wants to sell it, and preservation advocates told the board that time is short to assemble a deal that would protect as much of the site as possible from future development, Doroski said.

Julie Wesnofske of Peconic Land Trust said the property sits in the middle of a large block of protected land and farmland stretching from Sound Avenue to Long Island Sound, making it especially significant from both an ecological and public-access standpoint.

A land-status map prepared by Peconic Land Trust identifies the parcel at 145.53 acres. Another concept plan shows a proposed Riverhead acquisition area of 36.13 acres, alongside county purchases of development rights on other parts of the property and two small development areas totaling less than four acres.

The town-owned portion under discussion would be acquired as open space, though Riverhead Town officials and the project partners said that does not necessarily mean the land would be left entirely untouched.

***

Southold’s land preservation efforts are on a roll. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that on the heels of a vote in March to preserve 54 acres of land on the outskirts of Greenport, the Town of Southold is en route this week to preserving a vineyard in Cutchogue and a swath of bayfront property in the Bayview section of Southold. And next on the burner is another proposal to preserve nearly 35 acres on the south side Route 48 in Southold, across from the North Fork Flower Farm, which backs up to a tributary of Hashamomuck Pond.

The Southold Town Board will hold a public hearing on this acquisition at its April 21 meeting at 6 p.m. in the Peconic Community Center auditorium.

This property, which is in an R-80, two-acre residential zoning district, extends to Long Creek, a tributary of Hashamomuck Pond, an area where Southold and the county have already preserved a significant amount of land, including a 54-acre parcel earlier this spring.

The purchase price is estimated at $3.829 million, which works out to approximately $110,000 per acre, paid in a 50/50 split between the town and the county.

The property is three parcels currently owned by Moffat Farm South LLC, Moffat Farm Rabbit LLC and Moffat Farm Tiny LLC.

Southold Town says the property is being acquired “for open space, passive recreational purposes, wetland protection, shoreline protection, habitat protection and protection of forested land,” and that proposed uses may include “a nature preserve and/or passive recreational area with trails and limited parking,” subject to a management plan to be prepared for the property.

***

Ever wonder what’s being built in our North Fork community or the best way to get a message to Town Hall? Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that Mary Eisenstein and Library Director Shauna Scholl invite residents of Mattituck and Laurel to an informational program tomorrow to help you navigate our local government with ease.

“Your Town, Your Voice: A Guide for Mattituck-Laurel Residents,” is tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 Noon at the Mattituck-Laurel Library, on Main Road in Mattituck, New York…11952

During tomorrow morning’s free event you’ll get the facts on new projects like the construction on the Sacred Heart Parish property….you’ll be shown how to find what you need on the Southold Town website…Learn the most effective ways to communicate with town officials….and how to Stay in the Loop as they’ll provide you with a complete list of meetings and resources, from the Zoning Board to Channel 22.

That’s tomorrow at 10 a.m. in the Mattituck-Laurel Library.

***

Large lithium-ion battery storage plants proposed for Suffolk County comprise the bulk of dozens of proposed projects under review by New York State for development before the end of the decade, including several in Long Island towns that have battery moratoriums in effect.

In all, developers have proposed 11 projects in Suffolk for the state’s bulk-energy storage procurement solicitation initiated in July, with final awards due to be announced by June.

Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, which administers green-energy contracts, said the solicitation would allow the owners of successful projects to be paid for the energy they provide to the grid "only once the project is built, operational, and available for charging and discharging."

A New York State Energy Research and Development Authority {NYSERDA} website listing the proposed projects notes that those deemed "eligible" for the program "does not guarantee that an energy storage project will be built."

The 11 projects, extending from Huntington to Calverton, are a response to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s call for 6,000 megawatts of battery storage plants to help meet ambitious green-energy goals established in 2019. The battery review is continuing even as Hochul is eyeing unspecified rollbacks for the state climate law, which set aggressive targets for green energy over the next two decades.

The batteries are considered an essential part of the green-energy plan because they can help stabilize the electric grid and store energy from solar and wind farms and conventional power plants during hours when power is least needed and potentially cheapest. They are also considered important tools to help replace a large fleet of smaller fossil-fuel power plants called peakers, which are chiefly used during high-summer power demand times.

The proposed Suffolk projects include one on the east end: A 60-megawatt project called the Edwards Calverton Battery by Rhynland Energy to be built in the town of Riverhead. Rhynland’s application doesn’t list a specific address for the project.