エピソード

  • Arrests made over charges of bribery within East Hampton Town

    Arrests made over charges of bribery within East Hampton Town
    2026/04/16
    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 ...
    続きを読む 一部表示
    10 分
  • Riverhead Country Fair not being held on 50th anniversary

    Riverhead Country Fair not being held on 50th anniversary
    2026/04/15
    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 ...
    続きを読む 一部表示
    10 分
  • Sag Harbor proposed budget would hike village taxes $600 for median home

    Sag Harbor proposed budget would hike village taxes $600 for median home
    2026/04/14
    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 ...
    続きを読む 一部表示
    10 分
  • Suffolk County may be declared "disaster area" over oyster crop

    Suffolk County may be declared "disaster area" over oyster crop
    2026/04/13
    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 ...
    続きを読む 一部表示
    10 分
  • Land preservation efforts on up swing across North Fork

    Land preservation efforts on up swing across North Fork
    2026/04/10
    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...
    続きを読む 一部表示
    10 分
  • Rex A. Heuermann confesses to being Gilgo Beach serial killer

    Rex A. Heuermann confesses to being Gilgo Beach serial killer
    2026/04/09
    Rex A. Heuermann confessed to killing eight women yesterday, strangling and dumping their mutilated bodies as the elusive Gilgo Beach serial killer, bringing resolution to a case that has generated worldwide attention since the first victim's remains were found off the Ocean Parkway in 2010.As reported in NEWSDAY, Heuermann, who had lived a normal-appearing life as an architect and married father in Massapequa Park while clandestinely killing women in his basement when his family was on vacation, pleaded guilty to the murders of seven women and admitted killing an eighth woman — a vicious crime spree that began in 1993 and confounded Long Island for years.Standing in a suit and navy tie, Heuermann detailed his crimes one-by-one in response to a series of questions from Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney during a riveting and rapidly paced court hearing in Riverhead that lasted 27 minutes."Strangulation," he repeated in a matter-of-fact tone, eight times, when asked how he ended the lives of his victims in a courtroom packed with the tearful families of the victims, the authorities that had finally nabbed him after years of hunting, the journalists that had long chronicled the case, as well as a host of curious onlookers.NYS Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei sentences Heuermann on June 17. The 62 year old Heuermann, born and raised in Nassau County, Long Island, is expected to receive three consecutive sentences of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the killings of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello Heuermann is also expected to be sentenced to a consecutive sentence of 100 years to life imprisonment in the killings of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla and Valerie Mack.Heuermann was arrested on July 13, 2023, as he walked away from his Manhattan office. As Heuermann remained in custody at the Suffolk County jail in Riverhead, the case against him continued to expand. On Wednesday, Tierney vowed his office would continue to find answers to unsolved homicides. "There are still bodies on that beach," D.A.Tierney said. "There are still bodies in Suffolk County. There's no rest for the weary. We are going to continue to work with our partners and try to obtain hope for as many families as we can."*** In a last-minute bid to stop the Riverhead Town Board from authorizing the acquisition of its East Main Street building, the Long Island Science Center submitted a 92-page packet of engineering reports, correspondence and project records to the board this past Tuesday.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that with Supervisor Jerry Halpin and Council Member Bob Kern dissenting, a divided board voted to authorize the town to pursue acquisition of the property through eminent domain, the legal process governments can use to acquire private property without a willing seller.The resolution adopted Tuesday authorizes the Town of Riverhead to pursue acquisition of 111 E. Main St. “for general municipal purposes.”The vote followed an extended public discussion in which science center supporters argued the nonprofit’s long-delayed redevelopment project remains viable and should be allowed to proceed, while a majority of board members said the building has remained vacant too long and now stands in the way of the larger town square project.Tuesday’s vote did not itself start an eminent domain proceeding. Rather, the resolution reaffirmed the board’s 2024 authorization for the town to pursue acquisition of 111 E. Main St. in Riverhead for “general municipal purposes,” allowing officials to continue taking preliminary steps toward a possible acquisition.Riverhead Town Attorney Erik Howard said after the vote that the town would still have to hold a public hearing before proceeding further.The Place for Learning, the nonprofit operating as the Long Island Science Center, bought 111 E. Main St. in 2020 for $1.45 million after selling its former West Main Street location in 2016. At the time, the move was celebrated by town, county and state officials as a major step in downtown revitalization, with then-Supervisor Yvette Aguiar calling the project a “heart transplant for Riverhead.”***The Submarine Veterans of Long Island will lead its annual Tolling of the Boats Ceremony at the New Suffolk Beach Submarine Memorial this coming Sunday at 11 a.m. It’s a solemn remembrance of U.S. Navy submarines and their lost crews at sea, in which the names of lost submarines and their crew members are read and a bell is rung to honor their service and sacrifice.The United States Submarine Veterans, Inc., also known as USSVI, proudly represents Long Island Subvets and all submarine veterans who have served in the U.S. Navy…honoring the commitment and sacrifices of every Subvet, ensuring that the legacy of our U.S. submarine fleet lives on.The annual Tolling of the Boats Ceremony is this Sunday at 11 a.m. at New Suffolk Beach, ...
    続きを読む 一部表示
    10 分
  • East Hampton Town officials to move forward on new law drafted by OLA of Eastern Long Island

    East Hampton Town officials to move forward on new law drafted by OLA of Eastern Long Island
    2026/04/08
    Immigration arrests on Long Island reached a historic high at the start of the year and continued steadily into last month, new data shows, offering the first comprehensive local look at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s crackdown.Anastasia Valeeva and Josefa Velásquez report in NEWSDAY that the 352 ICE arrests in January marked a peak in the monthly numbers covering October and early March. Newsday analyzed the statistics after the nonprofit Deportation Data Project released them last week. They confirm what immigration advocates called a "significant acceleration" in enforcement that also saw a record number of people challenging their detentions.In February of this year immigration arrests dipped nationwide as well as on Long Island that month to 223, data shows.But in the first 10 days of March, 118 people were arrested here, the data shows, potentially putting arrests on track to meet the January high, when there was an average of 11 people per day.Islip Forward, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy organization that tracks ICE activity on Long Island, said the findings are consistent with what the group’s been seeing: a "sharp escalation" in immigration enforcement in late 2025 and a "significant acceleration" into the new year.While the federal data only covers through March 10, Ahmad Perez, Islip Forward’s founder and executive director, said there’s been a drop off in ICE sightings on Long Island starting in late March, coinciding with ICE agents being deployed to airports to help during a partial government shutdown."Importantly, this shift should not be interpreted as a reduction in enforcement overall. Rather, it reflects a temporary redistribution of federal resources, following a period of sustained escalation," Perez told NEWSDAY.He also noted that immigration activity is becoming "less publicly visible.""Including early morning residential operations, activity near courthouses, and the use of unmarked or newly branded vehicles — dynamics that are not always captured in traditional reporting or arrest data alone," Perez said.***The U.S. House of Representatives has reauthorized the National Estuary Program, which provides federal funding for the Peconic Estuary Program and Peconic Estuary Partnership, as well as the Long Island Sound Program, through 2031. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the measure still must win approval by the U.S. Senate and President Donald Trump.U.S. Congressman Nick LaLota…the Republican from Amityville who represents the east end…as well as local environmentalists applauded the House vote and championed the cause for further federal support.“[The] American Water Stewardship Act delivers exactly the results we need by locking in long-term support for the Long Island Sound and our estuaries,” LaLota said in a statement announcing the passage of the bill by the House, which he co-sponsored.The bill, which has initial bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, would fund the National Estuary Program’s 28 nationally recognized estuaries for fiscal years 2026-2031. The Peconic Estuary was adopted into the National Estuary Program as an “estuary of national significance” in 1992.The National Estuary Program {NEP} was created in 1987 and last reauthorized in 2021 as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the $1.2 trillion federal economic stimulus package passed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The act funded the NEP for 2022-26 with $132 million in annually available matching grant money for the national estuaries. The program’s supporters claim that for each federal dollar invested in the estuary programs around the country, the local program managers have generated $19 in local investment.The American Water Stewardship Act also reauthorizes the Long Island Sound Program, which coordinates state, local and federal agencies to manage the environment impacts on the Sound, whose watershed extends as far north as Vermont and Canada.The AWSA would also reauthorize, establish or expand more than a dozen other maritime and water quality programs nationwide.***The Town of Southold is holding a presentation on “Understanding Subdivisions & Land Preservation in Southold Town” hosted by the North Fork Civics tomorrow evening 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 scheduled for tomorrow at Veterans Beach in Mattituck from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.***East Hampton Town officials are moving forward on a law, drafted by OLA...
    続きを読む 一部表示
    10 分
  • Riverhead's Alive on 25 likely to be approved after supervisor raises questions

    Riverhead's Alive on 25 likely to be approved after supervisor raises questions
    2026/04/07
    Long Island officials use a number of tools to discuss potential terror threats. Long Island's proximity to New York City makes it an attractive target for a variety of attacks by more organized groups, or a lone-wolf attacker, authorities said. Nicole Fuller reports in NEWSDAY that a slew of upcoming high-profile events, such as the U.S.A. semiquincentennial, the FIFA World Cup and the U.S. Open Golf Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton are capturing the attention of local law enforcement. Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said the department's connection with the NYPD — and its vast counterterrorism efforts — as well as its involvement in organizations like the Major Cities Chiefs Association are key to helping protect Suffolk residents.Catalina, a 27-year veteran of the NYPD who became Suffolk police commissioner in 2025, said he's bolstered security at large-scale events in the county since becoming Suffolk's top cop. Some of the enhancements have included officers on roofs toting long guns, garbage and fire trucks along the perimeter to protect foot traffic and metal barriers, as well as more covert things the public may not see, such as cameras and undercover officers in crowds.A counter-drone program is on Suffolk's wish list. "Drones scare me," Catalina said. "We see what's happening in the Middle East. We see what's happening in Ukraine and Russia, as far as weaponizing drones. So that's something that we want to be able to have the autonomy to stop on our own."Catalina also brought on an NYPD leader in counterterrorism last year. Suffolk’s Deputy Police Commissioner Thomas Galati, a 39-year veteran of the NYPD, retired as the chief of intelligence and counterterrorism where he oversaw the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Intelligence Division and the Counterterrorism Division.***Curriculum changes, teacher training and extra-help sessions have aided multiple East End school districts in raising English language arts assessment test scores. Desirée Keegan reports on 27East.com that four New York school districts saw proficiency levels increase more than 20 percentage points during the 2024-25 school year, according to state data, with the Remsenburg-Speonk School District seeing the biggest rise — a 31 percent jump from the previous year to 73 percent. The test is graded on a 1-4 scale, with a 3 or higher indicating proficiency. “It’s exciting because we invested time and resources, and the teachers really put their best feet forward to make sure they were addressing the things that students really needed to know in order to be successful,” Remsenburg-Speonk Superintendent Denise Sullivan said. This included teaching students how to type and utilize computer tools, like the highlighter, that could assist in test taking. Educators also looked at assessment vocabulary to see if there were words that could be causing students confusion and implemented test-taking strategies to work on fatigue.Similar strategies were implemented in the East Quogue School District, which saw a 17-percent increase in ELA proficiency, to 67 percent. The district implemented new ELA curriculum, with The American Reading Company, which the superintendent said strengthened literacy instruction across all grade levels. To further support students, East Quogue expanded academic intervention services and introduced an after-school academy for both ELA and math, funded through a grant from Paddlers for Humanity.Westhampton Beach and Tuckahoe School districts’ ELA test results also rose 12 percent, to be 65 and 57 percent proficient, respectively.Sag Harbor results increased 8 percent to reach a 69 percent proficiency level, Southampton rose 8 percent to be 45 percent proficient and Montauk increased 6 percent to reach a 68 percent proficiency level.***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 week after the supervisor raised questions about whether Riverhead's Alive on ...
    続きを読む 一部表示
    10 分