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  • LIRR to build second temporary platform at Hamptons Bays

    LIRR to build second temporary platform at Hamptons Bays
    2026/04/06
    The Long Island Rail Road is adding a second temporary platform at Hampton Bays and making several other improvements to its Montauk Branch as it preps for a busy summer surge on the South Fork and the U.S. Open Golf Tournament. Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that the temporary platform, on the station's southern side, will allow two trains to simultaneously unload passengers in Hampton Bays, according to Southampton Town and state officials. That could help trains run more often on the South Fork and provide a boost for visitors, residents and commuters.The second platform will provide “operational flexibility" on the Montauk Branch, especially on busy weekends, according to the MTA. The first four-car lengths of the platform are expected to be completed by Memorial Day, with another two-car lengths before the start of the U.S. Open Golf Championship in mid-June. The tournament this year is being hosted at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton.The LIRR is expecting a surge in ridership on the line during the tournament. In 2018, when the event was last in Shinnecock, spectators using the Montauk Branch filled parking lots at two high-volume LIRR stations west of the South Fork to capacity. Railroad use helped relieve traffic congestion on roadways, local officials said at the time.A temporary platform will be installed at Stony Brook University's Southampton campus. Riders can walk from there to the golf course. A temporary bridge will also be built over County Road 39 so pedestrians can walk to the course without disrupting traffic. The LIRR platform and bridge will be taken down after the tournament, the MTA said.While currently deemed “temporary,” local officials are hopeful the additional Hampton Bays platform could become permanent and boost the South Fork Commuter Connection, the coordinated rail and shuttle bus system that brings riders from Speonk and Montauk to job centers in East Hampton and Southampton towns.***Smoother commutes could be on the horizon for Long Islanders as state highway crews launch an aggressive spring cleanup effort to fill potholes and resurface roads after a harsh winter.New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the state will invest $58.8 million in Nassau and Suffolk counties to repave roads, fill potholes and improve curb and sidewalk ramps. Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that the effort includes projects on the Northern State Parkway, Hempstead Turnpike, Nassau Expressway, Veterans Memorial Highway, Sunrise Highway service roads and Route 25 that will begin “immediately,” according to Gordon Tepper, a spokesman for Hochul's office.They are the first batch of a larger, $107 million commitment to repave approximately 225 lane miles of state roads on Long Island. Additional projects are expected to be announced later this year, officials said. Winter weather wreaked havoc on Long Island roads with heavy snow, frequent plowing and freeze-thaw cycles that cracked pavement and carved potholes, some of them massive.“This has been one of the coldest, most unforgiving winters in New York in recent memory, but the great news is that paving season is finally here and we will be renewing thousands of miles of roads across New York,” Hochul said in a statement.***The Town of Southold is holding a presentation on “Understanding Subdivisions & Land Preservation in Southold Town” hosted by the North Fork Civics this coming Thursday, April 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Veterans Park in Mattituck. Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski, Planning Director Heather Lanza and Land Preservation Coordinator Lillian McCullough will discuss subdivision rules, the process for lot creation, conservation and affordable housing, balancing responsible development with farmland and open space protection, smart growth, data trends and the policies that have “preserved Southold’s rural character and land.”The Forum on “Understanding Subdivisions & Land Preservation in Southold Town” is free and this coming Thursday at Veterans Beach in Mattituck from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.***Long Islanders are getting slammed in every direction by rising utility costs — with electric bills jumping as much as 20% and water rates increasing for the third straight year for millions of customers.Local power costs have surged, going $294 million over budget through February alone, mainly driven by record cold weather and the war in the Middle East, according to the Long Island Power Authority and experts. Brandon Cruz reports in THE NY POST that those costs have been passed along in the form of massive bill increases of 15% to 20% this year to customers already averaging around $200 a month in 2025.The Suffolk County Water Authority meanwhile approved a $346 million budget at the end of last month effectively hiking customer rates by 2.81%, to bump the average homeowner’s annual water bill just over $16 and bring the average cost — just for access to clean water — to more than $600 a year starting June 1....
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    10 分
  • Southampton Town explores bill to to protect large trees and habitat from rampant development

    Southampton Town explores bill to to protect large trees and habitat from rampant development
    2026/04/03
    The 404 new converts to Catholicism in the Diocese of Rockville Centre this year is the highest figure in nearly 40 years, church officials said. Church experts cite a range of reasons, including the diocese’s evangelization efforts, people’s hunger for deeper meaning, effective use of social media, the first American pope and a welcoming environment, especially for Hispanic immigrant families. The converts will officially become Catholics at Easter Vigil Masses throughout the diocese on Saturday night. Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that the Long Island numbers mirror a nationwide trend with many dioceses seeing high and even record numbers of converts. The converts go through a process that can last a year or more before becoming officially Catholic. The new high on Long Island comes nearly a year after the church elected its first American pontiff, Pope Leo XIV. While church officials said that may be a small factor for the growth, there are probably many others, including simply the mystery of faith.“More than any program or initiative of ours, God does the calling and God allows the growth,” said the Rev. Eric Fasano, a spokesman for the Diocese of Rockville Centre which serves Catholics across Nassau and Suffolk counties..The 404 new members will receive the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Holy Eucharist at Easter Vigil Masses tomorrow night throughout the diocese. It is the highest number since 1988, the last year for which the diocese has readily available records, Fasano said. The second-highest number of conversions was last year, with 320 new Catholics. The number has nearly doubled in the last seven years, rising from 208 in 2020, according to diocesan data.While the converts include many Latinos — the fastest growing group of Catholics in the United States and on Long Island — there are also other ethnicities coming into the religion, though there was no demographic breakdown, Rev. Fasano said.Converts who were not raised Catholic but become one as an adult, make up about 8% of the 32 million Catholics in the United States, according to a June 2025 Pew Research Center report. Long Island is home to 1.2 million baptized Catholics, according to the diocese.***Two people have been charged with receiving bribes in the East Hampton Town Building Department, as part of an investigation conducted by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Public Corruption Squad that stretched back into 2024. Ryan Benitez and Evelyn Calderon, both suspended Building Department staffers, were arraigned in Suffolk County Criminal Court yesterday. Both were released on their own recognizance, as the charges are not bail-eligible. This comes on the heels of what has been a turbulent year for the East Hampton Town Building Department, as town officials have sought to work through a backlog and boost efficiency within a department plagued by turnover, lawsuits and now a pair of indictments.Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that Benitez and Calderon, in a joint indictment, were charged with 10 counts each. Five of those counts are for bribe receiving in the third degree, a class D felony. The remaining five are for official misconduct, a class A misdemeanor. Adding up the total amount in the indictment puts the number at $16,100 accepted or planned bribes across the five counts. The pair face two and a third to seven years in prison, if convicted of the top count.A grand jury in Suffolk County indicted the pair, who surrendered to the D.A.’s office on Thursday morning April 2 and were then arraigned by Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei. Alyssa Constantino from the Suffolk D.A.’s Public Corruption Bureau is prosecuting the case. Benitez and Calderon are due back in court on May 21. ***The Long Island Oyster Growers Association is hosting a “Peconic Oyster Dregs Hunt” tomorrow — a chance for the community to help oyster farmers collect ghost oyster gear and other winter debris washed up on the shoreline after this winter’s devastating deep freeze. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that you show up on Saturday morning between 9 and 11 a.m. at the Greenport Harbor Brewery in Peconic, Ram’s Head Inn on Shelter Island, or Kidd Squid Brewing Company in Sag Harbor, and the organizers will point you toward a beach that needs some love. After the Cleanup, haul your collected debris to the nearest designated drop-off point (trucks and trailers recommended). If you do not have a vehicle, pile the debris neatly near the road for later pickup. When you drop off your haul, we will reward you with a token good for two drinks (beer or wine) and oysters compliments of LIOGA at either Greenport Brewery location on the North Fork, Ram’s Head Inn Shelter Island , or Kidd Squid East Hampton.For further info visit the Long Island Oyster Growers Association website. ***The whine of chain saws and sudden thinning of woods have become a familiar — and jarring — backdrop to life on the ...
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    10 分
  • Oyster industry dealing with fallout of "worst winter of the century"

    Oyster industry dealing with fallout of "worst winter of the century"
    2026/04/02
    Suffolk County argued this week that a $112 million jury verdict handed down five months ago on the detention of immigrants in the country illegally was “fundamentally flawed” and should be overturned.The county made its case in court filings that the trial in a nearly decade-old lawsuit featured "several substantial errors."Joe Werkmeister reports in NEWSDAY that the case stems from Suffolk's policy under former Sheriff Vincent DeMarco to honor detainers issued through the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement agency, a practice halted after a 2018 court ruling found it unlawful.A federal jury awarded the verdict in November following a weeklong trial. The county’s Manhattan-based law firm Dewey Pegno & Kramarsky filed a motion in December to have the verdict either vacated or a new trial.The two sides presented arguments on the motion before Judge William F. Kuntz II in Eastern District Court in Brooklyn Tuesday. Both sides now wait for Kuntz to issue a written decision.The original complaint was filed on behalf of Joaquin Orellana Castaneda, an immigrant from Guatemala, who had been stopped by Suffolk police for a traffic violation and booked on a driving while intoxicated-related arrest. He was held on an ICE detainer for two days after his bail was posted on the local charge, according to previous reports. The case grew to include about 650 people who were similarly held longer than the local charge required. The county had argued it was entitled to immunity because it acted under federal authority, an assertion the court had dismissed. At the November trial, a nine-person jury awarded $75 million based off Kuntz’s January 2025 ruling and an additional $37 million on a separate due process claim.***As Southampton Village waits for a pair of corresponding bills in the New York State Assembly and Senate to be passed that would authorize the alienation of Lola Prentice Memorial Park for use in a land swap plan, village residents who oppose the swap have raised further points in why they believe the plan should not go through. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that in the current plan, the village seeks to alienate the park to use as underground leach fields for a sewage treatment plant that would be located behind the village ambulance barn. A neighboring property a few hundred feet down the road at 135 Windmill Lane — currently home to The Express News Group building — would be turned into a new dog park. In response, five residents filed a lawsuit against the Village of Southampton last week for going through with the plan, arguing that the village is violating the park’s 1962 deed and a 2019 court injunction by using the park for something other than recreational and educational use.As the plaintiffs wait for a response, some raised the question of whether the village can pursue a land swap if the two properties aren’t the same size. The park measures in at 2.478 acres, while the proposed new dog park site is 1.10 acres, less than half the size of the current park.Under New York State law, the determining factor for alienating two properties is not its acreage, but rather its fair market value. Specifically, state law says that “the fair market value of the substitute property must be no less than the fair market value of the property being alienated.” State law also includes provisions about requiring new properties to “be of reasonably equivalent usefulness and location to the lands being alienated” and to “be of equal environmental value and usefulness to the lands being alienated.”***The Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons is now 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.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 NYS Supreme Court justice has ordered the county clerk to lift restrictions on land within Enterprise Park at Calverton, which could allow Riverhead Town to pursue new ideas for the 1,600-acre property. Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that Calverton Aviation & Technology, a venture aerospace company, filed a lis pendens — a public record of a pending...
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    10 分
  • Police across New York to focus on enforcing distracted driving laws in April

    Police across New York to focus on enforcing distracted driving laws in April
    2026/04/01
    Long Island Rail Road crews began installing new track sidings at the Southampton Village station on Monday that local officials celebrated as a concrete — well, steel — step toward improving train service along the whole of the South Fork. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the work in Southampton will extend the existing second set of tracks so that they can accommodate the longer trains the LIRR runs in the summertime.While the MTA has not announced any plans for new scheduling yet, officials said they are encouraged that the substantive work is underway on the sidings system, which has always been a major impediment to increasing the frequency of service along the South Fork.“This is something we’ve been working with them on for years,” Southampton Town Councilman Tom Neely, who was previously the town’s transportation director, said. “It will improve scheduling and I hope it’s going to improve frequency.”In the immediate future, Neely said, the improved siding in Southampton should help the South Fork Commuter Connection scheduling because the small shuttle trains hopefully won’t have to wait as long when a regular Montauk line train is scheduled to pass through.The MTA has a $262 million project plan for improvements to the South Fork’s rail system in its five-year capital plan, much of which is for extending or adding new sidings and incorporating existing sidings into the remote signaling and control system.The LIRR has already begun construction of siding extensions and a second platform at the Hampton Bays station that it says will help the SFCC service by allowing two trains to embark and disembark passengers at the same time at that station — something New York State Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni and Councilman Neely have said will be a major improvement for the SFCC.Also on the MTA’s schedule for this year is the repainting of the two LIRR trestles in Southampton Village and the replacement of three aging bridges over the LIRR tracks — in Eastport, Sagaponack and Amagansett.***Biosolids found in some fertilizers have been linked to a class of toxic chemicals commonly known as forever chemicals called PFAS and PFOS. Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that some of those chemicals recently turned up in a study of Long Island farm stand vegetables. While the exact source remains a mystery, the study has heightened concerns as farmers and gardeners embark on the 2026 growing season. New York State is working on regulations that would require testing of biosolid products, but it's not just biosolids that are cause for concern. Experts say ubiquitous forever chemicals have so many pathways into garden and farm products that they may be impossible to avoid.Nearly all the compost and garden soils Newsday surveyed at garden centers across the East End did not list biosolids on their ingredients lists or disclaimers."Not all biosolids [are] bad," said Long Island Farm Bureau executive director Bill Zalakar, who emphasized that Long Island farms do not apply biosolids to their fields. "That’s where maybe if they did conduct testing of biosolids before they were applied, and they tested OK, then they would be a great source of fertilizer material."And while scientists say much research remains to be done, some studies already have identified pathways. "These PFAS compounds are just spreading farther and farther and concentrating more and more and just because they ban them doesn’t mean the problem has gone away," said Walter Hang, president of Environmental Health Research Group, Inc., an advocacy organization. "We have just not solved this problem in any fashion," he said. "It’s everywhere and it's bioconcentrating in humans, in foodstuffs and cattle, you name it; it’s just a problem of unprecedented proportions because of the toxicity and the incredible persistence and the volume of these compounds that are produced to this very day."The state regulations under consideration would require the testing of "class A biosolid" products, including certain composts, heat-dried pellets and related products for the presence of PFAS. "The policy is being finalized, and it will cover all biosolids-derived products," the state Department of Environmental Conservation said in a statement to Newsday.***Sagaponack Village and the Bridgehampton Museum have entered into a new stewardship agreement to restore one of the oldest cemeteries in the village. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that Bridgehampton Museum will serve as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit sponsor to Poxabogue/Evergreen Cemetery, located on the corner of Sagg Main Street and Montauk Highway, to help to maintain the site and preserve it for future generations.Sagaponack Village Trustee Mark Landis and museum Executive Director Connor Flanagan were the main forces behind the agreement. The museum currently has a stewardship agreement for the Nathaniel Rogers House in Bridgehampton.In Sagaponack, since the Poxabogue/...
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    10 分
  • Today is the last day of WLIW-FM's Spring Fund Drive!

    Today is the last day of WLIW-FM's Spring Fund Drive!
    2026/03/31
    WLIW-FM gives us something to believe in. If you’re enjoying this podcast, consider a donation today, during our Spring Fund Drive.Donate hereCan’t afford to make a donation? Rate and review this show on your favorite podcast platform, and send this show to just 1 person who could benefit from it. Word of mouth makes our community stronger.***A proposal to allow farming at the historic Osborn Homestead in Wainscott is drawing opposition from residents and civic leaders who say its agricultural use would threaten the site’s environment and rural character. Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that the Town of East Hampton acquired the 30-acre property from billionaire Ronald Lauder in 2024 for $56 million, the largest purchase ever using its Community Preservation Fund. The town is developing a management plan for its public use that says part of the property could be licensed for agricultural purposes.That prospect became a flashpoint at a recent East Hampton Town board hearing, where residents said modern farming practices could damage the property’s historic character, open-space views and nearby Wainscott Pond. Esperanza Leon, president of the Wainscott Heritage Project, said heavy machinery, large-scale irrigation and other modern agricultural operations don’t fit with the site’s “historic character.”“We need clear, enforceable restrictions that prioritize the homestead as a heritage site first, ensuring that any agricultural activity is low impact, sustainable and respectful of the property's primary historic mission,” Leon said. “Preservation is not about freezing time. It is about managing change and ensuring that the most important pieces of our past aren't compromised or erased by the present.”The Osborn family started farming the land in 1675, after English settlers arrived in the area in the mid-17th century. The family grew potatoes there through much of the 20th century before shifting to strawberries until 1994, according to the town. In recent decades, the property has remained largely fallow and is now mostly meadow.East Hampton Town Councilwoman Cate Rogers said she supports farming on the property, but only if it preserves the open-space view and does not adversely affect the environment.The town purchased the land for its open space, historic significance, agricultural use and to protect water quality. “I don't think any of our usage should usurp or be in conflict with the other reasons that we bought the property,” Rogers told NEWSDAY.Kim Quarty, executive director of the Wainscott-based Friends of Georgica Pond, urged the town to prioritize the health of Wainscott Pond.“We do not support agricultural practices on the property that would contribute to increased nitrogen loading,” Quarty said. “Traditional fertilizer-intensive agriculture poses a clear and documented risk to the pond.”She said the Town of East Hampton should consider “low impact and emerging agricultural models that minimize ... or eliminate nutrient runoff” like beekeeping and snail farming.Bruce Wayne Solomon, of Wainscott, said the Osborn Homestead’s open-space view is “rare” and should remain protected.“In a place that changes as quickly as the Hamptons, that brief feeling that you somehow stepped back into 17th century is something special,” he said. “And once a view like that disappears, well, it's not exactly something we can rebuild later with a permit, a ribbon cutting and a few truckloads of asphalt.”***Riverhead’s anti-bias task force is caught in a dispute regarding its mission and oversight following the resignation of Riverhead Anti-Bias Task Force chairman Mark McLaughlin. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that a longtime member’s near-resignation further reveals the widening dispute over whether the town-appointed body is still being allowed to do the proactive education and outreach work many members see as central to its mission.McLaughlin, who was appointed chairman in September 2023 as part of a Riverhead Town Board overhaul of the task force, said he resigned last month because restrictions placed on the group left it unable to respond meaningfully to bias-related concerns in the community.Longtime member Connie Lassandro, who earlier this month said she had decided to resign for similar reasons, said this past Thursday that she’d changed her mind after discussions with Town Board member and task force liaison Denise Merrifield and fellow task force member Marjorie Acevedo. Lassandro said she agreed to remain on the task force for now, so long as its mission is not altered and it continues to engage in education, outreach and prevention work.At the center of the dispute is a basic question: Is the Anti-Bias Task Force supposed to work proactively to address prejudice through public programs, outreach and education, or should it act only in a more limited, reactive role when specific complaints arise.A resolution adopted by the ...
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    6 分
  • Gov. Hochul and NYS legislators unlikely to meet budget deadline

    Gov. Hochul and NYS legislators unlikely to meet budget deadline
    2026/03/30
    WLIW-FM gives us something to believe in. If you’re enjoying this podcast, consider a donation today, during our Spring Fund Drive.Donate hereCan’t afford to make a donation? Rate and review this show on your favorite podcast platform, and send this show to just 1 person who could benefit from it. Word of mouth makes our community stronger.***Welcome to budget time in Albany.It’s just days before New York’s April 1st budget deadline, which apparently Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislators won’t meet. Again.Yancey Roy reports in NEWSDAY that lawmakers are trying to hammer a deal on a roughly $260 billion budget, and it’s not dollars and cents holding them up so much as key policy differences.Democratic Governor Hochul and the Democrat-controlled Legislature don’t appear terribly far apart on how much New York should spend on the 2026-27 fiscal year, which begins this coming Wednesday.Here are some of the issues being debated:Hochul proposes easing or suspending some environmental reviews when a project involves housing, child care or clean energy. She says the red tape of the state’s Environmental Review Quality Act (SEQRA) can add two years to a building completion. Builders and some unions like it. But it’s opposed by environmental groups and progressive Dems — and Republicans in the Legislature who say the way Hochul would cut red tape would override local zoning control. The governor says she wants to slow down the state’s target goals for transitioning off fossil fuels (a 70% reduction by 2030) because it is a key part of her "affordability" agenda.The NYS Senate and Assembly has proposed raising tax rates on annual incomes of $5 million or more, while Hochul has been steadfast in opposing any income tax hikes.Legislators will want to bump up Hochul’s $37 billion earmark for school aid, as they always do. They’ll also want to be more generous on child care (especially workers’ pay), prekindergarten and higher education. One area of financial turbulence is whether to boost state pension benefits for people hired in the last 15 years.And Governor Hochul wants to ban counties from signing formal cooperation agreements with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. She wants to prohibit local police from transferring custody of people to ICE without a judicial warrant.But immigration activists and progressive Dems are pushing for more. They favor the "New Yorkers For All" bill, which, among other things, would ban ICE agents from entering nonpublic areas of government-run locations like schools or motor vehicles agencies, ban local and state agencies from sharing information with ICE and prohibit local police from asking a person’s immigration status.***Thousands of people gathered Saturday at anti-Trump "No Kings" demonstrations across Long Island. The 16 rallies were among more than 3,000 protests scheduled nationwide, where participants decried what they called overreach of executive power, as well as ramped-up immigration enforcement and the emergence of a new Middle East conflict. Joseph Ostapiuk and Tara Smith report in NEWSDAY that Show Up Long Island, Engage Long Island, Long Island Network for Change and other grassroots groups organized Long Island's rallies.Neither Nassau nor Suffolk County police departments reported any incidents or arrests at the protests.Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that nearly 500 people gathered in Greenport’s Mitchell Park and then marched through the village in Saturday’s No Kings protest. A crew of singers (many involved with the North Fork Community Theatre’s current production of “1776”) led the crowd in folk songs. Prior to the march, a half a dozen or more speakers including New York State Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni spoke to the crowd.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that demonstrators gathered in downtown Riverhead Saturday afternoon for their “No Kings” rally. The “No Kings 3″ event in Riverhead followed a march from Riverhead High School to Town Hall, where nearly 200 people gathered to express support for OLA of Eastern Long Island’s proposed legislation regarding public safety in the face of ICE activities.And more than 1,000 protesters packed Lake Street in Patchogue this past Saturday. They were occasionally heckled by passersby, some of whom held Trump flags. NO KINGS demonstrators marched past Republican congressman Andrew Garbarino’s office, chanting, "Garbarino, do your job." Garbarino is chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security.Suffolk County Republican Committee chairman Jesse Garcia dismissed the demonstrations as "failed PR stunts" by Democrats that do little to influence political issues.Alleging the protesters were paid, Garcia told Newsday the demonstrators merely "hoot and holler, make noise, disrupt intersections with identifying problems but with no real solutions."Some demonstrators pushed back against claims that they were paid. Debbie ...
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    5 分
  • Several No Kings rallies to be held across East End

    Several No Kings rallies to be held across East End
    2026/03/27

    WLIW-FM gives us something to believe in. If you’re enjoying this podcast, consider a donation today, during our Spring Fund Drive.
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    6 分
  • MTA to discuss raises for 5 LIRR unions

    MTA to discuss raises for 5 LIRR unions
    2026/03/26
    WLIW-FM gives us something to believe in. If you’re enjoying this podcast, consider a donation today, during our Spring Fund Drive.Donate hereCan’t afford to make a donation? Rate and review this show on your favorite podcast platform, and send this show to just 1 person who could benefit from it. Word of mouth makes our community stronger.***Having twice received unfavorable rulings by White House-appointed mediators, the MTA is ready to discuss bigger raises for five Long Island Rail Road unions than what most other transit workers have accepted to avoid a commute-crippling strike, the head of the transit agency said yesterday.Speaking to reporters following a Manhattan board meeting, Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO and Chairman Janno Lieber said officials met with union leaders Friday for the first one-on-one negotiating session since last summer, and made it clear "we are prepared to talk about" giving workers higher raises than have been previously offered.But, Lieber said, the MTA wants the unions to help fund those raises through concessions, including productivity increases and work rule changes."But a strike that wastes big money for your members is not in anybody’s interest. It’s against both of our interests, just flushing money down the toilet," said the MTA CEO.Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that last week, a Presidential Emergency Board of mediators sided for a second time with the unions in their contract fight with the MTA. The labor organizations, which represent about half of all Long Island Rail Road union members, including locomotive engineers and ticket agents, are seeking 14.5% in raises over four years. The MTA, until recently, had been sticking to its offer for a three-year contract totaling 9.5% in raises — the same terms already accepted by most MTA union workers. The MTA recently budged from its position, offering a fourth year at 3% and a $3,000 lump sum payment, but also calling for several concessions.Kevin Sexton, a spokesperson for the coalition of LIRR unions, said, "The MTA has the financial capacity to reach a fair agreement that maintains employees’ standard of living without unneeded concessions," said Sexton, national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. "The question is not ability — it is willingness."Without a settlement, the unions could legally walk off the job as early as mid-May, potentially stranding 250,000 daily LIRR commuters. It would be the first LIRR strike in 32 years.Lieber said the MTA is "planning for" a strike, and would likely adopt a contingency plan similar to that outlined previously, which included limited shuttle bus service between three railroad stations on Long Island and two subway stations in Queens.Lieber said yesterday that the MTA is "determined to try to provide transit to essential workers," but expects that most commuters could work remotely.Even a three-day strike would "wipe out" a significant portion of the wage increases workers are fighting for, Lieber said.***The incidence of the tick borne ailment called alpha-gal syndrome appears to be growing significantly across the country including in Suffolk County, Long Island.Joseph Goldstein reports in THE NY TIMES that once regarded as a rarity, the disease, which involves an allergy to red meat that develops after a tick bite, has emerged as a significant health menace, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating that as many as 450,000 people nationwide may have had it in the past 15 years. And that is probably an undercount, said Dr. Scott Commins, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine who helped solve the mystery of alpha-gal syndrome about two decades ago.In recent months, an even more lethal portrait of the disease has emerged.The allergy has been identified as a potential cause of wide-ranging health woes leading to several recent deaths. Doctors are finding that alpha-gal syndrome may explain gastrointestinal problems in some patients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. Other physicians speculate that it may contribute to cardiovascular disease.Most alpha-gal cases in the United States are believed to begin with a bite from the lone star tick. Named for the signature white ...
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    5 分