The Shinnecock Indian Nation has asked a state appellate court to suspend and reconsider a ruling that could shut down the tribe’s Sunrise Highway billboards in Hampton Bays, citing recent federal confirmation that the Shinnecock property known as Westwoods is restricted aboriginal territory. The 80-foot billboards remain in operation on the 80-acre Westwoods parcel, where the nation has also begun construction of a travel plaza-gas station on adjacent land and envisions a resort-conference center on a parcel overlooking Peconic Bay near the Shinnecock Canal. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that in their filing Friday, lawyers for the nation requested the Appellate Division to suspend its December order that found a lower court should have granted a preliminary injunction to the NYS Department of Transportation to stop construction and operation of the billboards. Since 2019 the state has fought for the injunction on safety grounds, asserting the property is subject to state and local zoning laws. The tribe has long contested that assertion, and noted the signs have resulted in no safety concerns.

In its order to show cause filed Jan. 3, the Shinnecock pointed to a letter issued last week by the U.S. Department of the Interior that affirmed the 80-acre Westwoods parcel in Hampton Bays is "within the [Shinnecock] Nation’s aboriginal territory."

The letter noted that the Shinnecock Nation has "resided within its aboriginal territory since time immemorial and has never removed therefrom, and that Westwoods is within the purview of the Nonintercourse Act and is therefore restricted against alienation absent consent of the United States."

The nation is asking the court to allow it to "renew and reargue" its case in light of that determination, or to allow it to appeal to the state Court of Appeals.

Glenn Blain, a spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation, told Newsday, "We are reviewing the recent determination from the U.S. Department of the Interior and will have no further comment as this matter remains the subject of ongoing litigation."

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul yesterday proposed increasing the state’s child tax credit, giving families up to $1,000 per child under the age of 4 and $500 per child from ages 4 to 16. The expansion, which is part of Hochul’s 2025 budget proposal, would be phased in over two years and cover more than 2.75 million children, including an estimated 215,000 households on Long Island. Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that the proposed expansion aims to decrease stress on families and lift more children out of poverty, according to the governor. "More money back in people’s pockets, that’s what we’re going to do in a lot of different ways," Hochul said announcing the proposal in Manhattan on Monday.

"From groceries to strollers to kids’ clothes, the cost of living and raising a family is still too damn high — and that’s why we’re proposing a massive increase in New York’s child tax credit to put up to $1,000 per kid back in the pockets of hardworking families," Hochul said.

The effort comes as Hochul and state lawmakers look to make New York more affordable, an issue that was key in the congressional and presidential elections last November.

The current tax credit, known as the Empire State Child Credit, is based on income level and provides up to $330 per child.

The credit is refundable, meaning it can either offset taxes or be paid out directly to taxpayers as a refund.

Additional details on the expanded credit are expected to be included in the governor’s budget proposal coming later this month.

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The body of a Riverside man reported missing in November last year was found in a wooded area off Route 114 in East Hampton yesterday. According to Southampton Town Police, a hunter in the woods located the body, and East Hampton Town Police and...