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  • Trump border czar threatens to "flood the zone" if Hochul passes ICE limitations

    Trump border czar threatens to "flood the zone" if Hochul passes ICE limitations
    2026/05/08
    MTA managers, making their case against Long Island Rail Road unions' demands for 14.5% raises over four years, say LIRR employees threatening to strike are already the highest-paid railroad workers in the nation.But LIRR labor leaders argue both their pay and negotiating position are warranted given the high cost of living in New York and recent raises given at other railroads across the country. And they're prepared to walk off the job May 16 if their terms aren't met.In response to questions from Newsday about how they determined LIRR workers are the highest paid in the United States, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority cited numbers showing wages at four key LIRR positions exceeded the median of the next five largest American commuter railroads.Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that signal inspectors had the biggest difference among the union positions threatening to strike, according to MTA figures. Their $50.89 top hourly pay in 2025 was 20.7% higher than the $42.17 median at the five other railroads — Metro-North, NJ Transit, Boston’s MBTA, Philadelphia’s SEPTA and Chicago’s Metra. The smallest difference was for LIRR locomotive engineers, whose $54.81 top hourly pay was 3.4% above the $53 median earned at the other railroads. The MTA has told mediators that median pay was $131,212 in 2024 for employees in the five unions. When including fringe benefits such as health insurance, the average compensation was $200,427 in 2024. For locomotive engineers, the highest paid, it was $241,397. "They are the highest-paid railroad workers in the nation but have refused the same significant wage increases the vast majority of their colleagues accepted," MTA chief labor and employee relations officer Anita Miller said in a March statement.LIRR union leaders said those figures give an incomplete picture. They noted for one position some other railroads pay more. Locomotive engineers at Metro-North and Amtrak can earn $59 an hour — $4 more than the LIRR, according to information provided by the unions.More broadly, the unions say LIRR workers’ pay reflects the cost of living in the metropolitan area, which is among the highest in the nation.When accounting for cost of living, and for special pay outside of regular wages — including for receiving special training — the unions have said several other railroads pay more. Those include Metro-North, NJ Transit, Baltimore’s MARC, Northern California’s Caltrain and Southern California’s Metrolink, the LIRR unions said.Unions say recent raises given at other railroads were as much as 7%.If no agreement is reached, LIRR unions are threatening to walk off the job Saturday, May 16, at 12:01 a.m.***Employees at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma racked up more than $1 million in overtime in each of the past two years, a Newsday analysis found, costs that climbed amid a struggle to hire and retain security guards. The Town of Islip, which runs the airport, paid more than $1.2 million in overtime for 75 airport employees last year, up from $1.09 million a year earlier. In 2023, the town paid $944,017 in overtime. Sam Kmack reports in NEWSDAY that airport security guard staffing has fallen over the past several years. Islip Town employed 18 security guards at the end of 2019, and by the start of 2025, nine were employed, according to data provided by the town. Islip ended last year with 17 guards, following a mid-year push to boost staffing levels. The average base salary for a security guard last year was $67,469, town payroll records show.Overtime pay in 2025 for a single guard reached a high of $110,154, records show. The airport's top five overtime earners were all within the airport's security division, and two guards more than doubled their salaries through overtime. Newsday obtained Islip's payroll records under the state's Freedom of Information Law. Islip Town officials say federal minimum staffing requirements, and struggles to recruit and retain guards, contributed to the rising overtime expense.***Tomorrow morning, Peconic Landing in Greenport will host its 20th Annual John May Mile and 5K Race to benefit the Greenport Fire Department.The John May Mile and 5K fundraiser is open to runners and walkers of all ages and fitness abilities, offering both a relaxed mile-long walk and a more challenging 3.1-mile run. Registration and stretching begin at 7:30 a.m. at Brecknock Hall with the race and walk to start at 9 a.m. Runners and walkers may register at: www.peconiclanding.org/JMM.The family-friendly event features a barbecue lunch, raffles, and more.Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that since inception in 2005, the annual John May Mile and 5K has raised over $400,000 to support the local first responders. The most recent event in 2025 contributed a total of $28,570, helping to purchase and maintain rescue equipment vital to keeping Greenport Fire Department volunteers safe while responding to emergency calls.Following ...
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    10 分
  • Town of Southampton in roll out new mass alert system

    Town of Southampton in roll out new mass alert system
    2026/05/07
    Corporal punishment and harsh discipline during toilet training against toddlers and preschool-age children that went unreported to the state.Young children left without competent supervision and staff who failed to immediately inform parents of serious incidents.Day care centers that failed to conduct criminal or sex offender background checks for new hires, in violation of state guidelines.Robert Brodsky reports in NEWSDAY that these are just some of the nearly 100 allegations leveled against seven Long Island day care centers that state officials report are now at risk of losing their license to continue operating.Meanwhile, another four local childcare facilities had their license revoked and were forced to shutter in recent months after serious health or safety violations were documented by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services, a Newsday investigation found.None of the nearly dozen Long Island day cares that have found themselves under scrutiny from the state are on the east end. Overall, the day cares cited represent just a small fraction of the 2,133 childcare providers on Long Island.But to the families of children enrolled in these facilities, typically ranging in age from infants to as old as 12, the alleged violations raise questions about the businesses' safety protocols and offer doubts whether they'll continue to operate moving forward."The safety and well-being of all children in Office of Children and Family Services-licensed childcare programs is our top priority," said Daniel Marans, a spokesman for the agency. "To achieve these standards, we work diligently to ensure enforcement is fair and proportional across the state, creating a pathway back to good standing for childcare providers that fully comply with OCFS’ remediation plans."In Suffolk, five day care businesses are at risk of revocation, records show.They include Dazzling Tots Daycare in Mastic, Kiddie Academy of Farmingdale, The Learning Experience in Northport, Snuggles Day Care in Copiague, and Vanessa Little Blessings Daycare in Coram.***An off-duty Quogue Village police officer who struck and killed a Hampton Bays woman with his personal vehicle will not be charged with a crime following a review of the case by New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ Office of Special Investigation.Robert Brodsky reports in NEWSDAY that Margaret Lucey, 89, was crossing Ponquogue Avenue walking west in Hampton Bays shortly before 11 a.m. on Jan. 8, 2024, when she was struck by officer Jon Stanton’s Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck as Stanton made a left turn from Good Ground Road, authorities said.Stanton remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation, the report said. Lucey was taken by Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance to Southampton Hospital where she died from her injuries, Southampton Town police said.Two months after the accident, the AG's office announced that it was launching an investigation of the crash, which is mandated under a 2021 state law for deaths involving on- and off-duty police, peace officers and correction officers. Yesterday, James' office released her 11-page report into the incident which "concludes that a prosecutor would not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that Officer Stanton committed a crime when he caused Ms. Lucey’s death."The investigation, the report states, included review of a 911 call, footage from nearby security cameras, an interview with a witness and photographs from the scene. The investigation, the report said, found no evidence that Stanton was speeding, distracted, impaired by drugs or alcohol or driving in a reckless manner.Stanton, who was hired by the Quogue Village P.D. in February 2022 and is a volunteer firefighter and EMT, immediately requested an ambulance, the report states, and began performing life-saving measures.***Suffolk County legislators approved at least $3.9 million to settle police-involved lawsuits so far this year, including $3 million to the estate of an emotionally disturbed man, Walter Kellogg, who was allegedly shot and killed by a police officer outside his Shirley home.Lawmakers also approved $600,000 to settle a lawsuit that claimed the same officer assaulted a Shirley woman in 2012.Internal affairs cleared the officer of wrongdoing in those incidents but he was terminated on other charges in 2022.Michael O'Keeffe reports in NEWSDAY that the Suffolk police Internal Affairs Bureau cleared former Officer Frank Santanello of wrongdoing in the 2018 fatal shooting of Walter Kellogg, but the Suffolk County Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee, which must sign off on large settlements, authorized $3 million to settle the estate's federal lawsuit at its March 3 meeting, according to the panel's minutes. Internal affairs also cleared Santanello in the alleged assault and false arrest of Jessica Roger, also of Shirley, in 2012. But the Ways and Means Committee approved a $600,000 settlement to end her federal lawsuit in ...
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    10 分
  • Price of gas continues to rise for Long Islanders

    Price of gas continues to rise for Long Islanders
    2026/05/06
    On Long Island, the number of households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits…known as SNAP…has grown since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Experts say the spike stems from the region's cost-of-living crisis that has made housing unaffordable and can make food an afterthought. More affluent households seeking food assistance might not meet the lower-income federal eligibility requirements for benefits, and recent changes to SNAP work requirements means thousands of Long Islanders could soon lose access to the program.Tiffany Cusaac-Smith reports in NEWSDAY that SNAP, the nutritional support program formerly known as food stamps, has long served as a financial pulse of sorts that measures economic hard times. Experts say more households are turning to the program. Yet, they are quick to point out that the program is not a panacea for food insecurity in the region.In 2020, on average each month, 59,020 households in Suffolk County used the benefit. By 2025, Suffolk County had a monthly average of 78,923 households using the program, representing a roughly 34% increase, according to state data.SNAP benefits often go to the elderly and children on Long Island. In September, roughly 20% were in that age group in Suffolk, according to data from the state. Children represented about 31% of beneficiaries in Suffolk. For households on SNAP in Suffolk, the median income was $70,330, with a margin of error of about $7,800, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey one-year estimates.Vanessa Baird-Streeter, president and CEO of the Health & Welfare Council of Long Island, which is tasked with helping people sign up for SNAP, said the hunger assistance program today amounts to a subsidy people increasingly depend on — albeit one that many earn too much to tap. A few decades ago, she said, a middle-class family looking to move to Long Island to try and live the suburban dream could afford rent and food costs, likely never thinking they would need financial support."And so those people who may have never thought about a safety net program or a public benefit program before, they are now being faced with having to take advantage of these programs in order to ensure that their family just has…foundational stability," Baird-Streeter told NEWSDAY.***Preservation of a 9.6-acre property adjacent to a town-owned marina and beach in South Jamesport was endorsed by the Riverhead Town Board yesterday. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the board unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday afternoon supporting Suffolk County’s proposed preservation of the Peconic Farms parcel on Peconic Bay Boulevard. The resolution contained a qualifier held out by board members as essential to their assent: “as Open Space without improvement or development.”The vote followed days of public debate and mounting pressure from residents over the future of the property at 1161 Peconic Bay Blvd…which Suffolk County is considering acquiring through its Drinking Water Protection Program. Board members emphasized yesterday’s resolution does not finalize any agreement with Suffolk County but signals willingness to continue discussions over potential management terms.As a condition of the acquisition, the county is asking the Town of Riverhead to partner in the project by assuming management responsibility for the site, including “passive recreation uses” at the property, such as a walking trail and a gravel parking area. That condition triggered opposition from town officials, who said they feared such uses, if allowed, would lead to use of the site by out-of-town residents to gain beach access for fishing, swimming and other activities, with negative impacts on the character of the surrounding residential community.As he introduced the resolution, Riverhead Town Councilman Ken Rothwell acknowledged the board had received “an overabundance of emails and phone calls” about the proposal.“We very much want to protect [the property] from development,” Rothwell said.***ReWild next teams up with Group for the East End for a talk on “The Impact of Lawns” on Thursday, May 7…that’s tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. at Downs Farm Preserve in Cutchogue.A talk on lawns by gardener Corn Schmid will address why these grasses have become ingrained into our collective consciousness, culture, and even laws. Mr. Schmid will discuss the myths, facts, functions, and impact of one of America’s largest crops, as well as alternatives specific to our region.Corn Schmid’s expertise in plant ecology comes from years of experience working in the nursery industry and as a gardener in New York City and on the East End. Registration is required as space is limited.For more information, contact Group director of outreach Taralynn Reynolds at taralynn@thegroup.org.That’s “The Impact of Lawns” at Downs Farm Preserve in Cutchogue tomorrow from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm.*...
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    10 分
  • Microplastic levels in drinking water not a required test

    Microplastic levels in drinking water not a required test
    2026/05/05
    Microplastics have been found in bodies of water all over the globe, from the Arctic to the Caribbean Sea to Long Island Sound. They can leach into groundwater from those waterways, and from septic systems and cesspools, or from rainwater runoff that collects particles from streets or landfills.And they make their way into our bodies from the food we eat and the water we drink, whether from the tap or bottled in plastic.Tracy Tullis reports in NEWSDAY that it's not clear if microplastics and the even smaller nanoplastics are in Long Island's drinking water, in part because testing is not required, and there's no standardized test.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced last month it will consider regulating microplastics — particles that can be smaller than a grain of sand, or even microscopic — as a contaminant in drinking water.California is the only state that requires testing for microplastics, and had to develop new ways to test for them.“The New York State Department of Health is closely watching the rapidly evolving science on microplastics and supports the addition of microplastics to the sixth candidate contaminant list,” Marissa Crary, spokesperson for the NYS Department of Health, wrote to Newsday in an email. At the moment, however, “no widely available standard method exists for evaluating microplastics in drinking water.”Tests conducted by the Suffolk County Water Authority found no detectable microplastics in its samples, probably because water drawn from an aquifer is somewhat protected from plastic contamination.“I can’t think of an issue that hits closer to home for American families than the safety of their drinking water,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in announcing the move to regulate microplastics as a contaminant in drinking water.Water suppliers in the United States are not required to test or filter for microplastics, "which is why this is important," Judith Enck, president of the nonprofit Beyond Plastics and a former EPA regional administrator, told Newsday.There are no guarantees that this first step will lead to anything. Last month the EPA declined to regulate any of the contaminants from the previous list, issued in 2022. And the administration also is trying to weaken regulations on PFAS in drinking water established by President Joe Biden.The EPA is required to name at least five possible drinking water contaminants every five years and to study their presence in drinking water, their health effects and whether they ultimately should be regulated.***A county effort to preserve a nearly 10-acre parcel of vacant land on the south side of Peconic Bay Boulevard in South Jamesport has run into resistance at Riverhead Town Hall.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the property, part woodland and part fallow farm field, is located between a residential subdivision and the town boat ramp.Suffolk County Legislator Greg Doroski met with the Town Board at its work session Thursday to discuss preservation of the site as open space. Doroski said the county wanted the town to partner in the acquisition by agreeing to maintain the site for passive recreation use.That got pushback from board members, who said they’d prefer to see a development rights purchase rather than outright acquisition, so the property could be farmed. Some members objected to its conversion to county parkland, expressing concern that the use could be disruptive in a quiet residential area. Others voiced concerns about the cost of establishing and maintaining amenities like the walking trail and gravel parking area suggested by Doroski.An appraisal of the property has been completed, Doroski said. If it moves forward, the county would make an offer to the property owner, which, if accepted, would then require approval by the full Legislature.But the deal would stall without the town’s participation, he told Riverhead officials.The Suffolk County Legislative committee was scheduled to discuss preservation of the site during its executive session yesterday. However, the discussion was postponed.***The Regional Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center at Stony Brook / Southampton Hospital will hold a discussion on all the latest information about tick-borne diseases tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. in the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Free Library.Registration required.Medical Entomologist Dr. Scott Campbell, Chief of the Arthropod-Borne Disease Lab at Suffolk County’s Department of Health Services, and a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel of the Regional Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, will discuss the medically important tick species on Long Island, their biology, habitat, the pathogens they transmit, and the best strategies to prevent tick bites in adults and children. Tomorrow’s program is sponsored jointly by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital, and the Tick Resource Center ...
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    10 分
  • Chronic absenteeism remains high in Long Island schools

    Chronic absenteeism remains high in Long Island schools
    2026/05/04
    Chronic absenteeism in Long Island schools remained stubbornly high in 2024–25, despite efforts to get students back into the classroom following a surge in absences during the pandemic. Lorena Mongelli and Arielle Martinez report in NEWSDAY that in Nassau and Suffolk combined, 17.3% of students in public schools were chronically absent, meaning they missed 18 or more class days during the school year compared to 17.6% the year prior, according to a Newsday analysis of state data. While that is lower than the nearly 20% absenteeism rate in the 2021–22 academic year, when all New York schools reopened for full in-person learning, it still exceeds the 11.4% rate in 2018–19.The figures reflect a nationwide trend, with education experts saying schools throughout the country have struggled to boost attendance rates in recent years.Research has shown that persistent absences can be detrimental for students, leading to gaps in proficiency and increasing the risk they will drop out of high school. Studies have also found that such absences disrupt learning even for students who attend regularly because academic content needs to be reintroduced.Experts say a variety of factors are to blame for the high rate of absenteeism, including a shift in how parents value in-person learning since remote instruction became more commonplace during the pandemic. Local educators also cited student mental health issues, general disengagement with school, work priorities and, in some districts, anxiety about immigration enforcement amid the Trump administration’s crackdown.In 42 states and the District of Columbia, 23% of students were chronically absent in 2024–25 compared to 24% the year prior, according to Nat Malkus, senior fellow and the deputy director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based conservative-leaning research organization that tracks chronic absenteeism nationwide.New York’s chronic absenteeism rate was 27% in 2024–25 versus 27.3% the year prior. according to Newsday’s analysis.Twenty-nine of Long Island’s 124 districts had an absenteeism rate higher than 20% in 2024–25. The Hempstead district had the highest rate, at 49%, followed by Central Islip at 39.7%, according to state data.***The chronic absenteeism rate in Long Island public schools dropped slightly in the 2024-25 school year, from 17.6% the year prior to 17.3%, according to a Newsday analysis of state data. The figure was lower than the nearly 20% absenteeism rate seen during the pandemic but still higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 11.4% rate in 2018–19.Lorena Mongelli and Arielle Martinez report in NEWSDAY that a couple of east end school districts showed improvements in their absenteeism rate, which counts students in first grade and older who are enrolled for a minimum of 10 instructional days and attend at least one of those days.Bridgehampton dropped 9.6 percentage points, to 19.5%, in 2024–2025.The district’s interim superintendent, Brigid P. Collins, said, “The decrease in attendance issues is a combined reflection of our strengthened communication efforts and deeper family engagement.”She said the district sends attendance letters and implemented the ParentSquare notification system, which sends immediate alerts about student lateness and absences.The Amagansett school district, which had less than 100 students last school year, lowered its rate by 8.4 percentage points to 21.8%.Superintendent Michael S. Rodgers said the district “has made a strong, collective effort to build a more positive and engaging school culture for the students, staff, and families.”“This includes incorporating more hands-on projects, experiential learning opportunities, and field trips that connect classroom instruction to real world experiences,” Rodgers said. Cecelia Leong, vice president of programs at the national nonprofit Attendance Works, said some schools are having success by building relationships with students and families and ensuring students feel welcome, accepted and safe.“Those consistent things that build a sense of belonging and relationship are really important,” Leong said. ***A coalition of fire response entities and other partners will host an open house at Flanders Community Center, 655 Flanders Road, Flanders on Tuesday, May 5…that’s tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m. to solicit public input for the Southampton Central Pine Barrens Community Wildfire Protection Plan, a plan that will help residents of western Southampton Town learn how to best protect their families and homes from wildfire hazards.Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that tomorrow’s meeting will provide an opportunity for residents to learn about the Community Wildfire Protection Plan {CWPP} and provide comments to help create the plan. Officials at the beginning of the meeting will offer a brief presentation about the CWPP program. Attendees can then learn more details about the CWPP from ...
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    10 分
  • Southampton Town says Riverside can expect new sewer district to be active by late 2029

    Southampton Town says Riverside can expect new sewer district to be active by late 2029
    2026/05/01
    Long Island business leaders yesterday expressed concern of the potential economic impacts from an LIRR union strike, while also warning that unprecedented raises for railroad workers could be "unsustainable." Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that leaders from seven Long Island business advocacy and economic development groups, in a letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, expressed their "deep concern regarding the negative economic impact of a potential strike" by five Long Island Rail Road unions.The leaders noted that the strike, which could begin May 16, would come a week before Memorial Day as Long Island enters its peak tourism season."The railroad takes tens of thousands of New Yorkers each week to Long Island beaches, golf courses, and wineries," they wrote. "Thousands of small businesses rely on summer tourism to survive."The business groups also expressed concern that "unprecedented raises to the minority of the LIRR workforce will be economically unsustainable for a mass transit system with chronic fiscal woes." The labor organizations represent about half the LIRR’s union workforce.The letter was authored by representatives from the Association for a Better Long Island, the Long Island Association, the Hauppauge Industrial Association of LI, the Long Island Builders Institute, the Long Island Contractors' Association, the Commercial Industrial Brokers Society of Long Island and Discover Long Island.Hochul spokesman Sean Butler said the governor's position is that "a strike would hurt LIRR workers and riders alike. It is critical that both sides come to the table and negotiate in good faith."Asked to comment on the letter, MTA officials pointed to remarks made Wednesday by the agency's chief financial officer, Jai Patel. In the event of a strike, Patel said, "Riders will be frustrated, the local economy will struggle and trust in our service will erode."***Just in time for summer, East Quogue got a new Christmas tree last week.Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the blue spruce tree that has served as East Quogue’s public Christmas tree for many years was getting bare and suffering from needlecast and residents had recently begun talking about a replacement after the winter, resident Christine Grant said.The Town of Southampton created a hamlet park district last fall, which directs funds from development project fees to a kitty for beautification projects. But buying a new Christmas tree would have tapped the bulk of the fledgling park district’s funding.Two residents, Cathy Zambetti, and her husband, John Picone, stepped in and instead offered to cover the cost of purchasing a new tree. Grant and her husband, Chris Connolly, who own Aspatuck Gardens, were able to source a 20-foot Norway spruce from a North Fork tree farm and got Southampton Town Parks & Recreation staff to remove the old tree and excavate a hole for the root ball of the new one.That’s when the small town stuff really kicked in.The tree arrived on a rainy morning last week and proved to be so heavy that the equipment the town brought to move it into place couldn’t lift it.“So we did the classic Mayberry, small-town thing: We texted our friend Michelle Meduski, who knows everybody in town,” Connolly said. “She knew a company who had an excavator and they came right over and it turned out that they were East Quogue people, so it was pretty cool how it all worked out.”***The Town of Southold is holding an Environmental Expo and Repair Café with the North Fork Environmental Council (NFEC) tomorrow from 12 noon to 4 p.m. at the town’s Peconic Lane Recreation Center.The public can bring their household items — including small appliances, clothing, toys and bicycles to be repaired, and their knives to be sharpened. “It’s a great community event, with neighbors helping neighbors to make things work again, with the added bonus of keeping those things out of the waste stream,” said Margaret deCruz, the NFEC Repair Café chair.Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that numerous environmental organizations will also have tables at tomorrow’s event. Compost coaches from the Long Island Organics council will give demonstrations and offer tips on how best to compost at home, and organizations ranging from Group for the East End to the Peconic Baykeeper, Peconic Estuary Partnership, ReWild North Fork and UpSculpt will also offere information and inspiration on how to preserve our local natural resources.Tomorrow’s Environmental Expo and Repair Café is from 12 noon to 4 p.m. at Peconic Recreation Center, 920 Peconic Lane, Peconic, NY 11958.***Southampton Town gave residents of Riverside a look at some of the practical aspects of its new $44 million sewer district this week. The town’s consultants say they anticipate the system coming online in late 2029 or early 2030.Funding the Riverside Wastewater Recovery System has been a project in the works for more than a decade, and it has been seen as a...
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    10 分
  • MTA claims large rate hikes would be required to meet LIRR worker demands

    MTA claims large rate hikes would be required to meet LIRR worker demands
    2026/04/30
    Paying Long Island Rail Road workers the raises they're demanding to avoid a strike could lead to service cuts, job reductions, or fare hikes as high as 8% — twice the usual rate, MTA officials said yesterday.But LIRR labor leaders, who met with Metropolitan Transportation Authority managers for an impromptu bargaining session Wednesday, blasted the figure as baseless, and maintained the MTA can afford to pay workers a fair wage without digging deeper into riders' pockets to pay for it.MTA officials also released new details of their strike contingency plan, which now includes shuttle buses serving five Long Island locations.Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that the MTA and five labor organizations representing roughly half of all LIRR union workers are locked in a contract dispute that could result in the first railroad work stoppage in more than 30 years beginning on Saturday May 16. The two sides have agreed on the terms of the first three years of a deal, with raises totaling 9.5%, as has already been accepted by most MTA unions.The LIRR unions still holding out want a fourth year at 5%. The MTA has offered between 3% and 4.5%, depending on contract concessions.Paying Long Island Rail Road workers the raises they demand in order to prevent a strike next month could lead the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to hike fares by 8% in 2027, cut jobs, or slash service, officials said.Ahead of a potential May 16 LIRR work stoppage, officials released new details of a strike contingency plan, including rush hour shuttle buses running between five locations on Long Island and two Queens subway stations.An impromptu negotiating session between LIRR labor leaders and MTA managers yesterday ended with no settlement, but with plans for further talks.Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that MTA officials recently laid out what they said were the potential consequences of acquiescing to the demands of the five unions, which represent locomotive engineers, electricians, machinists, signal workers, and ticket clerks. Because, other unions — including those representing more than 40,000 city bus and subway workers — would expect the same terms as those given to the 3,400 LIRR workers in the contract dispute, transit officials said giving in to them would cost the MTA an extra $200 million a year. MTA Chief Financial Officer Jai Patel said, "The entire MTA, and not just the Long Island Rail Road, has to pay for this somehow.”Kevin Sexton, national vice president of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, and a spokesman for the coalition of five unions, called the threat of an 8% fare hike "absolute, unadulterated, shameless fear mongering."Sexton said the MTA's figures are "not based in fact" and are disputed by federal mediators who have reviewed MTA's finances.Members of the five unions threatening to strike made on average $122,443 in 2024, the latest year available, according to a Newsday analysis of payroll data.With the May 16 deadline drawing nearer, MTA officials yesterday began warning riders directly of a potential railroad shutdown, including through a new website, mta.info/lirrstrike, which includes information about a plan to help commuters get to work and back without trains running.***Two Southampton High School juniors are helping bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace by playing a key role in launching a new Business Advisory Council aimed at expanding career opportunities for students.Working alongside Director of Counseling Martha Tuthill, student ambassadors Cameron Kieffer and Jack D’Italia have helped establish the initiative, which focuses on strengthening connections between the Southampton School district and the local business community.As reported on 27east.com, since the start of the school year, the council has hosted two meetings with more than 20 local business leaders, working to increase student access to career information, internships and job opportunities while enhancing career education programs.Ms. Tuthill said the initiative is just beginning. “The council can only grow from here, and the plan is to build upon it every year,” she said.Looking ahead, the students are working to launch a business club in fall 2026 to further expand opportunities for their peers.Local business leaders interested in participating can contact Tuthill at mtuthill@southamptonschools.org***Almost everyone in Sag Harbor — from village government leaders to the heads of community nonprofits and advocacy groups, small-business owners and landlords, and more — agree that the village is at a tipping point, similar to the identity crisis it experienced around 2008, when the specter of CVS arriving in Sag Harbor led to code changes to protect the village’s character. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that there’s a sense of urgency, bordering on panic at times, and a feeling that immediate steps must be taken to ensure that the Village of Sag ...
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    9 分
  • Trump war with Iran continues to raise cost of living for Long Islanders

    Trump war with Iran continues to raise cost of living for Long Islanders
    2026/04/29
    Gasoline prices on Long Island rose more than 12 cents a gallon over the last week, pushed by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which has choked oil exports from the Persian Gulf, as well as seasonal factors, according to AAA.By Monday morning, the auto club put the average price per gallon at just under $4.13. Gas Buddy put the average at $4.09, the highest in 12 months, though well off the $5.05 highest average price the AAA recorded for the region in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The national average has dropped since early April and was $4.11 on Monday, according to AAA. Here on the east end stations were charging over $4.20 per gallon in Water Mill and points east.Nicholas Spangler reports in NEWSDAY that gas prices — advertised on almost every commercial road — are key to consumer confidence, especially on Long Island, where there are more cars than households. Crude oil cost is the major driver of retail gasoline prices, and it has surged since the start of the Iran war because of disruption to production and shipping of oil and gas in the Persian Gulf. The threat of Iranian attacks on shipping has essentially closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s daily crude diet passed before the war’s start.The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s last available short-term energy outlook, from April 6, predicted retail gasoline prices would peak at $4.30 in April and average more than $3.70 this year, but that outlook assumed that war would not continue into May and that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz would gradually resume.***The Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center in East Hampton is looking to undertake a $4 million basement renovation to make way for a new Infant center, building on the success of the program for infants launched at the center last year.Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that to get the renovation project off the ground, the center, which provides child care and early education for infants and toddlers in East Hampton, is eying a $3.5 million grant from the NYS Office of Childhood and Family Services, which will be awarded to an early childhood center within the state for either new construction or a renovation.What the renovation project calls for is an overhaul of the center’s underutilized basement space as part of a three-phase project.If the center does not receive the grant for the renovation, it will pursue the project through other means. But the grant would serve to expedite the process overall.“We're still going to go ahead, and what we'll do is we'll probably break up the project into three different areas,” said Tim Frazier, Executive Director. “We'll probably put the elevator in first, and then we'll look at the renovation on the outside, then the renovation on the inside.”The Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center is one of only a few early education centers in the region that offers a structured and educational infant program.***Montauk, the home of the lighthouse, is about to see its name in lights on Broadway. Daniel Bubbeo reports in NEWSDAY that yesterday, Manhattan Theatre Club announced that Emmy Award winner and Oscar nominee Laura Linney will star in the world premiere of "Montauk," a new drama by David Hare at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre next spring. The play is described as "a visceral portrait of two artists with violently different approaches to art and life." Linney will play a writer who becomes infatuated with a passionate artist who is "a stubborn titan of Long Island abstraction," according to the announcement.Montauk has history as a refuge for artists including Andy Warhol, who lived in the oceanfront estate Eothen in Montauk.Eothen is Greek for "from the East" or "from the dawn.***Suffolk County officials are pointing to the Navy’s cleanup of the Bethpage plume in Nassau County as a precedent — and warning they expect the same urgency in Calverton, where county testing shows contamination from the former Navy-owned Grumman manufacturing site continues to move through groundwater, surface water and fish habitat while federal cleanup efforts remain largely in the study phase. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that at a community meeting last night, County Executive Ed Romaine made clear Suffolk is no longer willing to wait.“We are not without options,” Romaine said, emphasizing the county’s size, population and resources as he warned the county is not willing to tolerate indefinite delay from the U.S. Navy.The contrast with Bethpage is hard to miss. There, after decades of delay and denial about groundwater contamination from a former Navy/Grumman site, the Navy and Northrop Grumman in 2020 agreed to a $406 million cleanup plan to halt the spread of a massive groundwater plume that had already polluted public water supply wells, according to the Associated Press.That is the model Suffolk officials and environmental advocates say should now apply in Calverton: ...
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